Ivy Dionne O’Brian is a Port Orchard, Washington resident who relocated from the Los Angeles area in 2021. A second-generation Valley Girl, the move stemmed from a desire to be closer to nature, for milder climates and open spaces. Feeling the call for a lifestyle change that would provide a more relaxed and slower-paced life for her family, they all now enjoy the small-town vibe of their new home. Her strong sense of family, community and grounded sense of stability have carved out a new adventure with her husband and teenage daughter, balancing her work and art with archery, hiking and kayaking.

 

With a mother that was also an artist and nurtured her creative side, Ivy dreamt of having her own studio at the age when most young girls dreamt of being ballerinas, and has considered herself an artist since she was old enough to pick up a pencil.

 

As an abstract expressionist painter, she creates ethereal works through intuitive painting, allowing the paint to decide its own direction. Sometimes painting with blaring loud music, other times in complete silence, her work vacillates between energetic and meditative.  

​

In the past, her mixed-media art has ranged from acrylic and resin to working with alcohol inks, an unusual and challenging medium she still favors today. Now, whether creating abstract forms with abstract flow, or painting figurative images with intention using liquid inks and pens, her current body of work is dream-like, lyrical, and colorful, utilizing the inherent movement of the ink to produce beautiful works where the component of fluidity creates simple yet astounding beauty. Her most recent works have advanced to mixed media, combining brushed acrylic paints with inks, papers, charcoal, and pastels. 

​

Reveling in her new life closer to nature and the ocean has inspired the artist to “grow with the flow,” evolving her craft through embracing her quieter life and listening to her own inner voice.