South Florida Museum

"Stunning…to sum up the recent commission work of botanical artist, OM Braida (Olivia Marie Braida Chiusano). Orchidaceae Paradiso, a series of watercolor paintings, illustrates exotic orchid plants in shimmering detail and balance. Ms. Braida’s work marries science and art and presents a sound knowledge of botanical accuracy while incorporating fine art standards of color, form and classical design. Immersed in shadows and  light that create an ethereal quality, her exquisite compositions are of the highest professional level and pay homage to the great masters.

Ms. Braida’s commitment to the client  is evident in all her commission work where attention to location and environment are considered in the planning of the project. It is a rare  opportunity for corporate and private clients to work with the artist in this  process and a unique opportunity to understand the complexity and beauty of botanical art."

Suzanne White
Curator
South Florida Museum
September 4, 2004

"Olivia Braida's work has an ethereal, exquisite and harmonious quality. I often look at her work since it graces the walls of our winter and summer residences. It brings us a great sense of pleasure and peace. It is both very exciting and meditative. The extraordinary technical expertise translates into magnifisense of nature in all of it's glory. Olivia's watercolors play in the light . They are vibrant and rich but yet so very delicate. The colors transform the subject into a magical life force. I can't imagine not being surrounded by such beauty and serenity as Olivia's art brings to our lives.

- Eda and Mark Easton, Great Neck, NY 2004"

"Why not just use a graphics tablet, digital photos, painting software, and a Mac? I’ve been asked this question more than once since beginning botanical art and illustration studies with Olivia. The answers lie in what Olivia teaches- not just drawing, or painting, but how to see intricacies of form and detail that make up every plant part, from root to leaf to bud to flower. She teaches how to translate what can be a one-page plant odyssey from eye to hand to paper, and how to compose a visual story that even time-lapsed photography can’t capture. She trains in the classical style of the Renaissance botanical art masters, using the best lightfast pigments, archival papers, the best brushes, the best yielding pencils. Even after getting a degree in Fine Arts years ago, with Olivia’s classes it’s as if I’m learning to really see, draw and paint for the first time. She can teach anyone, and always with a smile. Highly recommended!!"

- Susan Jackewicz, Sarasota, FL 2003

"All my drawing, perspective and watercolor skills have improved markedly with each class I have taken with Olivia. Her teaching style is supportive and enthusiastic. She truly enjoys teaching people to create botanical artworks they will be proud to display."

- Caroline Silverstone, Larchmont, New York.

We feel that Ms. Braida's illustrates our mission to help people of all ages better understand, appreciate and care for the world of nature. Her emphasis on "Realism," or three-dimensional perspective, is taken from the teachings of the masters. Whether using technique of layering, glazing, "dropping in," or pointillism, Ms. Braida uses pure color -- rarely mixing her paints together in the palette -- and achieves a luminosity to her botanical paintings, whose subject so necessitates accuracy and definition.

- The New Canaan Nature Center, New Canaan, CT.

"This past year has been one of challenges and discovery. After 23 years in suburban Boston, I returned to the New York metropolitan area as a newcomer to Westchester County. A serendipitous meeting led me to Olivia. Though I had taken some watercolor classes over the past several years, I hadn't been exposed to botanical watercolor and wasn't really sure I wanted to try. What a mistake it would have been had I passed up this opportunity. I have discovered a previously unknown aptitude, an interesting community of talented artists, some new friends, and Olivia – a wonderful teacher and friend. Plus there's an artichoke painting hanging in my kitchen! I thank Susan Ho, Karen Dunn, Karen Guarriello, and Olivia for their important part in helping me establish my new life here."

- Susan Lorch, Hastings, NY

"Olivia is not only a superb botanical artist, but a generous and talented teacher. She is honest and direct and tremendously encouraging with her students. I learned a great deal of technique in her drawing class as well as a different aesthetic perspective. Olivia's optimistic and spiritual view of the world infuses everything she does."

I am proud to say that my home in Punta Cana, the fastest growing destination in the Dominican Republic as well as the Caribbean, has been enriched with the magnificent paintings of flowers in our garden you created for us. Many, many thanks."

- Ted Kheel, New York, NY 2004

I am pleased to have studied botanical watercolor with Olivia for the past two years. The expert quality of her work has been broadly recognized, and I have been deeply affected by her extraordinary artistic sensibility.

Olivia brings a sense of balance between art and meditation to the artistic learning experience that I have found calming and centering. Olivia can teach students at any level of proficiency, encouraging even advanced students to enhance their level of skills. She has studied the "old masters" and effectively uses their works to illustrate her teaching.

I would encourage anyone interested in a disciplined, sensitive approach to watercolor and botanical composition to study with Olivia and experience her insightful teaching methods.

-Karen Guarriello, Stamford, CT.