Amber Lee Olivier
Multi-passionate... Artsy, Life Architect
I was born in New Jersey and raised in Minnesota. At age 17, I got my first passport, and was the first person in my family to have one - and use it. My first passport stamp was to France. To this day, I remember more about ordering a sandwich at a cafe in Beaune than what I ate for lunch today. Travel is the most powerful experience to show you who you are when your only task is to simply live.
Since I got that first passport, freedom of exploration has been a priority. I have traveled to and/or lived: France, Greece, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Turkey, French Polynesia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico. Lived in Chicago for several years before moving back to Minnesota in 2016.
In 2006 everything - life, passion, sobriety - nearly came to an end. My best... person, committed suicide and with the loss of him I stopped all artistic pursuits - and most everything else in life. After several months of only sleeping because I hoped to dream, I decided to try living again. Travel was my first step to remembering who I was. I got my passport out and traveled to Egypt, where my only task was to simply live.
As years passed, my traveling experiences included working as an actress, singer, dancer, puppeteer, showgirl, yoga teacher, fitness coach, painter, sculptor - often all at the same time. I am passionate about suicide prevention, with hopes that I can prevent as many people as possible from becoming suicide survivors - or at least help them feel they're not alone. My artwork reflects my travels, both external and internal.
I donate the profits from "The Man The Legend" to S.A.V.E (suicide awareness voices of education).
My Mediums
Raw Pigment Oil
What is Raw Pigment Oil?
“Raw pigment” is basically a fancy way of saying “natural.” Before oil paint was mass produced in tubes it was meticulously made by the artist (or their apprentice). The basic recipe is ground up colored dirt with a drying oil like linseed, walnut, poppy, etc. The process of making paint is simple, but takes a longer time to dry than our general society has conditioned patience for. Oil paint also has a reputation of being extremely toxic, from back in the early days using pigments like lead and predator snails to today a variety of toxic ingredients for fillers, stabilizers, drying agents, and synthetic color.
Working in a non-toxic environment is good enough reason for me to compromise the amount of time it takes to make one raw pigment oil painting. The pigments I use are from quarries predominantly in France, as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the USA. I choose to mix the minerals and sands (no lead or snails) with walnut oil. Although walnut oil takes over twice as long to dry as linseed, the more popular oil, it doesn’t yellow over time to the extent linseed oil does.
Turpentine is a common oil painter’s ingredient to not only clean brushes but also as a paint thinner. I’ve never used turpentine and never will. I use a soy bean based brush cleaner/paint thinner, no toxic fumes, non-pollutant, non-irritant.
Papier-mâché
Inspired by Venice
I became interested in papier-mâché sculpting when I was a company member with a theatre company in Chicago, IL that specialized in large scale papier-mâché puppetry. The strength and stability of the puppets we created was surprising to me, nothing like elementary school days of balloons and strips of newspaper covered in flour glue. The art of papier-mâché turned out to have more dimension than my grade school assumption.
Having done a little research on papier-mâché I learned that the famed Venetian masks were made of paper, glue and plaster, and mask makers in Venice today create masks using the original methods of sculpting a positive sculpture and making a negative mold so the mask shape can be reproduced and then painted.
The step I remove from my mask making process is creating the negative mold. No face is reproduced, once the positive clay sculpture has been plastered that's it. Beyond masks, the puppets and wall sculptures I create are by nature light weight, light enough to hang on a wall without need for special bracing.
TESTIMONIALS
It's a rare gift in this life for a piece of art to capture the essence of a human being. But Amber, paint, brush, canvas and perhaps some divine inspiration did just this. I asked Amber to paint something for me, whatever she had in mind. When I unveiled the painting I was overcome with gratitude and awe. She painted my late father, sitting on a bench, smoking one of his beloved cigars and taking in the sea in County Kerry, Ireland. And, it was him. His essence. And, if there is such a thing as a Heaven, this would surely be it for him. Thank you Amber. You have a rare talent and a huge heart.
~ Stephanie K. - Minneapolis, MN "Flower Girl" 9"x12" acrylic on canvas. Limited edition prints available.
I love Amber’s work! I was searching for a piece that felt personal and energizing. I asked Amber to create something beautiful and she didn’t disappoint. Since I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted, she asked me for one of my favorite quotes - the outcome is phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier.
~ Steve C. - Crystal, MN "Reflections in a Canal: Venice" 12"x9" acrylic on canvas. Open edition prints available
I had the opportunity to purchase Amber's original painting "Reflections in a Canal: Venice", and adore how nicely it adds to my collection. I've had the fortunate experience of visiting Venice multiple times, which is probably why I was so captivated by this painting whenever I visited her studio--I just had to have it! The perspective is unique, and the way she's captured the motion of the water is distinctly mesmerizing. If she has prints available, I highly recommend you consider this piece in particular for its tranquility. Perfect for any room in the house that desires a splash of color!
~ Tricia W. - White Bear Lake, MN "Calle Venier, Venezia" 9"x12" acrylic on canvas. Limited edition prints available
When I first seen this, I thought, oh, it's Italy... this will inspire me to get to Italy. But now that this is in my home and on my wall, I get the opportunity to see the depth of what it brings to me. I feel the peace that it represents, the simplicity of living every day life, enjoying a moment in time knowing that something good is going to come from it. I feel the love that comes from this painting, two people enjoying each other's company in the quiet darkness of Italy. The sweetness that comes from the little things in life. These 2 are what I aspire to experience in life... Love.