Anne Oliver

After spending many years fighting against my true calling in life, I decided to fight no more and set upon a new adventure where I followed my heart and returned back to college. Embarking on this journey I was lead to my true passion-the arts! Three years later, in 2003, I earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree (emphasis in Painting) and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the School of Art & Art History at the University of Florida. I look back at that time in my life as a “magical experience.” I not only feel fortunate enough to have been given a second chance to pursue my education; but I feel enormously blessed to have been given such great instruction from my professors and for the friendships that were developed there.

I work out of my home studio located in North Florida. I would classify myself as a versatile painter, fluctuating between arrays of styles, depending upon my mood. In learning to not fight the internal instinct/eclectic nature of my being which drives me, I no longer question the need to “dabble.” So I simply listen, embrace and go with the flow. Each style offers me something new, exciting, and unique from the others.

Much of my inspiration stems from the sights, sounds and colors around me; from the quiet moments reflecting at the beach, to the crowds at art festivals and venues, from my children, to the everyday insanity and normalcy of “life.” When I take these experiences and head into the studio, a sense of serenity and passion offer me a platform where I can detach from the many distractions of the world and simply “create.” It is here where I find myself, by way of examining who I was, who I would like to become, and of course, it is where I have visions and dreams for the future. It is through my artwork in which I choose to express this. The canvas serves as my stage, allowing my paintings and drawings to act as a visual diary/record of my experiences.

I have exhibited my work in both solo and group exhibitions and my artwork can be found in both public and private collections throughout U.S., Canada and Japan.

08/2000 – 05/2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Summa Cum Laude, School of Art & Art History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

01/1991 – 05/1992 General Educational Requirements, School of Architecture/Interior Design, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

08/1988 – 12/1990 Associates of Art Degree, Florida Community College of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL

I received Honorable Mentions for both pieces of art submitted and shown during the:

08/2015 Abstract X, Juried Exhibition, Southlight Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

Solo:

09/2016 Art in the Branch Exhibit, Community First Credit Union, Fleming Island, FL

04/2016 Jacksonville International Airport, Haskell Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

02/2016 Art Showing of Work, Sweetwood Books, Fleming Island, FL

10/2015 Art Showing of Work, Biscottis Restaurant, Jacksonville, FL

01/2015 Art in the Branch Exhibit, Community First Credit Union, Jacksonville, FL

03/2014 Universal Connections II, Chamblin’s Uptown, Jacksonville, FL

09/2013 Universal Connections, FSCJ, Kent Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

05/2003 Recent Paintings/Thesis Show, Reitz Union Gallery, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL

02/2003 Recent Paintings, Terranova Catering Company, Gainesville, FL

Group:

06/2016 CREW Talk, HAS Art Solutions Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

12/2015 Involved or Committed, HAS Art Solutions Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

11/2015 Open Art Studio Tour, Rick Weller Studio, Jacksonville, FL

08/2015 Abstract X, Juried Exhibition, Southlight Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

11/2014 Art Show & Auction Benefit for: K9 for Warriors, Nocatee Room, Ponte Vedra, FL

11/2014 The Art of Nature, Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL

07/2014 Sand and Sea: Two Elements- Juried, The Art Center Coop., Inc., Jacksonville, FL

03/2014 Universal Connections II, The Art Center Cooperative, Inc., Jacksonville, FL

02/2003 Senior Painters: A Survey of 02-03, Focus Gallery, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL

02/2003 Juried Student Art Exhibition, University Gallery, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL

01/2003 Valdosta National Juried Exhibition, Valdosta State University Gallery, Valdosta, GA

04/2002 Political Print/Installation Student Exhibition, The Art Store, Gainesville, FL

PUBLICATIONS:

05/2016 Arbus Magazine, May/June 2016 issue (pg. 10), featuring Universal Connections exhibition at Jacksonville International Airport’s Haskell Gallery, Jacksonville, FL

09/2014 Charter for Compassion: Reviving the Golden Rule (cover), Olympian Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, Racine, WI

2002/03 Departure GNV Condensed Double Issue 15/16, a Literary and Art Journal of the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

I have had a myriad of influences over the years. Though I could list many "famous" artists that I have been drawn to throughout my art career, honestly, I am often drawn to and influenced just as easily by local artists. I think what strikes me the most is passion, colors, lines, and movement. I see these in everyday people, objects, and sounds. I see these in the trees and the architecture of my surroundings. Sometimes it is the simplest of these ideas, which ignite my passion and leads to a body of work.

universal connections, journey, landscape, trees, abstract, spiritual, awareness, seasons, intersections, energetic