“I give you a butterfly” is a collection of dinnerware designs and fashion products that I made to sell and to be reproduced by retail companies for my graduating thesis project. The collection consists of designs for six dinner plates, the designs of four mugs, a tote bag, and a series of long sleeve-shirts. I screen printed all of the articles of clothing and dinnerware designs myself using screen printing ink and a technique called monoprinting. The artwork I created to exist on these surfaces is symbolic, purposeful, painterly, and natural.

The work I created is deeply personal because I find my own life and surroundings to be a source of inspiration and passion. I often talk about creating my own ‘mythology’ with my work that reflects my connection to home, the landscapes of my upbringing, and my family. This thesis contains stories from my life, objects, and nature that I see around me, and symbols that I obsess over: like the butterfly.

I was highly involved in making every piece of the collection, from hand-dying the shirts, to printing on fabric. I wanted a high level of control over how things would look and it was an objective of mine to make everything with intention and meaning. 

It was important to me that my thesis work existed in a physical space, so for the last week, I spent time painting a mural in room 401 of the 511 building, and installing a gallery slash pop-up shop presentation. The Coronavirus pandemic pushed me to create compelling documentation of my work so that I could share it through social media and on my website. 

Instagram: @oliviasua
Website: https://www.oliviasua.com/