Introducing Debut Illustrator Olivia Sua!
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We are thrilled to welcome Olivia Sua to our Full Circle Literary family! |
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Olivia Sua is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon, and a 2020 graduate of Pacific Northwest College of Art with a degree in illustration. Born and raised in the small mountain town of North Bend, WA, she is inspired by the seasons, nature, and rich, meaningful storytelling. With her artwork, she creates a mythology that reflects her connection to home, the landscapes of her upbringing, and her family. |
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Growing up in a rural area, Olivia and her siblings would regularly spend the whole day out in the forest -- outside building forts, eating huckleberries, and catching tadpoles. This love of nature has shaped her artistry, as has her deep connection with her family. With parents from Colombia and South Africa, and rich traditions that defined her childhood, Olivia's family and culture are precious to her.
“My family is very close, and growing up I lived with my Mom, Dad, Grandma, brother, and sister. We lived in a typical Colombian-style house: it was painted yellow to match the color of the sun, had a red clay shingle roof, and an intricately carved wooden front door. Much of the art in our house was from South America -- a fake Botero painting of a nun, Chiva buses, animal masks, sombreros vueltiaos, casitas tipicas, Inca figurines made of copper. My father said to me that the house was a way of artificially creating Colombia in the States because he was so far away from it. To my family, it was home, in the mountains of the Snoqualmie valley, in a Colombian house, with an overgrown garden. The combination of this visual information has greatly informed how I illustrate."
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Olivia loves that children’s books allow her to get creative with world-building: where do the characters live, what do they wear, what do they look like, how can their personalities shine through? As someone who loves to be in nature, Olivia embraces the natural world in her art, creating works that are full of whimsy, wonder, joy, and, sometimes, even magic. |
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Much of Olivia’s art focuses on nature scenes, cherished objects, and sentimental narrative. She especially loves to illustrate household items, birds, butterflies, trees and plant life. She would love to work on projects that center around craftspeople and craft making, outdoor and wilderness activities or stories, foraging, and anything related to food. |
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Also characteristic of Olivia's work is her use of signs and symbols, which repeat and can be found in all of her works, like a coded language. She enjoys utilizing visual synecdoche (a part stands for the whole) to hide meaning, talisman, and heart in her work. |
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“My art takes on many forms, and I like to push the limits of illustration. I most often work traditionally and my pieces often take on the forms of mobiles, cut-paper illustrations, screen-prints, surface patterns, and product designs. For me, my art takes on the qualities of being a sacred object because so much time goes into making it, and the act of making art is a ritual to document, express, and memorialize my life.” |
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Olivia’s process is messy. Cut paper scraps littering the floor, and paintbrushes piled up in her water cup, Olivia uses scraps of colored paper to mosaic her images. She uses an Exacto knife to precisely cut out shapes before gluing them to paper. She uses acrylic paint with a variety of tools (including a toothbrush and a brayer roller) to texturize her artwork. She also sometimes uses crayons and pastels for details and to add richer color. She loves working with cut paper, and because she typically works small, it accentuates the feeling of her pieces truly being ‘miniature’ – almost like adding dolls and furniture to a dollhouse. |
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We look forward to finding matches for Olivia’s gorgeous work, and can’t wait to see all ahead for this fabulous debut artist in 2021! |
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Welcome to Full Circle Literary, Olivia! |
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For more samples, please visit Olivia's Instagram @oliviasua, her website https://www.oliviasua.com, and contact lead agent Taylor Martindale Kean: [email protected] or 858.824.9269 ext 5. |
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About Full Circle Literary
Full Circle Literary is a literary agency representing children's books from toddler to teen, and creative nonfiction for all ages. We work with both award-winning veteran and debut writers and artists and our team has a knack for discovering and developing new and diverse talent. For more information about all of our Full Circle Literary illustrators, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram/Twitter @fullcirclelit.
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Full Circle Literary
3268 Governor Drive #323
San Diego CA 92122
Copyright 2021 Full Circle Literary. Copyright artwork 2021 Olivia Sua. All rights reserved.
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