Live Painting, Live Auction: Senior Artist Shares Artistic Journey

FWCD’s PFA pARTy at Cullen Yards on Friday, March 27, highlighted the arts at FWCD. One of the highlights of the evening was Olivia Miller ’26, standing near the registration tables behind an easel, painting a piece that would ultimately be auctioned off at the live auction later that evening. Over the course of three hours, the oil-on-canvas painting gradually took shape. 

Miller, one of FWCD’s talented senior artists, was tapped for the opportunity because of her poise and passion for the artistic journey a painting and its painter take. She chose to capture her sister’s horse, Leroy, as the basis for the piece. “I wanted to paint something I was comfortable painting. Horses are my favorite,” Miller said. She had a photograph of Leroy for reference throughout the evening. 

Painting in front of a crowd was unfamiliar to Miller, who felt very “on display” at first. Her creative process tends to be solitary. However, as community members gathered around her to watch, she found herself settling into the painting process, losing herself in her art. “After a while, I got into a groove and really didn’t hear what was going on around me,” she said. 

While the horse was familiar, the background setting came from farther away. During a spring break trip to New York City, Miller visited the famed Polo Bar and noticed paintings depicting the English countryside and fox-hunting scenes. The imagery inspired the countryside background she chose in her project. She later added a dog to the foreground of her piece after receiving a pet-portrait commission project.

“Olivia has embraced the process of finding her own artistic voice this year, experimenting and exploring new styles and embracing a looser approach to her work,” said Upper School Art Teacher Holly Clifford. “I look forward to seeing how she continues to develop her style independently.”

Miller has enjoyed painting and drawing since childhood, and art will remain part of her future as she heads to Auburn University next year. She is considering a major in architecture and looks forward to having more freedom to pursue art in college on her own terms, rather than as a class requirement.  

The completed piece was delivered on Thursday, May 7, to Anna Farely, who outbid others to walk away with the artwork. Farely’s daughter, Virginia ’38, loves horses. The painting will hang one day in a ranch house that the Farelys hope to build. In the meantime, it will grace her daughter’s bedroom or her husband’s study. 

“We are so grateful that Olivia was willing to give her time and talent to the PFA pARTy this year,” said Director of Fine Arts Lindy Heath. “Her live painting added so much to the event. Olivia is such a gifted artist; seeing her process and watching her work were such a joy and deepened our appreciation for all that goes into creating something this amazing. I am so excited to see what the future holds for her.”