skot olsen

painter/tattooist/man about town
A sperm whale attacking a giant squid, back of upper arm.

A sperm whale attacking a giant squid, back of upper arm.

camelopardas addams 24” x 36”oil on canvas
camelopardas addams

24” x 36”
oil on canvas

tonight at HaVen lounge in South Beach.

tonight at HaVen lounge in South Beach.

lighthouse 20” x 34”oil on canvas2008

lighthouse

20” x 34”
oil on canvas
2008

calamaro sorpressa 12”x 24”oil on canvas2006
calamaro sorpressa

12”x 24”
oil on canvas
2006

nantucket sleighride 30” x 48”oil on linen2004 When hunting whales, particularly sperm whales, the most dangerous part of the hunt was what was called the Nantucket Sleighride. Once a whale was spotted from the ship, crews would board small boats and sail close to where the whales were spotted. When they got close to their prey, the sails were taken down and the men would row the rest of the way. The men would sit facing the boat header, who would shout at them to row faster. Once they were close enough to strike, the boat header would shout, “Stand up and give it to him!” The harpooner would quickly drop his oar and snatch up a harpoon and launch it into the whale with great force. The frightened whale would then take off or dive down. At this point the rope tied to the harpoon whistled through the air as it unwound from its tub at the stern of the boat. This was very dangerous because men could easily be caught by the rope or thrown overboard as it snapped taut. The rope was tied to a large cleat, called a cat-head, at the stern of the whale boat. Pulling the boat at up to 25 kilometers per hour, the whale would drag the boat behind it as the men gripped the sides with their heads down on what would be called a “Nantucket Sleighride.” Once the whale was exhausted, the men would haul themselves closer to the whale, where the harpooner would pierce the whale’s heart with a lance, killing it.
nantucket sleighride

30” x 48”
oil on linen
2004

When hunting whales, particularly sperm whales, the most dangerous part of the hunt was what was called the Nantucket Sleighride. Once a whale was spotted from the ship, crews would board small boats and sail close to where the whales were spotted. When they got close to their prey, the sails were taken down and the men would row the rest of the way. The men would sit facing the boat header, who would shout at them to row faster. Once they were close enough to strike, the boat header would shout, “Stand up and give it to him!” The harpooner would quickly drop his oar and snatch up a harpoon and launch it into the whale with great force. The frightened whale would then take off or dive down. At this point the rope tied to the harpoon whistled through the air as it unwound from its tub at the stern of the boat. This was very dangerous because men could easily be caught by the rope or thrown overboard as it snapped taut. The rope was tied to a large cleat, called a cat-head, at the stern of the whale boat. Pulling the boat at up to 25 kilometers per hour, the whale would drag the boat behind it as the men gripped the sides with their heads down on what would be called a “Nantucket Sleighride.” Once the whale was exhausted, the men would haul themselves closer to the whale, where the harpooner would pierce the whale’s heart with a lance, killing it.

fish out of water 20” x 24”oil on canvas2005 This painting was made after having witnessed the sickness and eventual death of some relatives of mine. On the nightstand is one of the squid-in-a-bottles which were so popular in the squid fishing industry of the later 1800’s. Outside the window is a dock where the are ships rigged for hunting giant squid.
fish out of water

20” x 24”
oil on canvas
2005

This painting was made after having witnessed the sickness and eventual death of some relatives of mine. On the nightstand is one of the squid-in-a-bottles which were so popular in the squid fishing industry of the later 1800’s. Outside the window is a dock where the are ships rigged for hunting giant squid.

kon-tiki 12” x 16”oil on board2008 Humans have always been subject to the whims of natural forces and have always adapted to big changes in their environments. This painting depicts a small group of people fleeing their island home as it’s destroyed by the volcano that created it. This piece is named after the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition where Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove that Pre-Columbian South Americans could have sailed from Peru to the Polynesian islands using the technology of the day. Kon-Tiki is the Inca sun god and the face painted on the sail in this picture is the same Thor had painted on his sail during his great expedition.
kon-tiki

12” x 16”
oil on board
2008

Humans have always been subject to the whims of natural forces and have always adapted to big changes in their environments. This painting depicts a small group of people fleeing their island home as it’s destroyed by the volcano that created it. This piece is named after the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition where Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove that Pre-Columbian South Americans could have sailed from Peru to the Polynesian islands using the technology of the day. Kon-Tiki is the Inca sun god and the face painted on the sail in this picture is the same Thor had painted on his sail during his great expedition.