An Interview with Frank Oliva

Q1 — Location

Do you like to work in a studio or outside?

Frank Oliva

Living in Hawai'i enables me to paint outside year round on my "studio" lanai.

Q2 — Technique

Tell us a little about your technique. How important is your choice of medium to the expression of the piece?

Frank Oliva

After painting for many years, the experience of art and travel in Australia impressed me, and I have developed my own aboriginal style of dot painting. This allows maximum freedom to use color. I enjoy using colors and tracks to convey my message.

Q3 — Theme

Do you think of a theme before starting your abstract piece? How do you choose your theme?

Frank Oliva

Each piece is inspired by something, often a photo or a painting, and then my mind and hands take over and I find I am concentrating on a particular image or set of images.

Q4 — Color Palette

Considering the color palette — how did you select the colors used in the Aboriginal Delta piece?

Frank Oliva

The colors in the featured painting — Aboriginal Delta — are harmonious. Even though there are thousands and thousands of bursts of color, the piece seems more serene than complicated.

Q5 — Color & Expression

With regards to color and expression, how important is color in conveying your message?

Frank Oliva

Color is everything. I express myself with color, not a particular image but a design of color and dots. I like to trail the colors across the canvas.

Q6 — Personal Story

Is there a personal experience or story connected to the Aboriginal Delta piece?

Frank Oliva

Before retiring, I practiced civil engineering for over forty years. As a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineering, I receive their monthly magazine — Civil Engineering. One issue described sedimentation in the San Francisco Bay Delta accompanied by aerial photographs using a variety of filters. Those photos, plus my travels in Australia, were the inspiration for Aboriginal Delta.

Q7 — Inspiration

What historical movements, periods or artists inspire you? Do you find inspiration from the things around you?

Frank Oliva

I find inspiration in art, in shapes and things, and then I express the images with vibrant color.

Q8 — Composition

How do you plan the composition for your piece, Aboriginal Delta, if at all?

Frank Oliva

There is always a mental plan, but there is always room for more wandering — and this makes the process of painting my aboriginal-style paintings a joy to me.

Q9 — Abstraction

What does abstract art mean to you? What can it teach us about life and art?

Frank Oliva

So many artists have tried to answer this question. I feel that the eye rules and then the brain follows. Abstract lines and images allow so much more in contemplation and personal pleasure. The image is a pleasure to view like beautiful music with no specific theme, but the sounds are still beautiful.

Q10 — Artistic Style

How would you describe your artistic style?

Frank Oliva

It is a delight to paint freely, with colors as the primary tool. My style is free-flowing, but there is always a design in mind. I take a painting journey every time I approach the canvas.

Q11 — Advice

Finally, what advice do you have for aspiring artists?

Frank Oliva

Get a second job! It's not easy marketing art — and certainly in Hawai'i where the stereotypical sun, surf and palm tree images prevail, breakout art is a hard sell.