Meet Olivia Jane | Fine Artist, Muralist, Teacher & Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Jane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In my life, I have chosen to take high risks in the hope of high rewards. The worse case scenario is you’ll end up with good stories. I don’t necessarily mean going into debt or making large promises you cannot keep, I think the risks will look different for each individual. Our society, especially in the United States, teaches us that we should work hard our whole young lives, in the hopes of retiring and being able to do “what we want” when we are older. In my personal experience, I have found this kind of false promise to be the greatest risk of all, while that is certainly not how everyone sees it. The path I am on is more of a rollercoaster, I am not saving for retirement; I am an artist, just doing the best I can during a series of global health pandemics and the escalating climate crisis, to make work that matters and inspires transformation. When I did save money from my sales career, before I did art full time, I decided to spend all my money traveling instead of putting a downpayment on a home, or investing in the stock market. That was the right choice for me at the time, I was very young and didn’t need to look after anyone but myself, this was very fortunate and I took advantage of this freedom. Betting that life will be long, health will be everlasting and time to pursue other dreams will be endless, is not the kind of risk taking I want to do. The kind of risk taking that I AM interested in: living authentically and intuitively, not following the status quo, living to my creative potential, building community, being vulnerable with close ones, loving, adventuring, following the beat of my own drum, questioning norms, living for the now with future generations in mind. The risks I have taken have provided me with a lifetime of stories, memories and inspiration that I will cherish forever, no matter the “outcome”.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been drawn to therianthropic imagery since I can remember. Examples of this would be the Ancient Egyptian Gods or “The Sorcerer” cave painting from France around 13,000 BCE. There seems to be a theme, as old as our species, for humans to explore supernatural realms, and depict humanoid figures with elements from other animals. I am fascinated by this correlation to belief systems and anthropology. The work I do with art is a way to explore this for myself. Through my relationship to land, I am inspired to depict figures who have a story in a landscape of their own. Deities reveal themselves as a compilation of the places I’ve been, beings I have seen, and emotions felt. I work closely with death motifs, as this is a taboo in much of North American society that does not serve us. I believe that if we were more aware of our mortality, we would live more wholesome/true lives, and treat each other more kindly. If death wasn’t so taboo, we might have a relationship to death, and more rituals around supporting the grieving process. Death is an intrinsic part of life. Much of my work depicts human forms with animal skulls, as a way to unify both of the fascinations I mentioned above. The third and very important part of my “why” is that I make femme centered art. I am a femme, I am a feminist, I believe that everyone deserves equal opportunity no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race/nationality or social/economic status. I also believe that we live on a planet, where thanks to science, and innovation, we COULD live on this planet in relative peace with support for all and yet our climate is in peril and we are far from peace on earth, because of greed and corruption. It is a wild time to be alive, it always has been, but now we have this greater existential threat. This threat to our mother earth, is mirrored in our treatment of the femme in society. I depict nudity in much of my work, because until we (as a society) desexualize femme bodies, femme bodies will never be safe to simply exist without being sexualized. This has to be taught early on but can be learned at any point through practice and unlearning. I dedicate much of my practice to womxns, to survivors of sexism, sexual abuse and violence. I dedicate my practice to the people who feel they never belonged, but might be able, through love, to find a home in their own body and community. I dedicate my practice to the great unknown, for the awe I have for life, taking comfort in the mystery of it all and not needing to know. All of this is what keeps me pushing forward, it is my wish that my work asks the viewer for a moment of depth and reflection in this chaotic world. I’ve learned along the way, that the best thing you can do for your work, is stay true to your “why”, even if your “why” changes over time. Just know, it is bigger than you, stay true.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The artist journey is difficult as is, so it’s really important to meet people who believe in your work, who are moved by your message and want to support your efforts. This support can look like so many things: friendships, mentors, patrons, and colleagues, who can lift you up and motivate you when you are struggling to see your own value. I have so many friends, family and patrons to thank for my success so far. I would likely not be where I am today without the help of my art mentors. I struggled a lot in school when I was younger, I didn’t have any teachers that believed in me or saw value in my work or potential. After my first year abroad I came home to complete an ambitious Burning Man project in which I would be building an art gallery with the help of a team of friends, and I would also curate the show inside and provide 5 large scale paintings to the exhibition. The only problem was… I really had no idea what I was doing and I had not painted in years. I realized I needed to seek out help. Luckily a friend, Jack Shure, a very talented oil painter living just an hour north was nice enough to invite me over for painting sessions. I would work on my pieces, he would work on his, all while helping me get unstuck in my process. The most important thing I learned during this time, was how to use my materials and how to glaze. The rest came down to thousands of hours in my own process, working through kinks, learning how to see more subtlety, and how to convey this in a painterly way. In 2021 I did an artist residency at South Main Gunnison with Amanda Sage and JoeBob Merritt. Amanda Sage has been a long time inspiration to me, in community and out in the world, I have witnessed someone I really respect, act humbly, with grace and contagious energy. I truly admire this about Amanda and am grateful to have this example in my life, beyond her incredible art legacy.

Website: www.oliviajaneart.com

Instagram: @oliviajaneart

Facebook: @OliviaJane Art

Image Credits
“Uprising” oil on panel, 2×4′ 2020. Based on the self Portrait of Ingrid Emaga @tina_alabama on instagram