Of both Okinawan and Irish lineage, Oliver is part of a long line of visual and musical artists. As a child, she learned traditional Japanese ink wash from her grandmother, which eventually developed into a focus on watercolor painting. Further into adulthood, she explored additional paper-based artistic practices including lithography, letterpress and book binding. More recently, fibers-based work became primary means for Oliver to express her vision of nature and our emotional world, while also fostering community in teaching. Always finding ways to infuse beauty into the world, Oliver also focuses her creative energies into commissioned projects, floral arrangements and tending to her garden.