The Art of Imitation

Frisco portrait photographer Olivia Ogren-Hrejsa exhibited a collection of her recent work at The Gallery 8680 from October 2nd through 3rd. 
The show, entitled The Art of Imitation, featured a series of portraits inspired by 19th-century American paintings. This event was free and open to the public. All ages were welcomed. 

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Artist Statement about The Art of Imitation

As a portrait photographer, I enjoy studying a wide variety of portrait work. Paying attention to other artists’ works often inspires, educates, and can lead one to create new projects. Inspiration struck me when I encountered the portrait “Girl with Cat” by the 19th-century American painter Ammi Phillips. The striking resemblance to a friend’s daughter and the subtle askew details in this early work by Phillips compelled me to create my series of “portrait paintings.”

Using the latest digital photographic technology, classic lighting composition, and carefully considered details, I set out to explore the ideas and forms of traditional portraiture while weaving the theme of the human connection to the natural world into each portrait. I hope viewers will be captivated by the subjects in each piece and carefully study the photographs to discover humorous details.

 
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Artist Biography

Olivia Ogren-Hrejsa is the firstborn child of two adventurous parents, one from Minnesota and one from Jamaica. Her parents had lived in four different states and The Philippines before setting down roots in the suburbs outside of Chicago with their three children. Growing up near open fields and always in the company of animals, Olivia developed a deep connection to nature. Her family’s frequent road trips throughout the country instilled a lifelong love of adventure and sparked her curiosity. Combined with ever-present stacks of National Geographic magazines, Olivia began a life-long journey of capturing the world around her and crafting the art of visual storytelling when she picked up a camera at the age of six. 

Olivia finally turned her lens away from nature and started focusing on people when she worked as a staff photographer in college. However, she still created ways to combine her love of nature with photography. Before graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Agricultural Business, Olivia had published several stories documenting the impact people, agriculture, and the environment have on each other. Her agricultural articles in the Iowa State Daily and the Wisconsin State Journal received significant positive responses from the communities they served. 

After college, Olivia worked as a photojournalist and photography editor for several city newspapers and national publications, including Boys’ Life magazine. She was fortunate to train under award-winning photojournalists and commercial photographers, honing her creative talents and expanding her technical knowledge in studio lighting. Today, Olivia continues to work as a freelance photographer, and her work has been featured in many national publications and campaigns. A few of these include national trade magazines, marketing materials for CVS Health, and promotional content for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) 

Much of Olivia’s work share nature, humor, and connection themes. Her clients and colleagues have described her photographic style as graphic, thoughtfully composed, colorful, and inspired by her editorial and commercial background.

For more than a decade, Olivia, a recognized photographic artist, has participated in many of the Visual Arts Guild of Frisco’s gallery shows, including Flora and Fauna in 2014. Her work has also been featured in Frisco’s annual Art in the Atrium exhibit in 2009 and 2010. Olivia was awarded the title of Honorary Spider Fellow in 2010 for her nature work in the 5th Annual Black & White Spider Awards, a prestigious international photography competition. She was recently selected to help lead the BSA’s Visual Storytelling Workshop as a staff instructor in 2018.

Olivia lives in Frisco, Texas, with her husband, son, and rescued German Shepherd Dog. She eagerly seeks out adventures and assignments, especially in mountain or coastal settings, and continues to be inspired by her nature.

 
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