ARTIST'S STATEMENT
"The Natural world has always captured my imagination. The rich, red sand of the Northern Territory in outback Australia, patterns on a tree trunk left behind by peeling bark or the colours of a sunrise playing across the rock faces on the escarpment where I live. These are what inspire me to paint!
My style? Expressionistic, right through to pure Abstract! I don't paint representational art, but rather, an expression and the emotion of what I see and feel about the subject.
I love texture, pattern and colour and the materials I choose reflect this. Sometimes I work in a 'free-spirited' style, other times it is more controlled and preplanned .
My works contain many layers; water colours, inks, acrylics. Textured papers and exclusive, specialized techniques are also applied.
My hope is to communicate a Place, a Time or Memory that sparks a connection between my art and the viewer."
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CURRICULUM VITEA
EDUCATION:
ADVANCED MIXED MEDIA – 2008-2011
CERTIFICATE IN INTERIOR DESIGN – THOMSON DIRECT EDUC. 2007
FINE ARTS CERT. 1 – TAFE College, ALBURY 2004
CREATIVE & ADVANCED DRAWING 2004- 2007
PAINTING IN ACRYLICS- 2004-2006
PAINTING & DRAWING 2004 – Community Education Centre WODONGA
AWARDS:
Bronze Medal Diploma- ‘Societe Academie Arts-Sciences-Lettres, Paris’- June 2012
Finalist, Lethbridge 10000 Art Award, June, 2011
4TH Prize Overall, Kiama Art Society 32nd Exhibition, 2010
2nd Prize, ‘Surfaces’ Exhibition, International Competition, “Light,Space,Time’ Florida USA 2010
Best Mixed Media, International Online Competition, Manhattan Arts International, 2010
First Prize, Albury show 2003
Highly Commended, Albury Show 2003
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP
L’Assocation Merite et Devoument Francais (France)
National Association of Visual Artists, (Australia)
Arts-Sciences-Lettres- Societe Academique d’Education et d’Encouragement (Paris)
Copyright Agency/Viscopy (Australia)
GROUP & SOLO EXHIBITIONS- 2011- 2013
- PREMIO NAPOLI 2013 Naples ITALY, MAY 2013
- ARTIST’S HAVEN GALLERY’ Ft Lauderdale, FLORIDA, Nov 2012
- ‘SONGS FOR SYDNEY’, Global Gallery, SYDNEY, June 2012
- ‘POSTCODES FROM THE EDGE’, Wollongong City Gallery, AUSTRALIA, April 2012
- L’ALTERNATIVE’, Salon d’Automne, PARIS, October 2011
- ‘INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY MASTERS’, Sth Nevada Museum of Fine Art, LAS VEGAS, USA Apr 2011 until Feb 2012.
- LITTLE TREASURES, Galleria De’ Marchi, BOLOGNA, ITALY. April 2011,
2010
- ‘DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE’, World Bar, SYDNEY 2010
- BRUNSWICK STREET GALLERY, ‘Small Works’, MELBOURNE, 2010
- KIAMA ART SOCIETY 32ND EXHIBITION, 4th PRIZE OVERALL, 2010
- TREVISAN INTERNATIONAL ART, Summer Exhibition, ITALY,2010
- ‘RATHER BE NAKED’ , Mils Gallery, SYDNEY, 2010
- JAMES KIWI WATERCOLOUR PRIZE, Wollongong City Gallery – juried, 2010
- ‘LITTLE TREASURES’, Bologna, ITALY 2010 (Invitation only)
- ‘THE DUBAI ART PROJECT’ Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2010 (Juried)
2009-2002 AUSTRALIA
- ‘ALL ABOUT EVE’., BOWRAL, NSW 2009
- “INSTINCT”, Coffee Culture, BOWRAL SOLO SHOW, 2008
- ‘STAGE 4 – IMAGES OF THE DROUGHT ’ WODONGA, 2008
- “ 2 POMS & A PAINTBRUSH,” ALBURY, 2007
- ‘JAMES KIWI’ WATERCOLOUR PRIZE – 2008, Wollongong City Gallery - juried
- KIAMA ANNUAL ART EXHIBITION 2007, 2008, 2009
- THE DOG SHOW ART EXHIBITION 2007
- BUDS OF MAY ART SHOW 2006 As Guest Artist
- CARCOOLA ART SHOW 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
- ST. AUGUSTINES ART SHOW 2006
- CREATOR’S GALLERY POSTCARD EXH. 2006
- AWAS ART EXHIB. 2004, 2006
- COROWA FED. SHOW 2003,2004, 2005
- TUMUT ARTS EXHIBITION 2004
- CHILTERN ART EXHIB. 2004
- ST. AUGUSTINE’S ART SHOW 2004
- BRIGHT ART EXHIBITION 2003
- CORRYONG BUSH FESTIVAL EXHIB. 2003
- CULCAIRN LIONS CLUB ART SHOW 2002,2003
- ALBURY SHOW 2003
- HOLY SPIRIT SCHOOL ART SHOW 2002
PUBLISHED:
‘EVERYTHING IS ART’ MAGAZINE – Aug. 2012
'INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY MASTERS' VOL IV published - Jan 2011
