Olivia Kuser

A member of St. Gregory's, Olivia Kuser makes paintings that are are both serene and haunting. She has spent many years painting the marshlands of San Francisco Bay, about which she says, "I often begin by painting small full-color oil studies on site using a portable field easel. I have found that I can gather more memorable visual information if I make a painting rather than take a photograph. As I stand there for several hours, I develop a sense impression of the place, beyond the visual, that is helpful to me when I return to the studio. On site, I begin the process of sifting through the welter of visual data that the landscape contains. Someone once asked me if my paintings were fiction or nonfiction. I answered, 'Nonfiction, but severely edited.' The field studies are the first rough cut. Sometimes they are the direct source material for the studio work, and sometimes they support it more generally. They are a source of play and pleasure for me."

Visit Olivia's website: www.oliviakuser.com.

Ebb, 1997. By Olivia Kuser. Etching ink on panel, 30" x 48".

Spit, 1994, by Olivia Kuser. Etching on panel, 24" x 30".

Rain, 1995. By Olivia Kuser. Etching on panel, 30" x 48".