Art student finds joy through hardship in ‘Creations Colors’ exhibit

Elizabeth Orlovich, a junior studying Illustration and Arts Entrepreneurship, has been using art to express her emotions since she was a little girl.

“When I was a little kid and I would get super excited or super angry or really big emotions that I couldn’t explain, I would draw pictures of how I felt, and I’d shove them under my door,” she said.

Like many children, Orlovich experienced difficulty expressing complex feelings. She learned how to communicate through her drawings, something her mom, Amy Orlovich, remembers well.

“She would draw a picture of [something] like a little girl crying, and then words coming out of somebody else’s mouth,” she recalled fondly, adding she kept some of those drawings and holds on to them even now. “That was her way of saying she was mad or sad.”

Now, through her arts education at Boise State, Orlovich continues to use her art to process emotions and experiences. Her bright, colorful exhibit, “Creations Colors,” now on display in the Student Union Building Trueblood Pop-Up Gallery until May 10, highlights the beauty and joy of Orlovich’s life, even through difficult times, including the painful chronic illness she battles every day.

“I have always been drawn to bright colors and happy joyful things, and for a very long time, I felt like that was the opposite of what artists do,” Orlovich said. “A lot of artists express what they’ve been through in a very brooding, dark way.”

Rather than focusing on the pain she was in, Orlovich found freedom in using vivid colors and joyful imagery to showcase the bright spots of her experiences.

“Whenever I would try to make art that would show the pain I was in, it almost just dragged me down into a hole. It was like a pit that I couldn’t get out of,” she said. “I decided that I couldn’t decide what my health was, but I could decide what I focused on.”

From sunsets and sunflowers to brightly-colored kitchens and ice cream cones, Orlovich aims to inspire joy and optimism with her art.

“If I can show people that they have the ability to choose joy despite hardships, that’s the whole point,” she said.

Orlovich describes her style as “joyful” and “painterly” with “lots of emotions” built in. For the viewer, Orlovich’s use of color is striking.

“I love when everything is so vibrant, like how the lighting looks ten minutes before sunset,” she said. “I just love bright colors.”

Orlovich’s chronic illness has shaped her experiences, but doesn’t define her. On a more personal level, her Christian faith is at the core of who she is and everything she creates.

“I don’t think there’s a way to ever exclude my faith from my art,” she said. 

Orlovich started her education at Boise State studying Biology, but decided to switch after having a dream she felt was from God, inspiring her to share her talents and pursue art. She said she felt much happier after switching her major to Illustration.

In “Creations Colors,” just as her experiences with chronic illness inspired the optimistic imagery, Orlovich’s faith manifests in the bright colors and upbeat themes. Her testimony and chronic illness journey are uniquely tied, both on and off the canvas.

Sharing such personal art is a vulnerable experience, according to Orlovich, but she hopes “Creations Colors” can have an impact on those who need it most.

“The best art is the stuff that’s vulnerable, because so many people believe that we’re so disconnected from each other and [no one] will understand [their] story or struggle, when in reality, everyone has struggles,” she said. “In the same way that art was a respite for me, I’d like [my art] to be peaceful and remind people of good memories.”

Orlovich’s middle school art teacher, Annie Haynes, said Orlovich has always been a talented and driven artist, and is glad to see her continuing to create in college.

“It’s so good to see a student continue to pursue [art],” she said. “She’s still pursuing it with this unabandoned love, and I’m excited to see where her art goes and who it reaches, just to see what people are inspired by it.”

Orlovich’s mom, who has seen her daughter’s art progress from under-the-door doodles to a reflection on her chronic illness and faith journey, said she is proud of Orlovich’s optimism and joyful passion.

“In spite of her pain and hurting, she’s always been able to see the beauty in things,” she said. “She has done a lot to teach me how to see the small and beautiful things in life that I might have missed otherwise.”