Charles Olsen

Charles Olsen

e Lapwing

Larking about like Foolstumbling in an unseen Circus,lappingwings flappingwingssloop’n'roll to that jazzy cry

Occasionally my brushffumbles to the same rhythmcollecting thought the way the lapwingcatches its sustenance in the air.

Charles Olsen, 1998

Charles Olsen (b.1969 Nelson, New Zealand) the son of an Anglican priest and an opera singer, moved to England in 1981 and to Spain in 2003.

He completed his BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Middlesex University, London, in 1994, and has exhibited widely including galleries in London, Paris, Madrid, and Wellington.

InIn 2007 he created two web pages in Myspace to present artists from Spain and Aotearoa, New Zealand, which together contain over 150 artists. The same year he won second prize in the first ever Saatchi Showdown with his painting ̒La Sundari̓.

AlongsideAlongside his painting Olsen has worked as an assistant in a builders̓ merchants, vegetable picker, house painter, channel five re-tuner, English language teacher, artist-in-residence in a hospital and an EBD school, as well as giving painting workshops and assisting in a photography workshop led by Spanish photographer, Germán Gomez.

RecentlyRecently he has also been filming, editing videos, doing graphic design work, photography, translations and promotions for dance and flamenco companies such as The Karen Taft Centre for Dance, Concha Jareño, SwingaTres, and El Entri, and musicians Hope, Nick Tann, Bettina Flater, Odette Beris, and Juliet Lawson among others.

HeHe has a passion for Flamenco guitar, which he has studied with Paco Peña in Cordoba, Juan Martín at Dartington International Summer School, and Tito Heredia and Antonio Francisco in London. He has accompanied dancers for a number of years and performed at the Nga Puna Waihunga Hui, Te Aute College, NZ, in 2001. He has been studying extensively with flamenco guitar maestro El Entri in the renowned flamenco academy, Amor de Dios. He paid for these last classes with three paintings.these last classes with three paintings.

Olsen is also a poet and singer-songwriter.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2007 La Casa de los Jacintos, La Latina, Madrid, Spain2006 Los Artistas del Barrio – puertas abiertas – Lavapies, Madrid, Spain2005 Retratos - La Plaza de las Artes, Madrid, Spain2003 Windsor Street Gallery, Chertsey, UK2001 Plimmer Steps Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand1999 1999 The Caravan, Lyne, with music by “Drunk on Logic”, UK St. Peter̓s Hospital, Chertsey, UK

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2009 Showdown Exhibition, The Saatchi Gallery, London Colores del Maíz - Centro Hispano-Centroamericano, Madrid, Spain Emergent Art, Sala Xaudaró, Monzón, Spain Emergent Art, Sala AAP, Zaragoza, Spain VI Continente, Centre Civic Barceloneta, Barcelona, Spain Coral Estate, Pirats Arts Network, Second Life Situaciones Emergentes, Galería Geraldes da Silva, Oporto, Portugal Situaciones Emergentes, ExpoLemo, Lugo, Spain Galería Rita Castellote, Madrid, Spain2008 Los Artists del Barrio, with José Luis Carrascosa, Lavapies, Madrid2003 New Zealand House, The Haymarket, London, UK2000 2000 Millenium Exhibition, Woking, UK1998 Contemporary British Watercolours, Beatrice Royal Gallery, Eastleigh The Riverhouse Barn, Walton-on-Thames, UK1997 The Vicarage, Lyne, UK St. Mark̓s Church, Merton Arts Festival, Wimbledon, UK1996 The Vicarage, Lyne, UK1995 Hamilton House, Lyne, UK Salon d'automne - Le Moulin Fidel, Ville du Plessis-Robinson, Paris1994 Verve, Forest Contemporary Art, Guildford, UK The Atrium, Whiteleys, London, UK Quicksilver Place, Middlesex University, London, UK1993 Quicksilver Place Gallery, Middlesex University, London, UK

"...another known artist is exhibiting, although it's only for three days he's always to look forward to, CHARLES OLSEN, a New Zealander in love with flamenco, although to understand him I need God's help..." contemporaneiz[arte], March 2007contemporaneiz[arte], March 2007

"Signature stormy brush strokes and a penchant for abstractivism is prevalent throughout Charles' work."thinkmagazine, July 2008

WEBSITESwww.charlesolsen.eswww.artfind.co.nz/artist/charolsecharlesolsen.artelista.comwww.myspace.com/charles_olsenpensamientoslentos.wordpress.comwindowonweb.com/charlesolsenwindowonweb.com/charlesolsenwww.dripbook.com/charlesolsenwww.facebook.com/pages/Charles-Olsen/106310345173www.myspace.com/charlesolsenmusicwww.youtube.com/elcosquillo

Gallerieswww.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile//12816www.galeriaritacastellote.es/artist.aspx?a=27www.galeriaritacastellote.es/artist.aspx?a=27

Artistas de España www.myspace.com/artistasdeespana

Aotearoa Artists www.myspace.com/newzealandartists

CONTACTCharles OlsenMadrid, Spainemail. cdolsen@yahoo.comtel. +34 915 309 554mobile. +34 654 015 349