"In the end, I strive to instill a sense of presence and mystery in my work."
Carl Oltvedt works full-time as an artist in a variety of painting and drawing media. He retired from Minnesota State University Moorhead in May of 2015, where he was a Professor in the School of Visual Arts. He has exhibited his work at Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis since 1978. His paintings and drawings are included in numerous public, corporate, and private collections. He has completed commissions for corporations and private collectors including Cargill Corporation, Minnesota Mutual, Securian Corporation, Microsoft, and the Laske family. He was a recipient of Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants in 2014 and 1991, and a Lake Region Arts Council/McKnight Artist Fellowship in 2002.
Artist Statement 2026:
I am delighted to have been working with Groveland Gallery for so many years, where I have found consistent support for my creative ideas and the work I produce. During the past several years, I have been focused on birds of various types as my subject matter, including a variety of herons and blackbirds, as well as geese, gulls, and Sandhill cranes. I observe and photograph the birds in their native habitat, returning as needed for additional references while I am developing paintings and drawings of them. The individual works are always a distillation of observed information balanced with adjustments for my expressive interpretation. In the end, I strive to instill a sense of presence and mystery in the works I create.
Carl Oltvedt’s website: carloltvedt.com
Image of the artist courtesy of Valerie Jardin