A Young Artist Makes a Difference
Olivia Bouler is painting portraits of birds for a cause close to her heart.
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When Olivia Bouler learned about the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, “I started sobbing,” she says.
But then the young artist got to work.
Olivia’s idea was simple: She would create paintings of birds and send a painting to each person who donated money to help wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico. Her plan was to send original paintings to the first 500 people who helped raise $25,000 for the cause.
Olivia wrote a letter to the National Audubon Society, an organization that promotes conservation and focuses primarily on birds. In her letter, Olivia asked if she could sell her bird paintings and donate the money to Audubon. She told the organization that she is “11 years old and willing to help.”
The National Audubon Society agreed, and Olivia got to work. AOL heard about the project and donated $25,000 in Olivia’s name to the National Audubon Society. AOL also set up an online gallery featuring Olivia’s work. And the donations started pouring in from people across the country, all concerned about the effects of the oil spill on the environment.
To date, Olivia’s efforts have raised more than $150,000 to help save birds and their habitats in the Gulf region.
Olivia Bouler
Olivia's Work is for the Birds
“I’ve always loved birds,” the fifth grader told Weekly Reader. “They’re such fascinating creatures. … My love of birds pushed me to start this project.” She watches birds not only in her Islip, N.Y., backyard, but also when she visits the Gulf coast of Alabama where her dad and grandparents grew up. She hopes to one day attend Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and become an ornithologist—a scientist who studies birds.
Olivia’s original letter to the National Audubon Society
She’s already well on her way. Olivia keeps a Cornell University bird book and an Audubon bird field guide handy. She uses them to learn about birds—she knows, for example, that it is nesting season for many bird species in the Gulf—and to help guide her when she draws birds. She sketches first with an ebony pencil. Then she fills in with watercolors. “One I really enjoy drawing is the brown pelican,” Olivia notes. “I’ve seen them all the time down south.”
While wrapping up her fifth-grade year, Olivia completed 200 of the 500 paintings she plans to create. Olivia will spend her summer creating the rest of the paintings. Because of the huge response, most people who donate will receive copies of Olivia’s original bird paintings.
Brown Pelican
Finding Oily Feathers
In mid-June, Olivia visited her family’s cottage in Orange Beach, Ala. “The oil hit the beaches near the end of the days I was there,” Olivia says. “I saw a lot of oily feathers and definitely some tar on the beach. It really was upsetting.”
In addition to the National Audubon Society, Olivia will send prints of her paintings to anyone donating to Gulf relief efforts through the Sierra Club, the Weeks Bay Foundation, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, or the National Wildlife Federation.
Olivia is thrilled but also a bit stunned at the success of her project. “It’s really fantastic,” she says. “But I think the reason everybody is interested is because it gives them a way to help … everybody feels so helpless when they watch the oil, like I felt. It gives them a way to help out the birds, and the marine wildlife, and … the fishermen who are suffering.”
Olivia Bouler loves birds. Here she bands a barn owl in Jamaica Bay, Queens, N.Y.
Olivia now has a lot of fans—including more than 25,000 on her Facebook page. She’s also captured the hearts of those at the National Audubon Society. “Olivia demonstrates beautifully that birds matter. The brown pelican and other species hit by oil in the Gulf are representative of a larger, unseen damage to the environment and people,” says Delta Willis, a spokesperson for the National Audubon Society. “I’m sure John James Audubon would be as charmed as we are.”
Link:
Olivia’s AOL Artists Page
Words to Know
conservation – preservation or protection of a natural resource
estuary – an area where the sea tide meets a river
ornithologist – a scientist who studies birds
relief – the removal of a painful or dangerous thing or situation
Think About It: What is a cause that you feel is important? Why is that cause so important to you?
All photos courtesy of the Bouler family
cute owl
cute owl nice way to contribute to the wildlife fund
artists
Artist are awesome they are they have the best job in the world. i LOVE to draw i really enjoy drawing CAREBEARS they are my speciallity!!!
