About
Olivia Pass
Olivia currently resides in St. Francisville, Louisiana with her two standard poodles, Sunshine and Keats. She has two adult daughters, Emily and Sarah, who live respectively in Lafayette and Marksville. In addition to spending time with her dogs, Olivia enjoys reading, writing, editing, gardening, photography, and travel. She has two master's degrees (literature and journalism from LSU) and a Ph.D. from ULL.
Many of her paintings are inspired by photographs taken while on trips or on sites in Louisiana. She has traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, and South Africa.
Olivia started drawing at a young age and wanted to minor in art at Northwestern University, but her advisor didn't think that was a good idea, advising her to minor in Library Science. After achieving her first master's degree in English literature, she took art lessons from Ione Parsons in Sabine Parish. While raising her daughter, Emily, she went back to Northwestern State University and picked up her minor in art.
A teacher for 54 years, she has taught in the public school systems of Rhode Island and Louisiana and at the college level at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and Eunice; Nichols State University in Thibodaux, LA; Southern University, Baton Rouge; Baton Rouge Community College in Baton Rouge; and Tulane University in Biloxi, MS.
Olivia enjoys taking and teaching classes through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at LSU.
Currently she rents studio space at Charter Street Studio in Jackson, LA but hopes to one day build a studio in her back yard.
Olivia feels as if painting is a way to relax, to focus, to meditate, and to appreciate fully the world around her.