Leia Olson

@leiaolson.bsky.social

426 Followers 891 Following

Marketing mind by trade, guerrilla artist at heart. Seeker of dopamine, fire-lit nights, and all things weirdly wonderful.

Parody Graphic: Black and white image. Sisters of Mercy logo—a line drawing of a human head with the skin peeling back at strategic and surgically placed sections over a five-point star—surrounded by a circle with the text, “A Slight Cast of Overthinking”. The original cover art was full color and included the text “A Slight Case of Over Bombing”.
Photograph: a page from the Mark Danielewski novel, House of Leaves. This is after the dedication, but before the introduction. There is only one sentence that reads, “This is not for you.”.
Photograph: A book page with a single typed sentence, “This is not for you.”
Photograph: A light airy bedroom, a white plate sits amongst white and blue blankets. On the plate is an English muffin topped with spinach, an over easy egg, flakes of salt, pepper, and black sesame seeds. A curious cat is sniffing and making intense eye contact with the egg. The whole picture is at a diagonal angle as if the photographer was taking the shot while lying down.
Photograph: Bowl of homemade French onion soup. The broth is a deep brown color and the onions are well caramelized.
Photograph: City sidewalk on a sunny winter day. One square of the cement is stamped with the words, “A POEM TO BE WORN”.
Clipping of the Oxnard Press-Courier’s coverage of Lucy Hicks Anderson’s courtroom trial, November 24, 1945. Anderson is quoted in part as saying "I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a woman. It’s only petty maliciousness that is trying to cause me heartache and harm." Google news archive.
Lucy Hicks Anderson stands with Deputy Sheriff H.E. Bowman (left) and Deputy Sheriff Charles Salig (right), circa 1945. Back of the photo is marked "Bowman, Supt. Bureau of Identification - Sheriff's Office Ventura County, Calif." Courtesy of the research library at the Museum of Ventura County.
Photograph: Sitting on a wood-like cafeteria table top is one 20oz bottle of lemon flavored sport/electrolyte drink, one 1oz packet string cheese, one navel orange lightly larger than a regulation baseball. The lighting is harsh and florescent. The background is blurred.
Photograph: Box of Rider Waite tarot cards, labeled as “Oops All Towers”. From Worts and Cunning Apothecary.
Photograph: Sunset, facing west, looking across Puget Sound from the Seattle ferry dock. The sun has dipped below the Olympic mountains and the sky is glowing yellow fading to orange, periwinkle, and then amethyst. The color of the sky is reflected on the water. A few lights dot the coastlines visible across the water.
Photograph: A Costco-sized package of single-serving Pringles potato chips sits on a counter. A knife is sticking out from the top of the pack as if someone tried to stab it. The shrink wrap cover is torn open at one side. The plastic is stretched and torn as if clawed into. The top layer of plain flavor is exposed and appears untouched. The middle layer of sour cream and chive flavor is ripped into and at least one can is missing.
Photograph: A city street on a rainy night. The buildings are old red brick with large windows. The street is lit by large round glass lanterns hung criss-crossing the entire block.
Painting of Persephone and Hades by Samuel Araya. In a dark room or shadowy cavern red haired Persephone holds a small bouquet of faded flowers to her nose. Her eyes are closed and she looks lost in thought or memory. Her skin is pale and tinged grey. She is dressed in a white Grecian gown with white stalks of wheat woven into the fabric. Hades clutches her forearm and stares intently over her shoulder at the flowers in her hand. He is dressed all in black except for a green helmet with a snake worked into the metal and adorned with a colorful plume of bright feathers and baubles covers his entire head. One pale glittering eye shows through the eye slit. He almost appears to be on her back. Their bodies blend into each other and fade into the background.
Photograph: autumn trees in yellows and reds in the foreground. Mountains in the background. The sky is glows pink, orange, and yellow with the setting sun.
Photograph: suburban backyard ringed with trees and tall bushes. Leaves are turning yellow because of the cool autumn air. Heavy fog coats the neighborhood turning the sky and middle distance into a silvery blankness. Anything closer is obscured, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, making it difficult to make out details. Tree tops poke up out of the fog. It looks quiet.
Graphic image: parody of an album cover for A Slight Case of Over Bombing: Greatest Hits, Volume 1 by The Sisters of Mercy on their own label Merciful Release. Fun fact: There is no volume 2. Other fun fact: all the songs are in reverse chronological order.
Parody logo: Sisters of Mercy logo for the album Some Girls Wander By Mistake. Text changed to Some Girls Hyperfocus By Mistake.
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Photograph: living room wall. Focus is on a 3 x 3 display of record covers. Covers include: Enter the Wu-Tang by Wu-Tang Clan, make My Funk the P-Funk by George Clinton, The Ghost of Cain by New Model Army, Hollowed Ground by The Violent Femmes, Three Imaginary Boys by The Cure, More Fun In the World by X, Porgy and Bess by Lena Horne and Harry Belafonte, Combat Rock by The Clash, and Radio Ethiopia by Patti Smith. Also shown, a red and beige record player, several plants, a wooden cabinet, and a yellow chair.
