Felicia Olin isn't just a popular local artist; she's a visual landmark. Her work is joyful rebellion on a color-filled canvas with anthropomorphized animals, big-eyed characters and gold-gilded accents. Her paintings and illustrations are immediately recognizable from yards away, and one can't help but gravitate toward them. And once the viewer is taken in, it's like a journey through the looking glass.
Her canvases, murals, ornaments, greeting cards and special commissions are prolific in area businesses, retail shops, restaurants and likely many homes. She describes her art as "inspired by loves from childhood, including fairy tales, dolls, vintage, patterns, fantasy art and nature."
Along her early journey of self-discovery, she "fell in love" with Pop Surrealism, along with "a love of children's books, fantasy art and Art Nouveau." These influences are evident in pieces that convey a sort of melancholy whimsey – characters that rarely smile and yet manage to evoke this response in the viewer. Cats juggling, a bear riding a turtle, conjoined twins with a squid body and Abe Lincoln eating an ice cream cone are just a few examples of Felicia's constantly working, creative mind on display.
Felicia and her work can be found at any number of local and regional arts shows, including the Old Capitol Art Fair, the Edwardsville Art Fair and the Fae Folk Art Festival, along with retail shops such as Wild Rose and The Roost. You also might spy her art on the occasional billboard, wine bottle, theater program, school playground and downtown street. Readers are keenly aware of how lucky Springfield is to have Felicia Olin in its midst.
