Susan Oliver, born in Birmingham, Alabama has attended Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans and Florida State University in Florence, Italy. Interested to experience different cultures, Oliver has lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe, particularly in France, Italy and Austria. She has lived in Paris, worked as a tutor to the children of the French Consul General in Rome, and has lived for several years in Vienna prior to her return to the United States. While living in Vienna, Oliver began to paint in earnest, consulting the professors of the Hundertwasser class of Vienna Academy of Painting. Greatly influenced by the bold usage of color of the German expressionists during her years in Austria, she lists among her favorite painters: Kandinsky, Kokoschka, Shiele, and Matisse.

Along with numerous shows in the U.S., she has also exhibited her work at The Gallery Synthese and with The Bawag Foundation for the Arts during the Festival of the Arts in Vienna. Dr. Walter Koschatzky, director of the Albertina Museum of Vienna, opened these shows. Susan Oliver’s works hang in corporate and private collections in Europe and throughout the United States. Major purchases and commissions have come from John Portman and The Portman Hotel in San Francisco, BellSouth Corporation in Birmingham, The Linpro Company in Delaware and New Jersey, The Sumitomo Corporation of America in Seattle, The David L. Babson Corporation in Boston, The Staten Island Advance in Staten Island, New York, Design Crew in Washington, D.C. and the Bawag Bank in Vienna.

Gango Editions of Portland, Oregon published prints of Susan Oliver’s work.

Oliver designed the wine label for the noted Viennese winery of Kracher Wines in Austria.

Oliver was the designer of the official 1995, 1997 and 2001 City Stages Poster.

Susan Oliver’s works have been featured in numerous publications both in the U.S. and Europe.

Oliver has written and illustrated a children’s book, Gelbo’s World: Remembering Colors. A book for all ages, it is available in bookstores throughout the U.S.

In recent years, Oliver has also begun designing jewelry as wearable pieces of art. These pieces are one-of-a-kind and primarily include semi-precious stones and sterling wire wrap. In 2015, Oliver’s jewelry was selected to be part of the Kessler Collection at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook, Alabama.

“I have always loved fashion. To me it is as much a statement about the art of one’s spirit as it
is about physical adornment. Be Bold – Be Beautiful – From my spirit to yours…”  – Susan Oliver