Olivia Sua

Olivia Sua is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon. Born and raised in a small mountain town called North Bend (WA), she is inspired by the seasons, nature, and rich, meaningful storytelling. With her artwork, she creates a mythology that reflects her connection to home, the landscapes of her upbringing, and her family. Her debut picture book was Water Day written by Margarita Engle, out from Atheneum/S&S in both English and Spanish. Her newest illustrated work, Uno Más, One More: A Latino Retelling of an Old Scottish Ballad by Silvia López (Christy Ottaviano Books, May 2024), received a starred review from School Library Journal and has been chosen for the 2024 Society of Illustrators Original Art Show! Her upcoming work, If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility, by Charles Waters and Irene Latham, publishes with Candlewick in early March 2025.  

Olivia works in a combination of mediums, including cut paper, acrylic, crayon, pastels and a variety of texturizing techniques. She loves that children’s books allow her to get creative with world-building: where do the characters live, what do they wear, what do they look like, how can their personalities shine through? She loves to create natural worlds that are full of whimsy, wonder, joy, and sometimes – even magic.

Olivia often reaches inward to create her art, which sometimes brings up themes of race and culture. Olivia’s parents met in the U.S. while salsa dancing, her father is from Cartagena, Colombia, and her mother is from Durban, South Africa. Growing up the family lived in a yellow Spanish-style house with a red roof, with casita tipicas adorning the walls. Her family and culture are precious to her, so she loves to see them represented in the media and to depict them herself.  Olivia looks forward to telling any story and taking on illustration projects of all kinds, whether children’s, adult, or gift books.  

Download Olivia Sua’s Illustrator Showcase

To see more of Olivia’s work, visit her online at https://www.oliviasua.com/ and her Instagram @oliviasua.