RESPECT’S Artist of the Month: Olivia Odiwe

London-native Olivia Odiwe has been making waves within both the art and Hip-hop communities with her creations.

With a unique style in tow, the 25-year-old has rightfully earned her spot as July’s artist of the month. Immersed in a family of creatives, the will to make art has always been a part of her being. Wild brush strokes and strong focal points pair well to become the highlights of her work. Influenced by the genre of hip-hop itself, Odiwe never fails to incorporate its grit and power in her pieces.

We were able to catch up to the young artist to discuss her origins, influences, and how she keeps the ideas flowing.

RESPECT.: First off, you’ve received a lot of attention for your art. Especially the ones that are focused on icons of hip-hop. What inspired you to begin creating those pieces?

OO: “I guess it’s because I’ve always loved hip hop as a genre. It’s very inspiring, there’s something so raw and yet poetic about it. I really try to bring out that rawness with the colors I use in my pieces and I try to really reflect and exaggerate the person. I’m drawing personality or persona through the piece.”

RESPECT.: What influence did your upbringings have on your art? What role did that environment play?

OO: “I’d say it played a key role as everyone in my family is creative, my mum is a writer and an amazing artist, my dad is a graphic designer, my older brother is a bass player, and even my younger brother is a landscape gardener. Being surrounded by so much creativity and artistic influence is inspiring in itself. Everyone gets involved in what everyone else is doing. We all help and advise each other which is awesome.”

RESPECT.: When was it that you decided that being an artist is truly what you wanted to do?

OO: “I’ve always enjoyed being creative and drawing, but I guess once I started putting my work online and getting a following on Instagram, I started to believe that it could be something I could do professionally. The launch of my website (www.oliviaodiweillustration.com) which I designed myself, really felt like the moment where art became my career.”

RESPECT.: Throughout your growing career, what’s been the most significant piece you’ve ever created?

OO: “I think the JAYKAY piece is probably the most significant, not particularly because of the execution of the piece, but more because of the concept of combining the two faces together. It was the catalyst for my current signature style of work.”

RESPECT.: With all that in mind, how do you manage to keep your creativity on ‘go’? How do you keep the ideas fresh?

OO: “Sometimes it is hard to continuously have new ideas, so when creativity is lacking, I tend to take a step back from my work and just give myself a short break. But in this time I will watch films and listen to music, as they are the places I always draw inspiration from. I especially love Japanese anime, the Studio Ghibli films are my go-to films when I’m having a slow day. The drawings are mind blowing and always fill me with inspiration and the desire to better my own work.”

RESPECT.: In addition to all these other influences, who are some other artists that have influenced you and your work?

OO: “There are so many artists that influence me and some of them I am actually lucky enough to call my friends like Will Prince and Phillip Butah. Their work is simply incredible and they always push me to be better. My friend Ciesay who is a phenomenal photographer always inspires me with his photography which is so edgy and urban, yet beautiful at the same time, captured so effortlessly. Another artist I met quite recently From Virginia, Ben, is another great artist who is so forward thinking with his ideas and is really leading a new path with his art on footwear and accessories. David Silverstein, who I really hope to meet one day, also influences me. I’m constantly checking his IG to see his new work. The pieces he puts together are always genius and thought provoking. Then there’s the greats like Hayao Miyazaki, Kaws, Ron English, Takashi Murakami, Basquiat. I follow lots of different artists with different styles of work on Instagram as well and that’s what I love about it. You can connect with people and see things from all around the world.”

RESPECT.: Within the last year, how do you think you’ve progressed as an artist?

OO: “I think as an artist you’re progressing all the time as you continually develop your ideas and hone your skills with each piece you create. I think my painting techniques have improved thanks to my mum as she’s always teaching me new skills. I also think it’s important to make loads of mistakes. You’ll learn so much more by making mistakes than you’ll ever do by getting everything right. I love when you lose the person in the painting and it no longer looks like them. That challenges me to bring the painting back to life and not give up when things go wrong. That has definitely helped me progress a lot. I’m much more confident within my painting now as I’ve learned to never write a painting off. It’s never too late to get it back on track.”

RESPECT.: What plans do you have for the future now as you go on?

OO: “My plans for the future are to hopefully keep working and creating new ideas, but ultimately just keep having fun with what I do. I’ve met some of the most incredible people and been in the most surreal, yet amazing situations that would never have happened if I wasn’t doing art. I have a lot to be thankful for and I’m enjoying this adventure so far. I’d love to explore putting my artwork on clothing and accessories. That’s definitely an avenue I hope to go down in the future.”

RESPECT.: How can someone get in contact with you?

OO: “They can contact me via my email : oodiweillustration@gmail.com, or through my website
http://oliviaodiweillustration.co.uk/ and through my social networks
https://instagram.com/illestration/ https://twitter.com/illestration_”