Since graduating from Manchester University in 1999 with a first class honours degree in Contemporary Craft (where she specialised in ceramic sculpture and printed textiles), Olivia has lived and worked in Yorkshire. Having always had a deep love of animals and nature,  it has always been a natural choice of subject matter in her work. She started to specialise in dogs after being inspired by a wonderful Doberman she looked after whilst at university and everything just catapulted from there.