Kathie Olivas

A multi-media narrative artist, Olivas resides in Algodones, NM with her husband and fellow artist, Brandt Peters. She began drawing portraits as a child and found an extreme love for creating from her imagination a world that did not exist in her own reality, often driven by her connection with the alter ego and reflective of her own experiences with a rare genetic disorder.

For almost three decades, her work has explored society’s insatiable desire to assign ‘cuteness’ and our discomfort with the unknown. A dark blend of early American portraiture set in post apocalyptic times, her paintings and sculptures are a satirical look at how fear affects our sense of reality. Her wide eyed children and anthropomorphic creatures are meant to evoke a nostalgic reaction that reflects isolation and uncertainty, yet they also act as empowered alter egos. While these characters explore their new lonely worlds, they double as our narrators capable of developing their own defense mechanisms. They guide us through their reality as they experience it and yet, even in their company, we are granted no reassurance.