‘AUSTRALIAN ART COLLECTOR’ Magazine. Oct-Dec 2010
‘ARTIST’S PALETTE’ magazine, Dec 2008, Issue 69, Jan 2009, Issue 70 ‘
‘AUSTRALIAN ARTIST’ magazine, September 2007 , April 2008
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOP- Wollongong June 2012
ARTSPACE-Illawarra Children’s Services, Corrimal, Feb 2011
West St, Women’s Centre, Wollongong, July-Oct, 2010
PAWS IN THE PARK’ Wodonga Council Dog’s Day, Children’s Art class assistant. 2007
CHILDREN’S FAIR’ Wodonga Council’s 2007
CEC Wodonga July 2007, Acrylic Painting Adult Classes
School of the 3rd Age Albury- Drawing - Adult classes, Temp position. 2006
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- The Australian- ‘Songs for Sydney’, June 2012
- Illawarra Mercury- ‘From Paris with Love’, May 2012
- Shellharbour Advertiser- ‘Olivia on the World Stage’ Apr. 2011
- ‘Hot Art” Southern Highlands – ‘All About Eve’ exhibition & artists. 2009
- Southern Highland News – Celebrate Artistic Women Article. 2009
- Art Matters – Dec 2008, Paintings & photo
- The Southern Highlands News – June 6, 2008, interview-‘Paintings Do All the Talking Themselves’.
- Border Country Mail, 7 July, 2007 ‘After The Rain’ Interview & photo.
- Border Mail, 5 July 2007 ‘ARTS” & ‘PLAY’ Interview & photo
- The Post 5 July , 2007 – Article about Stage 4 Exhibition
- The Land Magazine – Aug 2, 2007 Interview & photos, ‘Seeing Beauty Behind the Dry Horror’
- Prime TV News – Interview & Coverage of Exhibition Paintings – ‘Stage 4 Drought’ exhibition.
- Border Mail, Thurs. 8 Feb, 2007,interview for 2 Poms & a Paintbrush exhibition.
- Border Mail, Sat. 10 Feb, 2007 ‘What’s On’, Photo
- Albury-Wodonga Art Society news, – ‘The Artistic Journeys of Olivia Alexander & Ruth Gray.
GALLERIES REPRESENTING
‘Trevisan International Art’, Ferrara , ITALY
‘Artists Haven Gallery’, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, USA
‘Xanadu Gallery, Arizona USA
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BIOGRAPHY
"Her paintings are rich in their associations with nature and natural forces without being obviously derivative. She tells us that it is her hope to communicate a place, a time, a memory that sparks the connection between painting and viewer.
This is a tall order in these days of overt individual artistic expression, yet somehow her work succeeds in doing just that. Her techniques involve careful layering of colour and discursive markings that are always complimentary and conclusive to the whole vision.
A walk along the beach or through the rainforest is captured exquisitely in the open stretches of variegated colour or a densely textured area of tonal values.
I have had the pleasure and privilege of visiting Olivia Alexander at her home and studio on the coast South of Sydney. Here I discovered an unexpected richness of creative force that seemed to echo every aspect of the coastal countryside of her environment.
Here was a true creative spirit that had been moulded and projected by the rough and smooth elements of Australian nature. Here was work that was immediate in its seduction while at the same time insidious in its disturbance. Here were paintings that are at once both uncompromising and yet very accessible through their subtlety of depth and colour. Here is a new truth of expression that is already proving its worth to many across the globe.
Olivia has exhibited with real success in many groups, dual and solo shows in Australia. Her work has been well received in the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Las Vegas, and, especially lately, Paris.
Also, her tutorials have attracted strong interest as well as attention from national art magazines who have interviewed her extensively.
She is currently working towards a large exhibition in Sydney titled ‘Songs For Sydney’ and as we observe the new paintings that emerge from her studio, particularly canvases like ‘Lightning Strikes Once’, Rising From The Ashes’ and ‘Sydney Town’, we can only be amazed at the sheer force and beauty of her production. I am totally confident that such work will quickly find a new and grateful audience."
Morant