Developed through a combination of photography, drawing, cut outs, collage and painting, Olivia’s work explores the different shapes and forms in nature and how these can be manipulated to create an impression of a specific place or moment. It is the meticulous process of removing sections of paper by hand with a scalpel that initially drew Olivia to paper cutting. The practice is extremely reflective requiring almost endless patience - with some works taking over three hundred hours to complete.

Each work is initially based on a photograph taken by Olivia and the resulting drawings she then creates. Once she is happy with the final composition, she begins by dissecting the drawing and working out the layers for the piece. Olivia cuts out each layer of the painting by hand with a scalpel. Each layer is then painted using acrylic paint and hung to dry across the studio. The layers are then mounted and laid on top of each to create the final image. Once framed light interacts with the works to create another dimension to the works as the spacing between each layer allows shadows to form and bring the paintings to life.