I LOVE TO DRAW
I LOVE TO DRAW
birds
i think this is very cool she is so good and i love it how she is helping donating money to help save the birds that were in the oil spill this is very cool i love this story
thats really cool
thats really cool
drawings
ive seen this on tv before it was amazing what she did. ive even heard about the oil spil in the gulf of mexico.
helping makes a difference
that is very cool and nice
nothing
I <3 this story
reading
i wish i could draw like that and maybe i can make a difference just like her
WISHING
I WISH I COULD DRAW LIKE THAT..... :(
reading
thats cool what shes doing. helping is a good thing for the invirment i would do that but im not that good of a drawer like she is im good but not that good
Cool
I am good but not good as her good job olivia !!!
birds
“I’ve always loved birds,” the fifth grader told Weekly Reader. “They’re such fascinating creatures. … My love of birds pushed me to start this project.” She watches birds not only in her Islip, N.Y., backyard, but also when she visits the Gulf coast of Alabama where her dad and grandparents grew up. She hopes to one day attend Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and become an ornithologist—a scientist who studies birds
That is so sweet and
That is so sweet and thoughtful of her to do this.
how cool
i think that Olivia is very talented and likes to draw nature like me
amazing
That is pretty amazing that a little girl can draw so neatly but me i can't draw as good as you olivia.
reading
I saw this girl on dizney channel making a speech and talking about how she has been helping out for every donation that person gets one of her bird pictures. i'm a pelican so bcaw and stuff.
oil spill
i think it's cool to help all the animals that're in the oil spill and i just love animals so i really love it that she is helping all of the poor animals by drawing really nice pictures of birds. wow i think i'll really like to meet this girl and watch her draw the wonderful pictures of cool birds.
Art
I Lovee Art And I Draw Realy good and im goin ta bee guss like her ♥ When Im 11 and IM PROBLY BETTER probly Lol Shes My Neww Idle ♥♥ ☺
words
your cool, keep up the good work.
p.s. I love your drawing.
pretty
Your paintings are beautiful and so is your heart
art
I love ur art
hey
thanks for your help i really hope the gulf gets better
awesome
this is very touching
BP is such a joke… they
BP is such a joke… they should all be arrested along with the US govt. How long ago did they cap the leak? And how many legitimate claims are still “pending” from damages they suffered back in the beginning of the summer? I happen to know three people that were affected directly by BP’s shady PR tactics and manipulation of our laws, one of whom was a journalist who was almost arrested and charged with felonies for taking pictures of oil covered animals near the coast. Not only is it bad enough that thousands of fishers’ lively hoods are ruined for god knows how many years to come, they were paid a pathetic amount of money to clean up BP’s own mess.
an opinion
I think it was impressive the way a girl my age did that!
marvelous
Olivia, I am truly touched to be even just writing a ridiculous message on this blog,bu i feel so close o a real person who represents the children of today. I am a 6th grader, and I am also eleven. I am trying to help your cause as much as i can!
amazing job
you are an artic I have never seen such an amzing job coming from an 11 year old girl I am glad that you wanted to share your gift from God great job and I congratulate you
nice job
i love the way you draw with so much inspiration and passion. i think you are a great artist and i wish you the best and keep up the great work pal.
ur good
ur really good at drawing can u teach me how 2 draw? :]
amazing job
your story is incredible and you are going to be my current event 4 this week. i to am just 11 and in 6th grade. i also wanted to say i wish i could come up with something like that to help save the wildlife population.
Birds
I think your paintings are relly cool Olivia! Keep doing what u love to help!
your story is realy amazing,
your story is realy amazing, I think it's really grat you want to make a diffrence!
your a nice person!
hi olivia! that oil spill is soooooo sad it makes me cry. it's so sad to hear and see that more than 100 animals a day are dying from that. it's really nice that you'r helping the birds! :)
ss project
you are an icon to children and adults alike i am also doing a report on you, keep up the good work and go after your dreams
social studies project
this is great helping makes a big difference
you are awsome!
hi Olivia my name is Isabella and Iam 9.and i love drawing to i wish i could do what you do but iam so busy i dont have time! plus you do a good job on what you do. keep up the good work and keep working up to your dream of being an ornithologist.good luck and dont give up!
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