Meet Olivia Booth | Artist and Art Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Booth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started TheDrawingStudio out of a desire to teach drawing in my own artistic space. Teaching art at the college level, which Ive done for two decades, has been and still is very gratifying. Now I’m looking to create another kind of experience for students, one which allows for small cohorts to focus on a wide range of approaches to drawing in the context of an artist’s studio. It’s a place to learn technique from the ground up, and at the same time a place to fine-tune one’s own specific drawing voice. I’m invested in working with students on preparing compelling and singular art and design portfolios for college or whatever they aspire to use it for. I have an endless faith in how drawing can transform the way we see, and therefore the way we are.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been working in my studio here in LA for the past twenty years, playing around with drawing and transparency, and in particular with the medium of glass. I find myself continuously curious about glass’ role in our world; how the screen, the window, and the mirror mediate our connections to one another and how they also alienate us. I find that thinking about and working with glass– its history, metaphors and associations– taps into a stream of interesting questions. Most of my artwork uses glass and is installation-based. At the same time my practice is rooted in drawing and that is what Ive taught at local colleges for all these years. Thinking/being/feeling with a pencil or any other drawing instrument is something I love to teach. So much so that Ive just started my own drawing school out of my studio, where I’ll teach drawing classes to high-schoolers and adults, and work on portfolio building with high-schoolers and some middle-schoolers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We might visit the Hammer museum, look at art and roll around in those chairs in the courtyard. We’d likely take a walk along the LA River, especially these days when it’s roiling with water ( for LA) the way it is, or take a hike in Griffith Park. We’d definitely sample street and truck tacos around the city, and visit friends in their studios.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m indebted to my artist friends and all the time spent in our studios chatting about life and art.

Website: www.thedrawingstudio.info

Instagram: thedrawingstudiola

Image Credits
Photos taken by Eliza Booth Paolucci