Lillie Ana Olvera

Artist statement

As an artist, I crave the attention of curious minds.I enjoy creating pieces that give the audience curiosity, in any form. My pieces are led by the feeling I have in the moment because I paint in the present, and I hardly ever plan ahead. My best pieces occur when I¡¯m going with the flow and making sporadic decisions, which mirror my artistic style well. It tends to show the odd and playful imagery I want my audience to see. The paintings I make are supposed to evoke curiosity and even confusion. I would describe my paintings as showing naturalistic details with a touch of surrealism. I always have loved the idea of showing true life through my paintings but adding my personal touch through simple distortion, and differences in scales. I create art that anybody can feel drawn to. Although I paint from my own experiences, the themes within my paintings are universal, in this case I portray my childhood memories, I believe the audience will be able to relate. I worked on a collage of paintings that all symbolize my childhood. Try to be  inside of the painting and feel the vibrant colors throughout. My paintings will contain natural details like focus on texture, lighting, and ¡°lived in¡± items. Don¡¯t think of a still life when enjoying my paintings, these symbolize a past that has already been lived through.

I like to work in the past and present, which creates the inspiration for my artwork. As I paint from my personal experience, I very rarely reference layouts or outlines in my pieces. Instead, I use my memories and imagination to depict my visual references. With no fear of mistakes, I like to paint things as accurate as my memory and not as accurate in the real world. As you see my work, do not focus on inaccuracies, just enjoy the painting as they have no specific layout or plan. I begin by choosing a color that evokes the overall feeling of the painting and then just add it to the canvas. My sporadic decisions for my paintings usually make the artistic process very smooth. I spend around 6 to 8 hours on the main pieces of the paintings with 2 to 3 hours dedicated to details and finishing touches. My artistic process flows spontaneously as I have no plan to perfect it. I help myself through the process by not structuring my time and forgiving my mistakes. In the way I paint no stroke is truly a mistake but an opportunity to use it in my imagery. The paintings here portray my specific childhood memories in the way my child self would remember them, this is why things are distorted, with bright colors and a lot of texture. These collages of artworks are all different yet are drawn to the same idea, which are my memories. This collage of paintings evoke the childish style of bright colors and the naturalism of texture. The paintings will all be different in the form of perspectives, emotions that are being targeted, and the styles. The only consistency the audience will see is going to be the theme of memories. Although nobody has lived my life, just like nobody has lived yours, the audience should be able to view these paintings and relate to the childhood experiences being represented.