It's all in the detail: Olivia Knapp

Seattle based artist Olivia Knapp creates beautiful hand drawn illustrations that are both elegant and surreal. Strongly influenced by European line engravings of decorative relief and scientific specimens from the 16th to 18th century.

Olivia blends anatomy with everyday objects, a surreal still life.You can’t help but be drawn into Olivia’s work, the attention to detail demands your attention, to look closer and examine the fine detail.

What  or  who  inspires  you? Anything  and  anyone  can  inspire  me.  As  long  as  I  am  observing  and  introspecting  I  am  bound  to find inspiration  in  something  or  someone.

You  majored  in  fashion  design  at  university,  what  drew  you  to  fashion?I  went  to  art  school,  attending  The  School  of  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago  for  a  couple  years  then transferring  to  the  Fashion  Design  Program  at  Parsons  School  of  Design.  Initially,  it  was  the  glamour  and elusiveness  of  fashion  that  seduced  me.  What  keeps  me  interested  nowadays  is  simply  a  platform  to make  wearable  art.How  did  you  get  involved  with  Jägermeister?Deutsch  Inc.,  the  advertising  agency  that  works  with  Jägermeister  sent  me  an  email  out  of  the  blue.  I  worked  directly  with  the  creative  team  at  Deutsch  on  the  project.

How  long  does  it  take  to  create  one  of  your  drawings  from  start  to  finish?About  2  to  6  weeks,  working  about  50hrs  a  week.

What’s  the  art  scene  in  Seattle  like?The  visual  art  scene  here  is  small  enough  that  it  can  still  be  molded.  Curators,  Gallerists,  and  Artists  alike  are  making  a  niche  for  themselves  here.    The  scene  has  a  rebellious  energy  from  the  grunge  era  while  being  influenced  by  the  gaming,  tech,  and  medical  research  industries.  I  like  to  think  that  we  approach  art  with  a  hacker’s  eye.

Do  you  have  any  exhibitions  or  projects  coming  up?I  do!  I  have  a  solo  show  at  Hellion  Gallery  in  Portland,  OR  opening  August  6th,  that  will  run  through  the  month.  I  am  also  participating  in  Forest  For  The  Trees  Mural  Festival  at  the  end  of  August.

To see more of Olivia's work check out her website www.oliviaknapp.com