About the Artist

Eleven-year-old Olivia Bouler wept when she heard about the oil spill on the Gulf Coast, a place where she spent many vacations with her cousins and grandparents who live in Louisiana and Alabama. Knowing birds were going to suffer, she decided to take action. Inspired by her hero John James Audubon, Olivia wrote to the Audubon Society about her idea to raise funds for Gulf Coast birds, and about her dreams of going to Cornell to study ornithology some day.

Olivia set a goal of drawing 500 pictures of birds and selling prints to those who donated to wildlife recovery efforts. The response has been inspirational. Olivia has raised more than $155,000 so far for organizations helping wildlife in the Gulf region, including $25,000 from AOL in honor of Olivia’s efforts. More than 25,000 people joined her Facebook fan page—Save the Gulf: Olivia’s Bird Illustrations. Her story has been featured by CNN, The Today Show, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Larry King Live, and others. To date, Olivia has drawn at least 80 different species of birds in 500 original drawings.

• Watch a video of Olivia, featured on AOL Artists.
• Visit Olivia’s Facebook page to learn more or make a donation to the National Audubon Society
• Visit Olivia’s online store to purchase items that raise funds for several organizations to help Gulf Coast recovery.
• Support the Cornell Lab's efforts to help birds and other willdife along the Gulf Coast.