Olivia Stanton (b.1949) trained at Byam School of Art (now part of Central Saint Martins), London from 1973-77. Olivia’s work is sophisticated and her use of paint masterful. The authority of Olivia’s work transmits from an astonishingly matt paint surface, the matt surface exudes a calm that draws the viewer in to take a closer look.
Her work is a colour-rich expression of the everyday and what she sees about her - ‘life’, heavily influenced by landscape during her years living in France and more recently about structure and balance. Conscious that she does not want to tell us what to see, she prefers to share what she sees and let the work speak for itself.
Influences include Ivon Hitchens, R B Kitaj, Gillian Ayres and further back to Gaugin, all for their bold use of colour. She also cites the influence of Japanese wood blocks – ‘I like the way they organise black’.
Since 1973 Olivia has worked part-time at the iconic art shop Green and Stone of Chelsea, with owner Rodney Baldwin. It is a place where she has learnt a lot about paint, materials and met many great modern and contemporary painters. She still works there to this day and notes its importance to her personally.
