Jenny Olsen
MFA ’22 Fine Arts 2D
I am a painter working primarily in oil. I paint people I know, including myself. The human figure anchors my work, serving as a vehicle through which my physical presence interweaves with the emotional connections I share with the people I paint.
In Kristin Kristin, I portray a woman embodying both strength and vulnerability. Two images of the same person appear, one is there to protect the other. Painted quickly and instinctively, the painting holds two figures yet only three legs and two feet.
Mirror, Mirror is my contemporary interpretation of a woodblock print from Japan’s Edo period. The emerging face reflects both a dear friend Ruby and my mother, while the body and kimonoed gesture are my own. The work offers a quiet reflection on my Japanese heritage.
Jenny Olsen (MFA’22) is a Boston based visual artist. She is a recipient of the Saint Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist award and grant in 2022, Mass MoCA Fellowship in 2022, and the “Best in Show” winner of CAA’s National Prize Show in 2015. Jenny has shown her work in many solo and group exhibitions: most recent shows are solo at Southern Vermont Arts Center, 2024, Saint Botolph Club, 2025 and group shows at LaiSun Keane Gallery, 2024 & 2025.
