Come June 3rd through July 8th, 2023 we welcome Inga Ojala with an exhibition of western and wildlife art. A successful Artist from a family of Hollywood heavyweights, Inga Ojala has always simply considered herself an Artist and Teacher.
Daughter of the legendary Hollywood gunslinger/holster innovator/gun safety and gun coach Arvo Ojala and actress/model/figure skater Doris Naga Seversen, Ms. Ojala was born in Seattle, Washington and is of Finnish and Norwegian descent. Whether it's creating one-of-a-kind murals or displaying her skills at faux finishing, Ms. Ojala admits her greatest love is Art - and her outlet. For those who do not know, Ms. Ojala's father, Arvo, is a world-renowned gunslinger, working with such luminaries as Paul Newman, James Garner, James Arness, Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Kevin Costner, Sharon Stone, Michael J. Fox, and Mari Blanchard (to name only a few of those he trained in the art of gunslinging). But perhaps he is most famous for his work in front of as well as behind the scenes of one of the greatest television Westerns, Gunsmoke. Mr. Ojala is the man who challenges Marshall Dillon in the opening sequence of each episode. His filmography, much too lengthy to mention here, includes all of Hollywood's A-List celebrities, including Ronald Reagan as well.
Ms. Ojala is also a horse and dog trainer, expert marksman. She has also worked on films as a stunt coordinator and even performed some of the stunts herself. She's also pretty handy with a bull whip, from when she was a stunt gal on ‘No Mans Land'. In all, Ms. Ojala has been in countless films – including parts in 'The Wild Life', 'The Man with Two Brains', 'Protocol' and 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' - and numerous television programs, such as 'Love Boat' and 'Fantasy Island', just to name a couple.
"Inga specializes in paintings of wildlife, fish, and western art, although she has the ability to paint, draw, carve to sculpt just about anything her client’s request. When Inga is out fishing, kayaking, and exploring she is studying the great outdoors, to put the realism into her paintings. When she is snorkeling she studies the natural feel of the water and the fish’s natural environment and puts that into the painting. She sometimes adds one of her hand-tied one-of-a-kind flies or lures to the artwork. It adds a certain realism to the art and makes her paintings stand out. "When she is teaching, she shows the students that there are many different ways to make their art jump out at the viewer and bring them in to the painting, drawing, or sculpture.
She is working on murals this summer at the Greensburg Hospital and restoration work on the waterfall she had built at Dodge House Hotel. Other murals locally are in St John, Eisenhower Park, Dodge House, Wright Park Zoo. So many other murals are located throughout the US in both residential and commercial areas. Along with upcoming art shows, art classes and so much more. Make plans to attend her Artist reception set for Friday June 16th, 2023 from 5-7PM.