HOWL GALLERY PRESENTS POP SURREAL PAINTER SKOT OLSEN

OPENING RECEPTION APRIL 6^th DURING FORT MYERS ART WALK

HOWL Gallery presents a new solo show by Florida based lowbrow and pop surrealism artist Skot Olsen.  Skot is a highly regarded oil painter and tattoo artist who has shown extensively in top art galleries worldwide.  The show will feature an overview of the artists current and past work including originals and prints.   Olsen is most well known for his nautical themed paintings featuring bizarre sailors and giant squids, and a psychedelic series of saint paintings that were infamously destroyed during a Miami Art Basel gallery fire in 2007.

Skot uses a classical, yet cartoony, visual style, which he calls "cartoon realism," to convey complex themes. Each piece is rich with symbolism, whether it’s a six foot tall "neo-psychedelic" painting based on the artist's spiritual experiences or a small format depiction of a ship at sea being taken down by a giant squid.

Through the years, Olsen has become best known for his maritime work, and has cultivated a wide fan base among scientists and others who are interested in the plight of the giant squid. The artist conducts copious research to develop pieces that are historically accurate, and even educational. Inspired by 19th-century maritime artwork and a love for giant squid, Olsen's maritime themes focus on strange and often perilous encounters humans have with the sea and the things that dwell there.

Skot Olsen is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. While growing up in Connecticut, he and his parents spent their summers sailing up and down the coast of New England and the West Indies. These experiences led him to love sea-faring people and the culture behind their lives. Additionally, Skot Olsen is an accomplished tattoo artist with the highly regarded Babylon Tattoo studio in Fort Lauderdale.

In 2007, Olsen launched a new body of  "neo-psychedelic" paintings that were tragically burned and permanently damaged in a gallery fire while on display for their debut showing at Art Basel in Miami, FL. The objective of this work was to create a religious iconography around the use of hallucinogenic plants, depicting saints and apostles who glorify and represent the plants and the states of mind derived from them. 

Opening reception will be held Friday, April 6^th, in conjunction with the downtown Fort Myers Art Walk, from 6-10pm. Free event, light refreshments provided, live entertainment by What We Do. The exhibit continues through the end of April.

For more information call 239-332-0161

www.skotolsen.com

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http://www.howlgallery.com/news/current-art-show/kash.html#sigProGalleriacf7c60ebda