{"id":20678,"date":"2025-02-19T15:28:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T15:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affordableartfair.com\/inspiration\/meet-the-campaign-artist-nick-olsen\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T14:08:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T14:08:23","slug":"meet-the-campaign-artist-nick-olsen","status":"publish","type":"inspiration","link":"https:\/\/affordableartfair.com\/inspiration\/meet-the-campaign-artist-nick-olsen\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the campaign artist: Nick Olsen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To celebrate the much-anticipated return of Affordable Art Fair Brisbane<\/a>, we sat down with featured artist Nick Olsen<\/strong> to find out more about his practice, how Brisbane has influenced his paintings, and what you can expect to see from him at Red Hill Gallery\u2019s <\/strong>stand this May 8 \u2013 11.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Being a Brisbane based artist means big skies, colourful clouds, storms on hot roads and hot tin.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick Olsen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How has being based in Brisbane influenced your artistic practice, and are there any local landmarks or experiences that inspire your work? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Being a Brisbane-based artist means big skies, colourful clouds, storms on hot roads and hot tin. Moving around is often like being on a roller coaster and the hills provide viewpoints. I like views and how the shadows move across them. So I drive around a lot to find a new view to draw. I also spend a lot of time observing and documenting the local architecture. I see houses and I imagine them as characters with stories, reflecting the essence of a ‘Brisbane’ sense of place. The Paddington Water Tower and St Brigid’s Church in Red Hill are landmarks that appear in my work as markers of the western suburbs, just as important in my visual language are the fibro beach shacks dotted along our coastal communities. They represent escape to the freedom offered by nature away from the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nick Olsen, New Moon over Windsor Backyard<\/em>, oil on canvas, 102x76cm, $3,600, Red Hill Gallery<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Nick Olsen, Sunny Side of the Road<\/em>, oil on canvas, 51x61cm, $2,600, Red Hill Gallery<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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“I see houses and I imagine them as characters with stories”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Your work \u2018Close to Heaven\u2019 is on this year\u2019s Affordable Art Fair Brisbane campaign. Can you tell us more about this piece? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

‘Close to Heaven’ is a close-up of the light play on a chunky little caravan in situ. As a child I spent many holidays at Nana’s house in Redcliffe, a block back from the beach. The peace and freedom of those 70s days riding around the sleepy streets on my bike come to mind. Next door to Nana’s was Bells Caravan park and I’d muck around with the holidaying kids, in and out of old caravans. So, this painting is a symbol of the simplicity and humble nature of that time. I’ve often enjoyed painting the slightly organic form of caravans and like the way they encapsulate a feeling of a single moment or memory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The peace and freedom of those 70s days riding around the sleepy streets on my bike come to mind…this painting is a symbol of the simplicity and humble nature of that time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘Close to Heaven’, Nick Olsen, Affordable Art Fair Brisbane featured artwork<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A post shared by Nick Olsen (@nick_olsen_art)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n