Lonnie Ollivierre was born in a small island country in the Caribbean - on St. Vincent and the Grenadines. That’s where he lived with his two sisters and his father. At a very young age he moved to Brooklyn to live with his mother. He inherited his love of art from his father, a sign painter who painted houses for a living. Ollivierre dreamt of becoming a cartoonist, but after watching a television program on Norman Rockwell the artist was compelled to pursue painting as a career. Many of his friends discouraged him assuring him that he could never make a living as an artist, but he continued, avoiding art school and teaching himself to paint with acrylic and oil. He taught himself to draw from the comic books he collected.
He paints what he sees in everyday life - his family and life are his main inspiration. Ollivierre doesn’t want life to imitate art but he wants life to be art. He wants to inspire, educate and uplift others through his art. Ollivierre believes that artists are born with artfulness and he feels blessed with the talent he’s been given. His prints posters, and art beckon his viewers to step in and surround themselves with the gifts that nature has bestowed on us. He uses his artwork as a means of communication with his viewers. Ollivierre also believes that it is through art that an artist can effectively express his feelings to others. He has participated in many solo and group shows that have made his art to be very popular.
