Olivia Gatewood is a North Carolina native who exudes a vibrant passion for life and its simplistic beauty. Utilizing a multitude of media, Olivia creates abstract compositions of sensual, tactile colorations that epitomize artwork as a profusion of tactual expressions reflective of the beauty she finds in the natural world around her. She successfully manages to translate blank canvases into visual experiences that resonate with brilliance.
Olivia received her BFA with honors from California State University in Turlock, CA. She went on to pursue graduate studies at Hacettepe and Middle Eastern Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.
Gaining inspiration from her love of world travel, Olivia lived 14 years between Germany, Turkey, The Netherlands, and Hawaii. She taught art in the American Military Schools in Holland and Turkey, and worked as an illustrator for the US Air Force while in Germany. She has gained inspiration from her underwater adventures as an advanced certified scuba diver and as a downhill skier. Olivia earned her Black Belt in Combat Shotokan, and was the European Division Fighting Grand Champion for two years. Her fighting spirit contributes to her being an eleven year breast cancer survivor. Her enormous passion for life and adventure is reflected in her paintings.
Olivia's paintings have been presented in national exhibits and has won numerous awards. She was recently honored by Governor Roy Cooper and the NC African American Heritage Commission for her contribution to the arts in NC. Her work can be found in personal collections as diverse as those of talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, the late actress, Suzzanne Douglas, the late Dr. John Hope Franklin, Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, Nnenna Freelon, and corporations like The Environmental Protection Agency, Mitsubishi International in Tokyo, Japan, and SAS Institute. Her paintings have been shown on many feature films and nationally syndicated television shows to include "New Jack City," "The Parent 'Hood" and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her work was displayed on the cover of and featured in several issues of the North Carolina Literary Review.
Olivia has one daughter, Camille, and one granddaughter. She has a home studio/gallery in Rougemont, NC where she paints and hosts painting workshops.
Artist Statement:
"My art reflects my life and my belief in the essential purity of experimental improvisation. I work in various media and techniques to create unusual visual effects. Using an amorphous blend of color, I strive for new images that fit into my sense of the beautiful. These images often suggest biomorphic origins flowing from some subconsciously remembered or dreamed epoch. I utilize surface tensions to attract, refract and reflect light. I work with organic lines, forms and richly textured shapes that glow with color. These elements sometimes become the subject matter of my paintings.
These paintings should be regarded as short stories in vision, full of life, color and expression They are visual mysteries of the universe and cast a magical spell around a world full of romantic interest. My artwork is about stepping outside the boundaries of what people think art is supposed to be. It's about change, growth and the evolution one's self. I paint melodies to stimulate an awareness of the beauty that surrounds us, and to integrate my life as a universal being."
-Olivia Gatewood
Galleries / Current - Recent Exhibits
Kirby Cultural Art Complex - Upstairs Gallery
"Olivia Gatewood - Introspective"
213 N. Main Street
Roxboro, NC 27572
336-597-1709
Hayti Heritage Center
Featured Artist - Olivia Gatewood
January 20 - February 28, 2023
804 Old Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27882
919-683-1709
Kirby Cultural Art Complex
"A Pop of Color"
January 3 - February 3, 2023
213 N. Main Street
Roxboro, NC 27572
336-597-1709
Shaw Universitiy
" Musings of Olivia Gatewood"
November 1 - January 31, 2020
444 South Blount Street, Suite 115
Raleigh, NC 27610
Hayti Heratige Center
"Dance Durham Dance"
804 Old Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27882
919-683-1709
Triangle Cultural Arts Gallery
"The Flow"
Featured Artist - Olivia Gatewood
8320 Litchford Road
Raleigh, NC 27615
919-900-8055
http://www.triangleculturalart.com/
North Carolina Central University Art Museum
"Connected: African American Female Artists and North Carolina"
February 10, 2019- April 19, 2019
North Carolina Central University Art Museum
580 East Lawson Street
Durham, NC 27707
919-530-6211
28th Annual Founding Members Invitational Exhibition
African American Atelier, Inc.
January 20 -
200 North Davie Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
arts@africanamericanatelier.org
336-333-6885
The Annual Black History: Artists' Perspectives
Hayti Heritage Center
February 1 - April 14, 2019
804 Old Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27701
www.hayti.org
919-683-1709
Garner Performing Arts Center
Jan 16, 2019 - Feb 26, 2019
742 West Garner Road
Garner, NC
919-661- 4602
Recent Articles
Dr. Joseph Gatewood Portrait by Olivia Gatewood at H@G
https://governor.nc.gov/es/news/north-carolina-honor-african-american-artists-musicians-during-black-history-month-reception
https://durhamvoice.org/hayti-celebrates-fourth-annual-black-history-artists-perspectives-exhibition/
https://www.witn.com/content/news/Governor-Cooper-honors-black-musicians-artists-505826881.html