About MCO & MCO Fine Art

Artist Bio

MC Olson is an artist whose principle value is the print on paper, and a principal tool is the camera. Subjects that capture his attention and heart include abstract shapes and rhythms (like rust or ripples on water), landscape, architecture, and weathered and worn buildings and signage. Working with figure models is a relatively recent and inspired endeavor. He also maintains a sketch book for composition ideas, some of which become prints listed in the online gallery. He holds a day job outside the art world and maintains a goal to produce one signable print per week, making art mornings, evenings, and weekends. 

What is Fine Art Photography?

Fine art is creative art, especially visual art to be appreciated for imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content. Fine art photography can have imaginative content; it can have purely aesthetic content; it can have intellectual content. Ultimately, it expresses ideas or feelings that represent a vision of an artist. Fine art photography expressive. 

Fine art also has identifiable qualitative elements. Fine art objects are made with high quality materials with archival methods. A high level of technical skill or practice is also apparent. MCO Fine Art uses acid free cotton papers, OEM pigment inks with longevity ratings of over 100 years, and conservation grade backing boards for storage. 

More About the Artist

Making beautiful archival quality prints is a passion. Olson finds that crafting the fine print is a key part, and unique technical side, of the creative process. It's moving intangible digital code to paper and ink. It's moving from transmitted light to reflected light. Furthermore, the tangible results hold a place in the tradition of photography, painting, drawing, and printmaking — works on paper.

"I don't usually like prints that are too clean, too realistic or photographic," he says. "I always liked work that is a little more removed from direct representation, like aquatints, mezzotints, wood block prints, loose brush work. You'll find elements of this in my work — grain, texture, intentional blur, effects of light, and stuff like that. The image edge is important to me, too, and I tend to put effort into the border during the final stages of development."

Olson has a foundation in traditional black and white film photography, and he managed his own darkroom for many years, His current work flow is entirely digital. He holds masters degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Ohio University. Olson is a member of the Model Society, a community where the very best models, photographers and artists collaborate and share their art.

About MCO Fine Art Prints

MCO Fine Art prints are made to last generations. Only archival quality papers and inks are used. Unless specified otherwise, the papers are natural cotton, acid free with no OBA's (optical brightening agents), matte surface. This helps ensure continuity when collecting or displaying more than one print together. The inks are pigment based. Limited edition prints are signed lower right and numbered lower left, typically 1/5, 2/5, etc. An MCO Fine Art certificate is included; it lists title of the work and edition information. The artist often saves test prints for his personal records, marking them TP or AP. 

MCO Fine Art, LLC 

MCO Fine Art, LLC is an online gallery offering museum quality, original print editions on archival quality papers for the home, office, and collections. Landscape, abstract, nude, bodyscape, figure study, black and white, street, portrait, and still life. MCO Fine Art ships from Madison, Wisconsin. All images and artwork © MCO Fine Art, LLC.