About Olivia
Hi! I'm Olivia (or Liv), I'm an architectural illustrator and watercolourist, born in West Yorkshire and now living in Norwich, and I paint a lot of bricks!
Alongside illustrating, I've just completed my Master of Architecture, a decade of studying and working in the field that's shaped everything about how I paint.
Below, you'll find answers to some commonly asked questions about my work, inspiration and experience. If there's anything else you'd like to know, do get in touch!
Thanks!
Liv x
My Story
I actually disliked watercolour at school. I always thought it had to have that washed out, pastel look to it, the kind that never really appealed to me. It wasn't until years later, on a complete whim during lockdown, that I picked up a set again and gave it another go.
Lockdown had a strange way of making the everyday feel like a privilege, even something as simple as walking down the street. I started noticing the places around me properly for the first time, and began painting a series of my favourite Norwich shopfronts, just for myself at first. When I shared them online, I started getting interest, and before long I was taking requests for all sorts of places: homes, shops, wedding venues, even boats!
That's where Livpaintsbuildings really began, painting the places people love, not because they're architecturally significant, but because of what they mean. A home someone grew up in. A first flat shared with someone. A pub where a proposal happened. I paint the story as much as the building.
I've since moved from painting purely as a side project into making it my full time career, a leap that's felt both terrifying and completely right. What hasn't changed is the bit I love most, hearing the story behind a place, and finding a way to capture it in watercolour.