Meet Greta Olivas: Contemporary Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Greta Olivas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Greta, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I have been painting for over 20 years, and it has taught me so much. I tell people that I don’t know if my personal growth helped me with my art or if my art helped me with my personal growth, but I think it’s yes to both! I feel like painting to me is like breathing, so stopping is not an option.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is full of color, which is usually the first thing people are attracted to. As they get closer they realize it’s the energy of my work. My work is abstract, and I have three series that I work on. My Cosmos Series resembles outer space, but to me they are paintings about our deeper connection to the universe and our place within it. My Ruins Series started out just looking like old ruins of old civilizations, but I have come to realize that they tell stories of our experiences through our human life. And my Ancestral Series was inspired by a trip to Sedona, AZ. In these paintings I feel like I get wisdom from the earth, and ancestors that came before us. Coming up with my “style” was difficult. I was always attracted to abstract art but didn’t know how to create something different. Once I let go of any expectations and allowed myself to “play”, what I did came naturally. I had to learn to take the “thinking” out of the process. My painting process is very meditative. I work with very fluid acrylic, so I have had to learn to give up control and work with it as it flows. It has been a really good lesson in giving up control in real life as well!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Austin, and it has changed a lot over the years. I think still my favorite place would have to be Town Lake or Lady Bird Lake as it’s called now. Also Zilker Park and many swimming holes along Barton Creek can be beautiful, depending on the time of year. I think if I had to pick one restaurant in town that is my favorite I think it would be Loro on South Lamar. Their food and drinks are amazing! There’s also so much live music going on usually (except for during the pandemic).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Even though I waited a long time to become an artist, my family’s encouragement had a big part in me finally taking a leap and doing it. I also have such a wonderful group of artist friends that have been supportive as well as mentors, as we were all trying to figure out the business part of being an artist. I know I probably would have given up without the amazing network of people around me.

Website: https://www.gretaolivas.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gretaolivas/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretaolivas/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/golivas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GretaOlivasFineArt/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ArtistGreta

Image Credits
Jeana Marino Photography