As March takes shape, Visual Arts Studio Association (VASA) is hosting mixed media artist Leona Olausen's abstract paintings in an exhibition titled Space Between.
From the moment one enters VASA’s gallery, reds, oranges, yellows, blacks and blues zip around the canvases, all competing for the viewer’s attention. You can almost feel the energy bounce off the paintings and into the brain.
The Edmonton visual artist’s tools are basic – collage, water-based media and acrylic. Through this confluence of techniques, she achieves a dynamic expression of her emotions.
“The subjects of my artwork are not predetermined. Rather they emerge organically through a harmonious interplay of vibrant colours and compelling shapes. I am drawn instinctively to shape of line and form in my environment,” said Olausen.
Born into a Métis family in Flin Flon, Manitoba, she moved to Medicine Hat as a teenager during the sixties hippie era.
“I loved the freedom of the hippie era. There was a lot of music. It was an excellent time to grow up. It made my life more exciting. I think that’s why I like abstract art. It’s the freedom,” Olausen said.
Marriage and two children brought her to Edmonton where she worked at various jobs including as an accountant.
“Working in an office was sucking the life out of me.”
To create balance, she enrolled at the University of Alberta’s Extension Department and took every art course it offered. Initially, all her paintings were realistic forms – flowers, portraits and nudes.
“I wanted to blend in and be part of something. I wanted to paint like other people.” And for 20 years Olausen did.
But in 2020, the artist’s husband, Kenneth, died and her perspective shifted dramatically.
“I had been doing art along, but I went into a depression. I thought it would help if I cleaned up my house and you wouldn’t believe the collage and inks I threw out. I thought it would be wonderful, but it wasn’t. Soon my art supplies started coming up from downstairs and I couldn’t let it go.”
Her push towards abstract occurred during an outdoor painting excursion to Black Cat Ranch.
“I was sitting outside painting. But I didn’t like what I was doing. I ripped it up and put it back together, and I loved it. It was beautiful. It was a strange way to discover yourself.”
Through experimentation, Olausen’s unscripted journey has moved from collage to abstract mixed media. As she indulges in the freedom of acrylic, water-based drawings and pencil scribblings, the art reveals its own story through a unique mashup of spontaneity and structure.
“Anybody can paint. For me, it’s a way of getting away from reality and the issues around us. When I paint that’s all I think about. Nothing else matters in my mind. Creating gives the mind a rest from bills, things that break down and need to be fixed, and problems in the world. It’s a release from reality. It’s a vacation.”
Space Between is open to the public until March 25.
