Story Tools
Shelter Island resident Harald Marinius Olson has the ability to combine abstract artwork with the earth’s natural bounties. His canvases are reclaimed from old estate-sale finds, and the painting materials are recycled from what he refers to as the “Shelter Island Mall”—better known as the dump-transfer station. Boat paint, shoe polish, markers, and crayons... almost anything that has been trashed turns to treasure on Olson’s canvases. “It’s unbelievable what I find... from acrylic paints to really great brushes to very expensive varnish. I almost couldn’t afford to paint without this resource,” he says. What Olson takes from the community, he gives back 17 hours a day as a home health-care aide to an elderly Shelter Island resident. “He’s such a talent, but more importantly, he’s a great person, a survivor who is very compassionate and insightful,” describes his agent, Ann Vandenburgh, of the beauty in his artwork and his soul.
Harald Marinius Olson is currently exhibiting at Annona Restaurant in Westhampton Beach. For more information, Email Ann Vandenburgh at annievan2000@yahoo.com
