My name is Olivia and I'm from Merseyside, currently living in Chester. I have always been in love with the Ocean, and the sky! They are the two most dynamic and ever changing parts of our landscape, and I am forever fascinated by them.
I studied Fine Art at Lancaster University in 2020 and have since been part of various exhbitions and community projects. I was the winner of the People's Prize in 2024, and was a part of the Engine Room Project in Southport from 2022 to 2025, with the aim of bringing community and life back into a Victorian Arcade on the highstreet. Here I led weekly painting classes for a group of Ukranian refugees living in Southport ("Ukraine United Southport"). Leading these classes inspired me to share my teaching with others, and I began holding painting classes for the public, whilst also painting seascape commissions from my studio in the Arcade.
My inspirations...
I spent a lot of my best memories walking, surfing and sketching on the west coast of Cornwall, and always wanted to bottle up that feeling of walking up to the edge of the surf, looking out at the vast blue and taking a deep breath of salty sea air as the waves rush and lap against the shore.
The closest I feel I can get to taking that feeling home with me (other than pockets full of shells and sea glass) is painting it.
My grandad crafted me my first ever easel when I was a little girl, and my parents always kept a big messy box of craft materials under the sink that I would delve into. Once I discovered the world of oil painting while studying at university, I immediately fell in love with the vibrant pigments and buttery paint. I love to blend my skies from soft to vibrant tones, spread on the thick colour like frosting on the edge of my waves, and build up rich aqua blues for the deep ocean.
My Process...
When I paint, I begin by analysing the image that I am working from. I start with a watered down acrylic underpainting to provide a hue and depth to the piece, and then work on mixing the perfect colours for the scene. Colour theory in painting is a skill I have honed gradually over many years of practice, and it is in my experience the most crucial part of the process! I use a knife to mix on a glass pallet, and a collection of unique brushes that I have hoarded over the years. I am fascinated by light and the way that it moves through water and the sky, so I focus on this aspect a lot when I work. I find myself getting totally drawn into my painting as if I am almost enchanted by the movement, blending, and hues. I choose to work mostly with oil paints, as their slow drying time allows for more seamless blending, correction by simply wiping off a mark, and thicker, more vibrant pigments. I adore the smell, texture and behaviour of it! After my work has dried, I sign it, and seal it with a finishing glaze, to keep the piece from fading or being damaged by the elements.
