crossing quiet waters, 2023

About OLGA BAUER

I was born in Mongolia to Ukrainian parents and I grew up in Belarus. I lived in Paris where I studied French language and French Art History and I also lived in Moscow before I moved to Washington, D.C. in 2008. I had a great privilege to study with a

teacher Doris Haskel. Doris was heavily influenced by Richard Diebenkorn, Joan Mitchell, Willem de Kooning and other New York school painters as well as by Braque, Matisse and Cezanne. My favorite painters are Picasso and Matisse.

Art has been my passion since early childhood. I started taking art classes in 2008. I mostly create abstract pieces and work on large scale canvas in oil and acrylic. I also enjoy creating mixed media collages on art board. Portrait and figure painting often

appear among my pieces of art.

I create my works out of a visual impression. I seek to capture the experience, the mood, the emotions, and the atmosphere of the places and events that inspire me. To me, abstract art doesn't represent what we see but rather it represents what we feel

and what we think. I usually do not depict objects, instead I use color and shape to suggest things. I'm one of those people who don't rationalize art, I prefer to feel it. So when people tell me they don't understand abstract art I always tell them they don't need to understand it. Because there's a lot of spontaneous energy when I create my pieces, it gives a certain freedom to my spirit to create whatever I feel at that particular moment. That's why I think all art is abstract. You just need to be open to receive the message.

One of my favorite quotes is by Vincent van Gogh: “I dream my painting and I paint my dream”.

I am a member of the Women's Caucus for Art, Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery, the Montgomery Art Association and the Art League Gallery. My work has been featured in various group exhibitions organized by these institutions, including the “Bright and Bold” exhibition by WCADC, the annual Friends of the Yellow Barn Members Shows, open exhibitions at The Art League Gallery, exhibitions at the Embassy of France (organized by Washington Accueil), and my solo exhibition, “Journey of Color.”

Overall, I have participated in more than 30 exhibits with various artist groups in the DMV area and New York.

Instagram: @olgabauerart