"Mysterious Swimmers, 2020" by Derek Olinger
Mysterious Swimmers, 2020. Oil on stretched canvas, 48”x48"x1.5". $8,500.
Mysterious Swimmers is a dream-like painting where I am dealing with topics like my wife Kristen's chronic illness. At the time she was scheduled for a hysterectomy in her 30's and doctors were concerned about her cardiac health both during surgery and in recovery. Furthermore, the surgery officially ended our years long journey to have a child. I turned to painting to process the grief, fear, and sadness, I felt. I referenced Egyptian Mythology, specifically the magical Goddess ISIS. I painted her in profile with the strength of the Goddess in mind and her powers of protection. Though surrounded by menacing subjects, she is prevailing. She is painted in the light of ISIS known as a magical healer, who cured the sick and brought the deceased to life.
Bio: Derek Olinger is a Visual Artist living and working in Southern California, with a studio in Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Olinger works primarily in painting and drawing. Though he was classically trained in both mediums, the artist is known for his experimental use of fluorescent paints and pigments and other reactive paints in the process. The artist also shoots photography and has worked professionally shooting fashion runway and hair and make-up.
The artists takes inspiration from his own real life events, with topics like death, disability, caregiving, family dynamics, and the emotions that accompany these situations. The artist is tapping into emotions like fear and frustration, joy or pain. Infused with these emotions, the finished product is transformed into a vibrant colorful work, sometimes creating a juxtaposition of darker subject matter reconstructed in an optimistic manner. This dreamlike progression allows the viewer to create their own narrative and imagine a different reality. While the artist, in the process, works through so many complex emotions.
Mysterious Swimmers, 2020. Oil on stretched canvas, 48”x48"x1.5". $8,500.
Mysterious Swimmers is a dream-like painting where I am dealing with topics like my wife Kristen's chronic illness. At the time she was scheduled for a hysterectomy in her 30's and doctors were concerned about her cardiac health both during surgery and in recovery. Furthermore, the surgery officially ended our years long journey to have a child. I turned to painting to process the grief, fear, and sadness, I felt. I referenced Egyptian Mythology, specifically the magical Goddess ISIS. I painted her in profile with the strength of the Goddess in mind and her powers of protection. Though surrounded by menacing subjects, she is prevailing. She is painted in the light of ISIS known as a magical healer, who cured the sick and brought the deceased to life.
Bio: Derek Olinger is a Visual Artist living and working in Southern California, with a studio in Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Olinger works primarily in painting and drawing. Though he was classically trained in both mediums, the artist is known for his experimental use of fluorescent paints and pigments and other reactive paints in the process. The artist also shoots photography and has worked professionally shooting fashion runway and hair and make-up.
The artists takes inspiration from his own real life events, with topics like death, disability, caregiving, family dynamics, and the emotions that accompany these situations. The artist is tapping into emotions like fear and frustration, joy or pain. Infused with these emotions, the finished product is transformed into a vibrant colorful work, sometimes creating a juxtaposition of darker subject matter reconstructed in an optimistic manner. This dreamlike progression allows the viewer to create their own narrative and imagine a different reality. While the artist, in the process, works through so many complex emotions.
Mysterious Swimmers, 2020. Oil on stretched canvas, 48”x48"x1.5". $8,500.
Mysterious Swimmers is a dream-like painting where I am dealing with topics like my wife Kristen's chronic illness. At the time she was scheduled for a hysterectomy in her 30's and doctors were concerned about her cardiac health both during surgery and in recovery. Furthermore, the surgery officially ended our years long journey to have a child. I turned to painting to process the grief, fear, and sadness, I felt. I referenced Egyptian Mythology, specifically the magical Goddess ISIS. I painted her in profile with the strength of the Goddess in mind and her powers of protection. Though surrounded by menacing subjects, she is prevailing. She is painted in the light of ISIS known as a magical healer, who cured the sick and brought the deceased to life.
Bio: Derek Olinger is a Visual Artist living and working in Southern California, with a studio in Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Olinger works primarily in painting and drawing. Though he was classically trained in both mediums, the artist is known for his experimental use of fluorescent paints and pigments and other reactive paints in the process. The artist also shoots photography and has worked professionally shooting fashion runway and hair and make-up.
The artists takes inspiration from his own real life events, with topics like death, disability, caregiving, family dynamics, and the emotions that accompany these situations. The artist is tapping into emotions like fear and frustration, joy or pain. Infused with these emotions, the finished product is transformed into a vibrant colorful work, sometimes creating a juxtaposition of darker subject matter reconstructed in an optimistic manner. This dreamlike progression allows the viewer to create their own narrative and imagine a different reality. While the artist, in the process, works through so many complex emotions.