Carl Oltvedt "Birch, Spruce and Cedar Spruce Creek"
Carl Oltvedt "A Delicate Balance"
Carl Oltvedt "Mid-Morning Light: Spruce Creek"
Carl Oltvedt "Luminosity in the Mist"
Carl Oltvedt "Yellow Blossoms" SOLD
Carl Oltvedt "Sunlight Reflecting on Lake Superior"
Carl Oltvedt "Reflections II"
Carl Oltvedt "Heading Home"
Carl Oltvedt "Cycles"
Carl Oltvedt "Curve"
Carl Oltvedt "Deadfall"
Carl Oltvedt "Fern Creek"
Carl Oltvedt "Reflections"
Carl Oltvedt "Light Glare"
Carl Oltvedt "Balance"
Carl Oltvedt "Flash of Orange"
Carl Oltvedt "Contemplative"
Carl Oltvedt "Common Ground"
Carl Oltvedt "Cautious Step"
Carl Oltvedt "Afternoon Walk"
Carl Oltvedt "Afternoon Light"
Carl Oltvedt "Hovering Shadows"A Delicate Balance
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 7, 2-5 p.m.
This exhibition reflects Carl Oltvedt’s continued interest in working directly from life. His intimate relationship with his subjects – whether they be the forest and streams near the North Shore or the landscapes of his favorite Minneapolis parks – are revealed through extraordinary draftsmanship and small, painterly brush strokes. His careful observations are depicted with thoughtful details: dappled sunlight on a park bench; a young woman bent over pooled water, the rosey sunset reflected beneath her; spongy moss growing on a fallen tree.
Interested in the contrasts between the wild of Northern Minnesota and the nature of local, groomed urban parks, Oltvedt’s imagery examines the environments of these related yet diverse Minnesota landscapes. The artist explains: “I feel deeply connected to the light, textures, colors and contrasts of the open and confined spaces of those highly contrasting environs. Most recently, I have returned to including figures and dogs in some of my works, which add scale and an additional layer of mystery to the final visual statement.”
A Minneapolis native, Oltvedt is a full professor in the School of Visual Arts at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he has taught for over 30 years. Oltvedt has exhibited extensively across the Midwest, and his work is included in the permanent collections of the North Dakota Museum of Art, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Minnesota State Historical Society and the Plains Art Museum. Carl Oltvedt is a recipient of a 2014 Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
The artist will be present at the opening reception on Saturday, March 7 from 2 to 5 pm. This exhibition and opening run concurrently with Rome: Traversing the Sacred, a show of new paintings by Minneapolis artist Charles Lyon. These exhibitions continue through April 18, 2015.
Carl Oltvedt is a fiscal year 2014 recipient of an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriate from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Carl Oltvedt’s website: carloltvedt.com
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