Olivia O’Connor

Carving

Olivia O'Connor, woodcarver and artist with sculpture art

THIS IS MY STORY

About

I specialise in handmade rocking horses and rocking horse restoration, I am living and working in South Gippsland, Victoria.

I grew up on a farm on Australia’s Mornington Peninsula. It was the perfect environment to develop a love for natural materials, such as wood and leather, and to appreciate the beauty of the countryside.

A love of working with timber led me to I study Furniture Design and Construction at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, for one year before being accepted into the competitive Prop Making course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. During this three-year specialised degree, I worked with wood, leather, foam-sculpting, model- and mould-making and puppet making.

WHAT I DO

My Work

Wood Carving

Sculpture

Prints / Engravings

Rocking Horses

KEEPING UP WITH O’CONNOR

News

I’ll be at the Heide Makers Market the 2nd Saturday of the month September – December!

www.heidemarket.com
I designed this wood engraving in my head, driving back from the @ngvmelbourne after seeing the brilliant Pierre Bonnard exhibition and falling in love with his use of colour. I’ll be popping it into a frame and taking it with me to @meeniyanmakersmarket this Saturday 6th June ✨Details: 4 layer/5 colour reduction wood engraving, limited edition of 10. Oil based ink on archival cotton paper. ... See MoreSee Less
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As part of @thehiveoceangrove upcoming CONVERGENCE exhibition, we were all given an old Red Gum post from an artist studio in Brunswick to transform into whatever our hearts desired - turns out my heart desired to make it the shell of a snail! ‘Self Portrait As A Snail’ will be exhibiting alongside works by @hausfits_designs @seans.unique.woodworking @lucasguilbert_sculpteur Jake Lunniss and myself. Exhibition runs from 5th-28th of June, with the opening on the 6th 💖 ... See MoreSee Less
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2 weeks ago

Olivia O'Connor Carving
Where The Creek Widens, hand carved from Jarrah and part of my love/obsession/frustration with trying to capture moving water. Made to be in the light, to walk past and have the shadows shift, light dance and catch your eye. See it for yourself as part of CONVERGENCE at @thehiveoceangrove alongside works by@hausfits_designs @seans.unique.woodworking @lucasguilbert_sculpteur and Jake Lunniss. Exhibition runs from 5th-28th of June, I do hope you can make it 💖 #WoodCarving #water #hivegallery #creek #oceangrove ... See MoreSee Less
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‘Where Eagles Soar’ on old favourite of mine, carved in 2023 from South Gippsland Blackwood and my first public art installation, now destined for the Neerim South Post Office - I can’t wait to visit them there! The large eagle has a wingspan of nearly a metre, the smaller eagle of about 80cm. The deadline was brought forward and if I can remember correctly I think I had both laminated, carved and oiled in 4 days and installed on day 5…thank goodness I hit flow state early and just kept going (and iced my hands in the evening) ❤️ ... See MoreSee Less
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✨Join us on Saturday 6th June for the delightful @meeniyanmakersmarket ✨10am - 2pm in Meeniyan Town Hall. Stunning locally made art AND soup and scones by the CWA - what more could you want from a winter drive through the pretty countryside? We’d love to see you there! 🥰ps. Quite probably my last market with my current woodblock prints and engravings, so if you’ve been pondering a piece of mine, now is the time! ☀️💖🦆 ... See MoreSee Less
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LEARN THE CRAFT

Workshops

From 1 day classes where you’ll dip your toe into the world of woodcarving, through to 5 day workshops, making something decorative or learning technical skills. Join me in a workshop, let the creativity flow and the fun begin!