Photograph: A dish towel is folded and arranged neatly on a dark wood background. The dish towel has an illustrated print mostly of clouds, stars and ears of corn. In the middle is a giant burrito that is open at the top. There is a human head sticking out of the top of the burrito. Below the burrito is text in a print-writing font. The text reads, “I want a BURRITO TO TUCK ME gently into its warm beans and say, ‘REST HERE MY CHILD be at peace now.”
Album cover: The Best of Old Crow Medicine Show. Cover is a creamy white with a black charcoal-style sketch of a crow with a red X for an eye. Text copy of the album name is in black and red in the lower left quarter of the album cover. The record cover sits atop a red and beige record player. Also visible is wood flooring and an aloe plant.
Photograph: a dog tucked into bed as if they are a child.
Photograph: a medium sized brindle dog with floppy ears and brown eyes—one eye has a blue birthmark in the iris—looks toward the camera with joyful expectancy. In his mouth he holds onto one leg of a bluish-grey and cream plush octopus toy. The toy has obviously been subjected to much dog love as it is missing one leg there is a hole chewed into its head from which all stuffing has been pulled.
Greeting card: turquoise and bronze. Top half of the card features a black and white photograph of a fluffy white sheep in 3/4 profile from behind. The bottom half has printed text that reads, “I wanted to get you something wooly amazing…” If the text reader does its job well you’ll hear the wool pun.
Book cover: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, a novel. Blue and white text on a black background. Yellow illustration of a compass. Brightly colored abstract boarder down the right side of the cover.
Book cover: Drags Photographed by Gregory Kramer. Title in large yellow font with white script of same superimposed. Title overlays a black and white photograph of a drag queen in a black gown with high side split and epaulettes. She has a headdress of tall spiky feathers atop a black wig with heavy blunt bangs. Her makeup is immaculate and she is staring straight into the camera lens with an expression that seems to say “What?!”.
Book cover: Final Girl Support Group a novel by Grady Hendrix, author of Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. The cover shows an illustration of red metal folding chair dripping blood on a black background. Some blood spatter appears on the text. The feeling is familiar, austere, and menacing.
Book cover: Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Dean, a novel. Yellow background with patterned boarder. Greek stylized drawing of a woman’s face and neck. The top 1/3 of her have is covered in red splatter symbolizing blood. Her long thick hair rises in waves and curls as if lifted by the winds. Presumably, this is an idealized version of Greek femininity or feminine divinity. The entire image is reminiscent of artwork found on Greek pottery.
Book cover: West of Eden by Harry Harrison. Illustration of two white people dressed in animal skins on a rocky cliff. Their backs are turned to the viewer. They look out over fields toward the setting sun and what appears to be a forest, but if you’ve read the book you know to be a city built of living trees. For some inexplicable reason there is a drawing of a spear on the left side of the cover. It’s a choice.
Photograph: a cardboard box on the floor. Peaking over the edge is the top 1/2 of a cat’s face. The cat is dark grey with suspicious green eyes. The cat does not trust you.
Book cover: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, a novel. This image is difficult to describe due to the placement of text bubbles. It is an illustration of a black woman in profile from the waist up. Her eyes are closed. She is wearing a stylized and jeweled crow headdress, holding a fan in one hand, and what seems to be a jeweled fish or bird in the other. She is wearing cream and red beaded jewelry with a skull motif: bracelets, armband, earrings, and hair pieces. She is wearing a red wrap top or dress. She has tattoos on her arms and hands that may be tribal or abstract. There is both a sense of movement and peacefulness from the drawing.
Illustrated book cover: Mama Day by Gloria Naylor. A dark stormy sky with a flash of lightening. In the foreground is a closeup of two upturned hands. The lightening is hitting the hands. The implication is that the hands are calling the lightening to them.
Photograph: Living room with chairs, brightly colored cushions, and a vintage console record player. On the record player is a plant and a stand displaying a Velvet Underground album. Hanging on the wall behind the record player is another display of records. Records are by Fields of the Nephelem, Christian Death, New Model Army, David Bowie, Adam Ant, The Cure, Sex Pistols, T Rex, and The Clash. There is an acoustic guitar resting in the corner and part of a large houseplant.
Book cover forJitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. Foreground: a hand reaching down to open the glass stopper on a perfume bottle. Wisps of perfume (depicted as smoke) trail out of the bottle and around the hand. The bottle looks like a stylized Ancient Greek urn and depicts the nature god Pan playing his pipes. Background: couples dressed in white dance on a checked field of pink and green.
Book cover for Hecate the Bandicoot by Janet Little. Black ink drawing of a leaping bandicoot leaping at birds. Image is on a red background.