Bio   |   CV   |   Artist Statement   |   Exhibitions   |   Inspiration

BIO

Lil Olive holds an MFA in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design. She has participated in six solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions. Olive has also exhibited in one internationally juried show; Ecoconsciousness, 2020, juror Eleanor Heartney, and Inspiration, a nationally juried group show at Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. in 2018. Lil’s work can be found in collections from Discovery Center Children’s Museum in Springfield, Mo. to public and private collections across the Midwest.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The inspiration I draw from nature comes from living in the Ozarks most of my life. Through my work, I engage in an ongoing dialogue with nature, sometimes even hiding text in the landscapes I depict. My view is at once romantic and melancholic as I consider nature’s uncertain future. Surreal elements emerge as I combine representation with the imaginary; flowers seem to dance, birds seek love, trees ask us to look. My paintings deepen my relationship with landscape—and the more my reverence grows, the more sacred that connection becomes.

Artist Lil Olive

New Exhibition: There is Another Sky

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
202 S John Q Hammons Pkwy
Springfield, MO 65806

Exhibition Dates:
November 2023-May 2024

EXHIBITIONS

2023 There is Another Sky, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Springfield, Mo.
2023 Some Kind of Nature, group exhibition, F O M A, Guadalupe Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2023 Her Story/Their Story, group exhibition, She/They Gallery, Santa Ana, California.
2022 Sublime/Subliminal, solo exhibition, Obelisk Home Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2022 The Language of Nature/MFA Thesis, solo exhibition, Savannah College of Art and Design.
2021 New Works, solo exhibition, Obelisk Home Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2020 Ecoconsciousness, juror Eleanor Heartney, an internationally juried show.
2019 Earth Melancholia, solo exhibition, Obelisk Home Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2018 Inspiration: A National Juried Group Exhibition Exploring Creative Expression, Webster Arts Center, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
2018 It’s Not Natural, two-person exhibition, Bookmarx Bookstore, Springfield, Mo.
2017 Reflections and Other Water Offerings, solo exhibition, Obelisk Home Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2016 Spiva Invitational Group Show, Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Mo.
2014 New Works, solo exhibition, Good Girl Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2013 Tribute to Rose O’Neil, group exhibition, Rose O’Neil House, Drury University. Springfield, Mo.
2010 Open Doors Invitational, group exhibition, Creamery Arts Center, Springfield, Mo.
2006 Photo Spiva National Juried Competition, Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Mo.
2005 Get Your Heart On, group exhibition, Good Girl Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2004 Keep Off the Grass, two-person exhibition, Good Girl Art Gallery, Springfield, Mo.
2003 Eating Disorder Awareness, group exhibition, Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo.
2002 Still Lives: Real and Imagined Two Person Show, Carthage Art Central, Carthage, Mo.
2000 Photo Spiva, National Juried Competition, Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Mo.
1998 Silos and Minarets, solo exhibition, Mud House Coffee Shop, Springfield, Mo.
1997 Two Person Show, Iron Horse Restaurant, Springfield, Mo.

Public Collections
Orthopedic Specialists of Springfield, Springfield, Mo.
Rose O’Neil House, Drury University, Springfield, Mo.
Mercy Hospital, Springfield, Mo.

Public Commissions
Two Murals, Discovery Center Children’s Museum, Springfield Mo.

Publications

2020, Ecoconsciousnes, a nationally juried online catalogue and billboard show.
2019, Salann Magazine, Artist Feature.
2017, Reflections and Other Water Offerings,The Poetry and Painting of Lil Olive, Lulu Press.
1998, The Art and Science of Chocolate, Event Poster, Discovery Center Children’s Museum, Springfield, Mo.
1997, Album Cover, Frog Daddy Band

Awards
2014 Patron’s Choice Painting Award, 1st Place
Spiva Art Center Charity Ball

WHAT IS INSPIRING ME

A view from around the farm. A view from my Instagram account.

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