Carl Orlsen - A fine art painter, photographer, podcaster and filmmaker

Carl Olson is a fine art painter, photographer, and filmmaker.

He became a fine art painter much later in life. The interest had always been there; however, painting remained in the background mostly as a hobby while he ran a successful web-based design and content production company. He and his team wrote software that glued together the intricate processes of businesses and commerce. Striving for the utmost in software quality and reliability, he envisioned each line of code as if it were a finely executed brush stroke of luscious oil paint in a masterpiece. After running his business several decades, Carl now focuses on creating fine art. Oil paint, canvas, and his easel have replaced the command line and software development tools he used for so many years.

When working with clients, Carl always sought opportunities to express himself creatively. One such accomplishment was the opportunity to design the award-winning album cover for Trust, by musician Patrick O’Hearn. The album was nominated for a Grammy and received the “Best Album Cover Design” award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors.

Carl is also known as a filmmaker. Along with cinematographer Rick Delgado, Carl recently completed a beautiful and poignant documentary about the story of a local artisan who works with his hands to create beautiful works of art by turning wood on a lathe. The documentary is titled One of a Kind - Analog Made.

Embracing the medium of podcasting, Carl produces two popular podcasts: Artful Camera is a podcast about digital and analog photography and filmmaking. This podcast has remained in Apple iTunes’ top 200 podcasts in the visual arts category for nearly 9 years. The other podcast Carl produces is the recently launched Artful Painter - art lessons for artists, collectors and people who love art. It features interviews with several internationally known artists.

Carl has studied with renowned landscape oil painters Matt Smith and Ralph O’Berg - both who are members of the Plein Air Painters of America group. Carl has also attended many lectures and demonstrations by artists Clyde Aspevig, Len Chmiel, Jill Carver, Dan Young, Kenn Backhaus, and Skip Whitcomb.

Carl’s artwork was recently featured in a month long exhibit at the Vine Cafe and Market located in Douglasville, Georgia. Several of Carl’s water lily series were recently on display at the Douglas County Museum of History and Art, also located in Douglasville.

Carl paints both outdoors and in the studio. He is drawn to the landscape and its vibrant textures and colors. Up close his landscapes appear abstract–expressed with thick impasto applied with both brush and knife. His paintings are a celebration of the subject and the medium. He feels that art should richly illuminate the heart with beauty.

I really enjoyed speaking to Carl. It was his podcast that influenced me to produce my own.

Website: https://carlolson.tv/video-gallery

Also, you can check out my documentary 'The People of Brixton'
Here: https://www.kweli.tv/programs/the-people-of-brixton?autoplay=true