Live Johnson

Born of Mexican parents in California, Olivia (Or ‘Live’, as she likes to be called) rejoices in her cultural heritage.  She has 5 siblings and her mother, who at 90 years old still enjoys being the matriarch!  As a youngster, her family took many vacations to Tlaquepaque, Mexico where her father was born.  The colorful festivities she encountered there made an indelible impression upon her.  Church feast days and pageants, fiestas, and local carnivals were all filled with energy and color.  To this day, Mexican folk art continues to intrigue and inspire her.

Olivia’s paintings have evolved into what she likes to call her Hispanic-flavored art.  She paints in vivid, hot colors, depicting scenes close to her heart: the day to day activities of village life, the picturesque churches one finds in the countryside, the campesinos sharing their culture – dancing, making music, working in the fields…always capturing the sheer joy of life as it is meant to be lived.

Olivia finds joy in painting plein air, finding color everywhere.  She enjoys hearing from collectors that her paintings bring them the joy she has endeavored to capture.  She continues to marvel at the talent of her many painting companions and is thankful for their support.  Besides painting, Olivia’s other passions include her children, golfing with her husband, and finding new discoveries…wherever they can be found.  She loves painting here in the Southwest, on the coast of central California, and in the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, and is a collector of Native American Art.

I am available in my studio by appointment in the Fall. 
I love Open Studios over Labor Day weekend and in Taos from September through December.