Possibilities
A mixed media painting commissioned by KIAC to represent the 20th Annual Yukon Riverside Arts Festival, exhibited in the Klondike Ballroom during the festival.
Jackie Olson’s heritage is one of Gwich’in and Danish descent. She was born and raised in Dawson City. She had lived there all her life but for the 3 years spent in Whitehorse working for the Yukon Indian Arts and Craft society (1995-1988), and her four years studying art at Camosun College (Victoria, BC) and the Alberta College of Art and Design (Calgary, Alberta). Her time at the Indian Arts and Crafts Society sparked her interest in Arts Administration, which she felt would improve her capabilities in her job. By the time she began her arts administration training at Camosun, Jackie realized that she had a passion for making the art itself.
She went on to the Alberta College of Art to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Since her return to Dawson in 1992, Jackie has been busy in the arts scene. She has participated in many art exhibitions in cities such as Zurich (Switzerland), Munchen (Germany), Calgary, Banff, Red Deer, Yellowknife, Edmonton, Whitehorse and Dawson City. Jackie’s work is in many collections around the world as in Bavaria State Anthropology Museum in Munchen, National Indian Art Centre, the Yukon Permanent Art Collection and the Yukon Arts Centre Permanent Collection to name a few.
I have kept active in creating new works of art as time as allowed over the past several years, I am finally able to spend a bit more time on my art and would like to focus on an idea I have been thinking about for some time now; “Industrial meets Organic” The first piece I created under this view was a coffee table of an amazing slab of spruce burls and a base of square steel. I have been collecting items found in nature that is manmade and has been left to rot in the landscape. Most of these items are remnants of the Gold Rush mining eras. The metal rusting and deteriorating has captured my interest and inspired me to find a way to incorporate into my paintings. Along with harvesting from the land I envision my canvases taking on new shapes and forms as I go. I envision a sculptural element will unfold creating three dimensional forms of canvas.