Cameoco

You could look at it two ways:  My blog is a very censored online diary or it’s where I brag about my artistic achievements. Basically it’s a boring online diary of my artistic achievements.  Like, here I go right now:  My work is now part of the American Illustrator American Photographer archives.  Check it out:  http://www.ai-ap.com/gallery/AI/?search=cameo+olson

See? Or!:

Yup, that's mine in the center

Come to this! Free Wine!

But don’t worry, my private offline diary is even more boring.  You are not missing anything.  I’m middle aged and happily married.  We’ve got a little house in New Orleans and a couple of old dogs.  I garden in my free time.  More like I mess around with plant torture in a community garden down the street.

Plant torture at it's finest.

So, yeah….boring.

Chances are you are not even reading this because you’re a spam bot.  The majority of my spam bot diehard fans spawn from Hefei and, up until recently, Latvia.  They’ve disappeared since my last post where I exposed their identity.  And to be honest, I don’t miss them.  Hefei-ian spambots you’re next!

If you’ve gotten this far, and you’re not a spambot, I’m happy you’re here.  I’d love it if you looked around.  There’s art from the last couple years on here.  Art that isn’t boring.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cameoco

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cameoco

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cameoco

Hey all my friends with/who know beautiful babies/children who happen to have copies of ‘I Love You, Goodnight….’! I’d like pictures of you reading it to them or them reading it or Grandma reading it to them or Grandpa or them reading it to the dog or cat or their toys… For advertising purposes. It would be much appreciated.

I’m not going to say too much right now but….ok, fine!  I’m getting an etsy account!  How exciting!  I will keep you updated, Latvian and Chinese spam-bots and the occasional person looking for that other Cameo Olson on myspace.  I’d hate to keep you in suspense.

New stuff in events, by the way.  Make sure the Heifei-ians know.

I’ve been a busy little bee adding some new stuff like….under ‘Recent Work’ I’ve added some of my photos from this Mardi Gras.   A little lower down this page is my most recently updated Artist Statement, which, as usual, is non-stop thrills….other stuff…

Alrighty then, look around.  Enjoy yourself!

'White Horses' and other new photos under 'Recent Work.'

Where did you find my little QR code?

If you email me (cameoco at gmail dot com) a photo of you with one of these stickers in the wild with your address I will send you 2 more stickers and a bonus!  Just because you took time to check out my website.  And because you are not spam from Hefei or Latvia.  Or spam in general.  Thanks for not being spam!

Due to graduate school applications, job applications, and now this class I’m taking from the Arts Council of New Orleans, called Artist as Entrepreneur,* I’ve been writing a lot of artist statements.  A LOT.  It’s a good exercise but it’s one of those things I hate.  I’d rather ride my bike.  So, after much forced practice I present to you, my latest artist statement:

The only child of a single state worker my mother would sometimes bring me to work with her.  I secretly hoped for dentist appointments and unreliable baby sitters so I could spend the day at a big metal desk in the New York State tax department.  My mother would supply me with any available office supply.  It was the early eighties so that consisted of typewriter paper, tracing paper, carbon paper,  pens and markers, staplers, scissors.  I would spend the day drawing and making collages.   The last time I spent the day in her office the copy machine was a mysterious and very expensive new arrival.    I, of course, was not allowed anywhere near it but, I remember thinking what an incredible tool it was.

In my mom’s free time she refinished furniture and repurposed junk.  The old medicine cabinet was our spice rack, the old tool chest was our coffee table, anything that could hold more than a cup of soil became planters.  The only requirement was that it was old.  She says these things have a past and that made them better than new things.  The work that I do now, 25 years later, is a collage of my drawings with found and taken photos.  I hunt through old field guides, magazines, catalogues, books, photo albums…because I deeply enjoy finding old images a new use.

These older images are incorporated into my work with the extensive use of carbon paper, tracing paper and the now vastly more available photocopy machine.   While my original pieces consist of several layers of drawings, tracings, and photocopies on paper of varying transparency I don’t consider it finished until it has been run through the copy machine a final time, combining them all into a finished piece. The copy machine is a workhorse, a symbol of modern working class.   I like using it to make beautiful and delicate images because its intended purpose is so menial.

* Artist as Entrepreneur is a class offered by the Arts Council of New Orleans and it is brilliant.  I highly recommend becoming a member and then taking this class.

You’ve found the website of New Orleans artist Cameo Olson.  On this site you will find information of upcoming exhibits under ‘Events’.  You can learn more about her book ‘I Love You, Goodnight.  A Collection of Folktales Concerning the Origin of Night.’ And, if you’re interested, purchase copies for yourself, your friends, your family, your nook, your kindle,  and most e-readers, your computer, or your phone.  Selected works outside of the book are also available for sale.  Including some questionable greeting cards.  All under ‘Store.’  There are also links to everywhere her work is available.  Links to friends and fun places.  Link link link.  Feel free to leave comments and questions for the artist.                                                                              She’s lonely.