Biography Since her graduation with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Syracuse University in 1983, Olivier has enjoyed working professionally in photography, graphic arts, advertising design, illustration, painting, portraiture, and jewelry. Her work has been recognized by her peers through numerous awards in juried exhibitions and by her many loyal clients. Following her first request for a commissioned portrait in 1986, oil portraits were the main body of her painted works. Through the prodding of a particularly adventurous client, Olivier rediscovered her first artistic love, pastels. “I understand them. Pastels make sense to me”, she says. In this way the media is not just a vehicle for expression, it is the expression itself. “Pastels allow me to explore the play between color and light spontaneously and without restriction” says Olivier. This has led her to her current explorations in pastel. The pieces are calm or riotous, warm or cool, large or small but they all share a quality of spirit that transcend the subject matter. You, as the viewer, can ‘feel’ the subject of the painting. Your mind's eye is where the meaning lives. It may feel slightly different to every viewer, but there is also a shared experience between artist and viewer that can not be put into words. Nor can it be photographed. One must feel it for themselves, Face-to-Painting. Olivier is a teacher of art. While running Olivier Studios, Olivier teaches at a residential school for at-risk teenage girls. “It is working with these very special girls that has set me free,” says Olivier. Like me, many of the girls who entered the school are terribly afraid to make a mistake. This thought is a paralyzing one. While guiding the students towards finding the strength to work through their fears, in art and in life, Olivier has found the freedom to explore her art with and open mind, an open eye and an open heart.