At Chashama Open Studios in Brooklyn, Megan Olson reflects on color theory, movement, and a lifelong pursuit of abstraction.

Stepping into Megan Olson’s studio at Chashama Open Studios inside the Brooklyn Army Terminal feels less like entering a workspace and more like entering an active conversation between history, color, movement, and experimentation.

Large canvases surround the room. Layers of marks weave across surfaces like visual choreography. There is a sense of rhythm throughout the space, a feeling that every painting is part of an ongoing language that continues to evolve with each brushstroke.

Olson describes herself as an abstract painter, but that simple label barely captures the complexity of her practice.

Her work sits at a fascinating intersection of influences. On one side are the early modernist painters of the 1930s and 1940s, artists whose commitment to abstraction helped redefine the possibilities of painting. On the other side is the world of graffiti, a culture Olson became immersed in while studying in San Francisco during the 1990s.

Rather than choosing between those two traditions, she merged them.

Over time, the combination developed into a highly personal visual vocabulary—an abstract language that carries traces of both formal modernist structure and the spontaneous energy of street culture. Looking at her paintings, viewers can sense echoes of calligraphy, movement, symbols, and gestures, all woven together into compositions that feel both intuitive and deliberate.

The result is work that feels remarkably original.

For Olson, color is often the starting point.

Long fascinated by color theory, she approaches painting not simply as a matter of aesthetics but as a field of ideas. Psychological color, social color, local color, and the emotional impact of different palettes all play a role in her decision-making process.

Many of her early explorations were inspired by challenges and exercises introduced by a color theory professor. Those investigations eventually became foundational to her practice, shaping how she thinks about visual relationships and how viewers emotionally respond to a painting.

For Olson, color is not decoration.

In her work, it is structure, language, and meaning.

Unlike artists who meticulously plan every detail before beginning a work, Olson allows paintings to develop organically. Decisions emerge through the act of painting itself. One mark leads to another. One color creates a need for a different color. The composition reveals itself gradually through a process of discovery.

Nature also plays an important role in that process.

While her work is fully abstract, Olson traces much of her inspiration back to observing natural forms and systems. Rather than depicting landscapes directly, she absorbs their rhythms and translates them into visual movement. This connection to nature helps explain why many of her paintings feel immersive, almost meditative.

Standing before them can feel like entering a different state of awareness.

There is a quiet energy within the work that invites prolonged attention, encouraging viewers to slow down and follow the flow of marks across the canvas.

The atmosphere of her studio mirrors that sensibility.

Before beginning her day, Olson prepares tea and takes time to reflect. Rather than immediately jumping into large-scale projects, she often starts with smaller works on the easel, gradually finding her rhythm before moving toward larger canvases later in the day.

It is a practice rooted in observation and patience.

Movement also plays a subtle but important role in her work.

Although Olson herself does not come from a dance background, her husband spent many years working with legendary choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones. Through years of exposure to contemporary dance, she developed a heightened awareness of movement, gesture, and physical expression.

That influence appears throughout her paintings.

The marks seem to dance across the surface. Forms interact like performers sharing a stage. Even the most static compositions carry an underlying sense of motion.

Art has been part of Olson’s life for as long as she can remember.

Raised by creative parents, she was encouraged to draw, paint, and explore visual expression from an early age. As an only child, she spent countless hours immersed in creative activities. One of her favorite memories involves discovering elementary school newsletters filled with drawings she made as a child—each one proudly signed with her name.

Those early impulses never disappeared.

Today, after decades of professional practice, Olson says she creates art not because of career ambitions but because she has to. The motivation comes from a desire to push materials and ideas as far as possible while contributing something meaningful to other artists and viewers.

That commitment extends beyond her own studio practice.

For more than fifteen years, Olson has been writing a book exploring the relationship between graffiti and modernism. The project examines the similarities between the two movements while advocating for greater recognition of graffiti artists within contemporary fine art discourse.

It is a subject she approaches with both scholarly curiosity and personal passion.

Many graffiti artists, she notes, maintain sophisticated studio practices and create compelling abstract work, yet their contributions are often overlooked within traditional art historical narratives. Through her writing, she hopes to help bridge that gap.

Her dedication to preservation is equally evident in another area of her work.

Olson serves as Chair of the Archive Committee for the historic organization American Abstract Artists, a group established in 1936 to champion abstraction at a time when the movement struggled for legitimacy in the United States.

Today, she plays an active role in helping digitize and preserve the organization’s archives, ensuring that future generations have access to the history of abstract art.

While she jokes that her own archive occasionally suffers from neglect because of this work, she recognizes the importance of preserving artistic legacies—both collective and personal.

Looking ahead, Olson remains as active as ever.

Upcoming projects include a Lower East Side pop-up exhibition organized through a gallery connected to East Hampton, where she plans to debut a capsule collection of hand-painted clothing. She is also preparing for a future group exhibition with American Abstract Artists while continuing to expand her studio practice.

Through it all, her work remains grounded in curiosity, experimentation, and a profound belief in the possibilities of abstraction.

In Olson’s hands, painting becomes more than an object. It becomes a living language—one shaped by color, movement, memory, and decades of exploration.

About Tarik Talk Podcast

Tarik Talk Podcast is an international arts and culture podcast hosted by Tarik Mendes, featuring conversations with artists, curators, designers, cultural leaders, and creative entrepreneurs from around the world. With more than 200 episodes across 50 seasons and interviews recorded in over 10 countries, the podcast explores the stories, inspirations, and ideas shaping contemporary culture.