Artist: Olivia Franklin
Titles:
Daily Dose (0310)
Darling 2 (0311)
Dave (0312)
Fast Lane (0313)
Flicker (0314)
Heart (0315)
Knife (0316)
Papi (0317)
Too Loud (0318)
War Paint (0319)
Medium: Oil on panel
Dimensions: 2 x 3 ½ inches
Price: $80
Artist Statement: What We Carry is a series of ten oil paintings, each no larger than a business card, exploring the quiet weight of everyday objects. A single pacifier. A tube of red lipstick. A lighter, a pocketknife, a worn pair of Docs. Some of these items are small enough to fit in a pocket, yet each holds a history—part memory, part identity. This collection is about the artifacts of motherhood, mental health, and survival—the things that live at the bottom of a bag or in the corner of a drawer, often overlooked but impossible to truly discard. In making them small, I wanted to draw viewers in close, inviting them to hold each image with the same intimacy we hold the objects themselves. By shrinking the scale, the paintings become both precious and fragile, mirroring the way these objects quietly carry our stories. The series asks: What do you carry, and what does it carry of you?
Artist Bio: I am an oil painter located in Rockmart, Georgia. Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was influenced to become an artist by my mom, Lynn Hardy, who taught me everything about art before I went off to college.
I attended college at Lee University and graduated with a BFA of Studio Art with an emphasis in charcoal drawing in 2015. I am very deliberate when I paint and oil painting is my favorite medium because it dries slowly and gives me the time to work on my pieces.
My work explores the intersection of personal narrative and universal human experiences. A graduate of Lee University with a BFA in Studio Art, Olivia specializes in oil painting, self-portraiture, and anatomical symbolism. Her practice delves deeply into themes of motherhood, mental health, and identity, with a mission to connect people to their own stories and remind them that they are not alone.
When I am not knee-deep in my work, I am most definitely spending time with my wonderful husband and precious kids, Hunter, Floyd and Oliver.
