A Glimpse Into My World

Hello all! My name is Olivia, and welcome to my world as it revolves around art, displayed out onto a two-dimensional plane. 

A little about myself- I am 22 years old, my birthday being the 11th of May (Taurus gal whoop whoop!). I am a military brat, having traveled across the country, living down south in the land of alligators of Florida to the northern beauty of Alaska. Turns out, I fell in love with Alaska and dedicated myself to serving in the Alaska Air National Guard. Funny enough, as I make this post, I have become a resident of Texas just mere weeks ago. I can certainly say that this fluctuation of weather from Alaska to Texas stinks, but I am learning to appreciate the wonders Texas has to offer. I moved to this state with my fiance, Nick, as he pursues his career and continues to shine. Taken on our journey is our pride-and-joy Kenai, a literal fluffball of a cat, three legs and all.  A very recent addition to our family (five days ago recent) is Raven- a dark void of a cat that certainly has a ton of personality. Some interests of mine, to include a few, are hiking, snowboarding, kayaking, art, and playing the Zelda video game series. Maybe my interests will evolve with my move to Texas and I discover new things. 

When it comes to art, I feel as though I have a deep connection to it. From a young age, I was never seen without crayons in hand. If you were to ask me what my favorite subject was, I would always say Art. I have experienced all kinds of forms of art throughout school: sketching, acrylic, oil, pastels, colored pencils, inks, pottery, watercolor, and the list goes on. The one that I have a soft spot for and continue to do post-graduation is charcoal art. I love the challenge of creating art as realistically as possible. I am constantly striving to increase my realism through portraits. Another passion of mine is landscape art with the use of oil paints. I love to relax and enjoy the soothing voice of Bob Ross as I create my own colorful landscape. Of course, my love for doing art also pools into my love for appreciating it. Experiencing others' art displayed in an art museum is a delight. My recent move to the Houston area, of course, opens the world to many more art museums to experience and tour. 

One artist's work that I cannot fathom having the pleasure of experiencing is the artwork of Claude Monet. Turns out that a piece of his art is displayed here in the city of Houston. The painting, Water Lilies (Nymphéas), is held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. I have a deep connection with this artwork as my mom had a calendar from the period that she was pregnant with me. The calendar was themed with the artwork of Claude Monet, my birth month displaying this very painting. To this day, I still have this calendar, and I cannot contain my excitement to experience the physical artwork in person. Knowing the story behind the artist really encapsulates the experience that much more: connecting their personal life to their artwork begins to unveil the true purpose of its creation. 

                                Water Lilies (Nymphéas), 1907