Rock Hill artist Jennifer Olwig infuses expressions of beauty and reflections of the divine into each piece of artwork she creates. “My work is my calling, my devotion and my joy,” she says. “Sharing it with others in an intimate way is a part of the full circle journey of creating the work. I love being in my creative process—from the inspiration and process of painting and communing with the artwork to connecting with the soul whose journey it will become a part of.”
A lot of Jennifer’s work is created on commission. She has created pieces for an Oscar-nominated film producer and a network television producer among others. For each commissioned piece, she talks to the client to find out what’s going on in their life and what they hope for.
“People reach out for something specific to them,” she says. “Not only for their home and their space but also where they’re at in their heart and life. To support the next chapter. Whatever comes through me will go into the painting. A lot of times, I’ll write it down for them as well, so they’ll get this note along with the artwork.”
Jennifer’s first career was in the fashion industry, but after working in the field she knew that it wasn’t right for her. After having surgery on her wrist, she woke up and had an incredibly strong urge to paint again. She visited the butterfly house, painted butterflies she saw there and felt a healing spirit.
She dove into her art by first creating and selling notecards to shop owners. She put 20 paintings for sale on her website. They all sold within the first week. Watercolor butterflies became her signature subject.
After she was asked to paint a rose on commission, she began a series of large-scale rose paintings in acrylic. Next, she drew ethereal angel sketches on linen. Her popular "Prayer Candles" on her website features an angel sketch and is a thoughtful, got-gift for many.
Jennifer enjoys using living media—materials she says have a story, an essence energy that is alive and felt. “In my watercolors, I’ve been drawn to using crystal pigments and water from sacred sites around the world,” she says. “The healing properties of the pigments and water together radiate a stabilizing love within the spaces in which they live. My ‘Body of Roses’ series is made using rosewater from my garden and French antique homespun linen from the late 1800s and early 1900s.”
To learn more about Jennifer’s artwork, and items for purchase, visit her website at jenniferolwig.com. A selection of notecards and prayer candles also are available at Mary Tuttle’s Floral and Gifts and at The Porch in Wildwood.
