About me…

Looking into my style:

Realism is frequently scrutinised by the art world. I too have asked myself why I align with this genre of art. What is the purpose in trying to recreate something as simple as a photograph? It has taken me years to be able to decipher the reasoning. I never quite understood what exactly my passion was rooted in. My art pieces all encapsulate the same thing. A memory, emotion, or state of being - fragmented in time, and captured before the eye. I try my hardest to bring these moments to light, and others have found great joy in being a part of this process. In my mind, realism acts as an agent, breathing animation back into the still-life landscape, photography, and digital world we have become so accustomed to.

As drawn to I am to realism, I have also always selected women to be the primary subject of my art. This is another feature of my work which look time to divulge its meaning.

I look to capture the essence of moments, emotions, and the natural expression and I have always gravitated towards women in these representations. Perhaps, this is mildly unoriginal, women throughout time have long been the subjects of art. However, I do not resonate with the traditional factors where women have been painted as a product of the male gaze.

Rather, I see women as a natural phenomena. It is easier to depict emotion and expression through the vessels of life, beauty, fertility, intuition, and transformation. Women’s inherit ability to exist as universal symbols of all things natural seems to fall effortless within the genre and goals of my artistic style.

This thought process is in no discrimination towards men. Portraits of men challenge me beyond my scope of practice and comfortability, and I find significant value in this. I have greatly enjoyed depicting men in my commissioned artworks where I can honour their memories and expressions, framing special moments.

My journey as an artist:

Although I have played with many other mediums, I always return to graphite. Pencil art is underrated in its accessibility and form. Graphite, although having limitations in tone, allows enough space for play between depth and the values of a piece.  

There are a few years that stand out to me in my development as a self-taught artist. From the age of 6-years-old onwards, playing with felt pens and colouring books was one of my favourite past times.

I do not believe I gained any technical skills until I reached my Year 10 art class. Although the teacher never exactly taught us anything productive, simply having the ability to spend three hours a week drawing was hugely formative in my artistic development. I was able to practice sketching specific features of the face with graphite as the medium. Unbeknownst to myself, this time I spent drawing laid the foundations of skills I use to this day.

The year 2020 also stands out as a significant year in my development as an artist. The previous few years saw little art completed, I had done one, maybe two portraits a year. At this time, as everyone else, I was stranded in my home. I found I had no choice but to indulge in the subject that I had been subconsciously neglecting. As a now 17-year-old, I was able to cultivate a more mature sense of style. Identify with one medium, and hone in my skills. I began to breathe confidence into my art, something that it was deprived of previously. 

In 2024 I created the portrait “Gaze”. This piece felt different, I was able to capture exactly what I had envisioned onto paper, maybe for the first time in my life. This piece was fundamental to my newfound belief that I could create commissioned pieces for others. I was able to recreate something the way I had intended and this gave me the backing to believe in myself as an artist.

A note on perfectionism: 

Although I have come a long way, I do not believe confidence is something simply gained. 

As long as I have created art I have struggled with perfectionism. The desire for a perfect image creates undercurrents of pressure behind the piece of work. At times, I have driven my family crazy ruining beautiful pieces at attempts to redo over anything I deemed unfit. However, it is not as simplistic as - don’t be a perfectionist.

The link between realism and perfectionism is almost essential. One nearly ceases to exist without the other. For as long as I was trying to develop the skill of portraits I had to be exact and precise. Building these skills took significant time and dedication. I would not have achieved my potential without perfectionism. However, art as a natural, man-made form will inevitably, not be perfect. I am constantly walking this as a tight line in every piece. As I have matured, I am attempting to embrace the tension between the perfect and natural - including applying this perspective to my broader life.

I still deal with doubts in my art. There are many things I feel unready to create, attempt, or be able to master. I take comfort in the fact I am still only 22-years-old, and continuously learning everyday. Each new artwork I complete teaches me more about the style, and myself.

I am excited to see where this takes me throughout the rest of my life.

 - Olivia