River Falls, WI ARTIST STATEMENTThe content of my work is a visual journal of my life. This new body of work is influenced by the idea of layers in my life. This transfers to my work in layers of shape, images, narrative, and of meaning. With these layers come ideas of duality: Past and present, forces of good and evil, and duality as it exists in people and in life. The effort to transcend what I have experienced is always present; the effort to connect the commonplace with the universal and the universal back with the commonplace. BIOGRAPHYWendy Olsen is an artist and educator specializing in ceramics, with a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and an MFA in Ceramics from Kent State University. Since 2001, she has taught at Inver Hills Community College and has held adjunct positions at other institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and North Hennepin Community College. Olsen’s work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions across the U.S., including at the Kohler Art Center, the Wisconsin Ceramic Artists Museum, and the Lux Center. Her pieces are included in collections such as the Weisman Museum and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Permanent Collection. Olsen has received grants, including the Helen and Walker Wyman Scholarship and a Liquitex product grant.