My paintings have developed from an enduring interest in people and the emotional connections we experience throughout our lives. This has lead to a strong emphasises on portraiture. My work is subtle and intimate, with the female form being a constant thread throughout.

My practice has been strongly influenced by both a degree in both Fine Art and Psychology, merging the two to focus of the central idea of connectedness. The relationship that can be made by a viewer to a piece of art is of central importance, whether it is a connection to the subject, a memory, or an emotion. The feeling a piece of art has is vital and this is explored in terms of how posture and gaze can alter our response to an artwork. My paintings have a sense of solitude and quietness which invites the viewer into their world to form a connection, however fleeting or intangible.

Olivia Dunn ASWA is an artist based in North Yorkshire. Her love of drawing is the foundation of her work. She completed a degree in Fine Art and then obtained a degree in Psychology whilst continuing to develop her art practice. Both aspects of art and psychology are central to her paintings which explore the concept of the female form through portraiture and more specifically childhood. Classical portraiture has been a consistent influence on her work, pushing herself to explore the relationship between gaze, vulnerability and connectedness. Olivia is an Associate member of the Society of Women Artists and has exhibited at the Pastel Society 2023 where she was awarded the Caran de Ache Award. Olivia has also exhibited at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters 2023, the Society of Graphic Fine Artists, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and Discerning Eye. Olivia has received the Treadwell Materiality Award at Gallery Green and Stone 2023 and also the Derwent Special Fine Art Prize for a Young Artist.