OLIVIA JANNA GENEREAUX

Olivia Janna Genereaux is a contemporary abstract mixed media painter whose work combines color, motion, and texture to tell open-ended emotional stories. Born in 1963 in New York City, Genereaux had a nomadic childhood where art and athletics became her constants. Early passions for drawing and competitive running translated into appreciation of hard work, athleticism, and art. After attending Rhode Island School of Design, she was artistic director and founder of an arts education nonprofit where she designed the “Art of Play” curriculum. As director, she honored and nurtured the creative spirit of children, and learned about the importance of play in her creative practice. In 2023, she founded Janna’s Gate Gallery in White River Junction, Vermont, to showcase her decades of work as a painter. There she builds community around the arts and supports the work of select New England artists. On bringing together the concepts of creativity, narrative, and physicality, Genereaux says, “I have developed a symbolic language that gives shape to memory. I understand the importance of allowing the physicality and materiality of the paint to tell the story. My paintings are poetic and allusive, like a melody without words. They present a narrative that leaves space for interpretation.”