Meet Olive Roberts of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olive Roberts.

Hi Olive, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Yes! I started my college career at Kennesaw State and transferred to UGA after two years. I then spent 3 years here and just graduated with my BFA in Printmaking and Book Arts. After getting the chance to attend SGCI (Southern Graphics Council International), a conference that in 2024 was hosted at RISD, and that same October at another conference called MAPC (Mid America Print Council) at Kansas State, I felt fully hooked on printmaking as the medium for me. Since starting printmaking over the past few years, I have sold at many markets around the area and have my website up and running to sell a selection of my printmaking work.

My work focuses on ocean life and the natural world as a whole, and for my graduation show at UGA, I wanted to create a project for myself that was ambitious and continued with this subject matter. I received a scholarship, the Spark Award, from my university for $2000 that would allow me to follow through on the project I had conceived: Seven 2×3′ linocut prints of the seven animals Georgia Aquarium offers encounters with. The funding paid for most of my materials as well as participating in the encounters over the past year and interviewing staff at Georgia Aquarium. After receiving the scholarship, I reached out to Georgia Aquarium over the summer of 2025, and we agreed to display this body of work at Georgia Aquarium, and I would donate the prints to them to be added to their permanent collection. This is finally happening, and the work will be up at Georgia Aquarium from May 10th to May 16th before finding permanent homes spread around behind-the-scenes areas at Georgia Aquarium.

From here, I plan to continue trying to bridge the gap between science and art, and using my work to promote conservation efforts through building connection and empathy to the world around us. I hope to partner with other scientific institutions in the future to further this effort, and I will continue my printmaking practice moving forward.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In reference to my recent body of work: It’s certainly had its challenges! Because Georgia Aquarium is an institution that doesn’t normally partner with artists, there were expectations I had that didn’t come to fruition simply due to their not having the capacity and resources allotted for a project like this. Because of these limitations and the busyness of the aquarium, communication between me and my primary correspondent took a couple weeks in between throughout the past many months, and I wish I could’ve had the opportunity to meet more in person to discuss plans for this collaboration. That said, I fully understand why these hiccups took place along the way, and I have learned a lot about how to approach a project like this in the future.

In terms of executing this body of work itself, these were the largest prints I had ever attempted, and I carved all seven of them starting in January of this year and finished by the beginning of March. This was quite a feat, and took a lot of dedication and discipline to complete in a timely manner and to the quality I expect for myself as an artist. It was important to me to capture the expressions of the animals well to reflect their personality and my connection to them, so I did a lot of drawing and planning before carving the blocks and printing them.

In reference to my printmaking career as a whole:
There have been many challenges getting through college. From financial limitations to a somewhat fraught relationship with one of my parents, I have had to overcome many outside struggles to stay on track in school. It wasn’t hard to dedicate myself to printmaking though; I call printmaking “the second love of my life” after my partner of six years, Jeffery, because it’s truly changed my life. It sustains me as a person and brings me a lot of peace and fulfillment, and because of this drive, I have definitely managed to succeed in school and am so excited for what’s to come in the future as a practicing artist.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a printmaker and book artist! Many people don’t exactly know what printmaking is, but if you have an image in your head of newspapers being printed back in the day or maybe the Gutenberg printing press, you’re on the right track. I specialize in relief printmaking, which includes linocut, woodcut, letterpress, and wood engraving, all of which I love. I will share my artist statement here, as I think it accurately sums up my practice:

It may be a surprise to learn that I did not grow up by the sea, nor spend much time at the beach, given my art explores that very setting. But what draws me to the ocean as a whole is its wonderful and elusive quality; there is so much unclear about the ocean and its many inhabitants. My art both follows the unique facts we do know and fills the gaps we don’t through a whimsical and surrealist lens, using the mark-making and graphic capabilities relief printmaking offers, and the delicate and vast possibilities of book arts. With my linocuts, I experiment with what the tools can do, what marks they can make, and how they can enhance and draw in my viewers towards appreciation and empathy for the natural world. My book arts work plays with the structure of the book itself, and uses narrative, poetry, and tactility to bring you into the world of beings whose stories may or may not be told. These two overlapping practices complement each other and give me the opportunity to zoom in on fine details and simple moments, and zoom out to explore bigger pictures. There is so much to learn from our marine counterparts, and my work is driven by that curiosity and gratitude for the guidance they offer me.

I am known for creating work related to aquatic life and nature, specifically relief prints.

I think something that sets me apart is my drive and motivation to keep growing as a person and artist, and to keep learning as much as possible about my subjects and the world around me. I’m dedicated to improving as a person, improving at my craft, and creating work that is meaningful and inspiring to my viewers. I am proud of this part of myself, and proud of where it has already gotten me. Being bold, thinking big (like the aquarium project), and caring will go a long way in creating an artist career for oneself.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I would say that my best advice for pursuing an artist career besides practicing and creating as much as possible would be be social and kind. Networking is half the battle, and taking the time to meet new people both in your field and outside/adjacent to it is one of the best ways to find opportunities and build confidence in yourself.

Also, look into printmaking! Atlanta Printmakers Studio, shoutout to them, is in Hapeville, only about 12 minutes from downtown ATL, and has wonderful facilities and classes they offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leafyolivearts.com
• Instagram: @leafyolive