Coco Olson lost her love for art in Catholic school, and found it many years later. It was a long and tortuous road, with challenges and pilgrimages along the way.
"I was born loving art – my father and grandmother were both artists," Olson told WND. "But starting with kindergarten, I was given bad grades and scolded for coloring pictures outside the lines. Literally. After that, I made an inner vow to never set myself up for humiliation again."
For years, Olson avoided seriously working in the arts. A block of fear limited even other types of creative activity – things involving risks of rejection or unpleasant reactions. Later, Olson realized that "from a Christian perspective," this type of childhood wound was a common trap to discourage God's children, and to "steal their destiny and future."
Olson's paintings reflect a mystical and contemplative Christianity, full of angels and unseen powers clashing in the clouds. Hildegard von Bingen is an inspiration (she was an 11th-century German abbess, composer, writer and visionary).
Other themes in Olson's paintings deal with "Ascension." It may mean frequencies, sounds, and properties of light and physics – both spiritual and physical. "I like to take complex things and distill them down to stories" Olson explained. "For me, painting is the ultimate distillation."
One of Olson's recent paintings, "Pray for America," was done as a form of intercession during our November, 2016 elections. The 48 x 60 inch work is heavy with symbolism. A crowned woman hovers enthroned in the Milky Way. She holds a globe (prayers of the saints) and is surround by barely discernible spiritual entities. The composition is dominated by a roughly painted, ragged American flag – big and bold.
Olson points out "an infant interceding against abortion" to this writer. It's in the lower right-hand corner of "Pray for America." Abortion is a common theme in her works, but not so obvious, because the embryonic babies can be taken for draperies, flower buds, or in this case, a spiral galaxy.
Recent works are done with Vitrail, a translucent paint used in glass and jewelry-making. It's rarely used in large paintings. Like all digital images of paintings, our photograph doesn't pick up the layers of transparent hues or much of the depth or texture. Most photographs of paintings entirely miss rainbow-like refraction and iridescence as well.
Olson relates how she dodged the thing she loved for almost five decades, while God tried to get her attention. "People were always coming up to me and saying 'You should be painting' or 'You're going to paint.'" She feels even God spoke, telling her, "All the colors of heaven will be in your work. This will be your voice."
Faced with a blank sheet of drawing paper one day, Olson claims God clearly spoke: "If you show up at the page, I'll be there." Although it was one of the most terrifying things she ever did, Olson finished her first painting in 2006. How did it go? "It was pretty cool!" she exclaimed.
Confidence and faith fired up, Olson made the decision to apply for a studio arts degree at University of Texas, in her 50s. Miraculously, she created a portfolio in three weeks, something that should have taken months – and in several different mediums of art. Many were things she had never tried before. Even more miraculously, UT accepted her.
Those who have either attended or taught secular art schools know they qualify as the Inner Sanctum of Political Correctness. Olsen relates how she kept her Biblical inspiration low-key and to herself, for a time. After dozens of students and instructors "came out" as homosexual in great, gay masses, she decided to do it too.
"I am 'coming out' as a prophetic artist," Olson announced to her senior art class one day. "When I paint, I pray, and listen to God and worship music. I feel my paintings are an expression of God's heart."
In "Angel 444 Hz, Witnessing the Birth of Uranus," dozens of eyes blanket the wings of an angel/seraph. This is another work in Vitrail. Nestled into the red-orange background are hundreds of implied objects. These are open to interpretation, but I see ducks, fish, silhouettes, planets, and once again – babies.
Olson also has administrative abilities in the arts ... and big plans. Now she is writing grants to create jobs for people in the art community. "I hope to take them from learning to dream of God, to the execution of that dream – all the way to the market," she explained. "We hope to take the normal paradigm of art marketing, and turn it inside out – not necessarily using art galleries and academia." Olson is excited about art, and the church, and is something like an art ombudsman in the Body of Christ.
At 60, Coco is living her own personal Renaissance, and she credits it all to God. She is doing what God created her for, and she feels certain of it. She invites others to step out and do what they feel they are called to. It will likely be the thing that terrifies them the most.