The photography and art of Dr. Olivia Robertson showcase the joy and strength of the human spirit and the diverse landscapes of our Earth.
Through her travel and unique perspective, she has captured the beauty of our world and the diversity of the people that share this incredible planet. Her travels have taken her through North America, Europe, Africa and Asia; from the silent dunes of the Gobi Desert to the excitement of Hong Kong and the teeming streets of Calcutta; exploring the traditions of the peoples of Ethiopia, being awed by the monolithic red rocks of Arizona, as well as the breathtaking coastline of Australia. Olivia’s thirst for understanding and photographing this world has no bounds.
In the early days, she focused her studies of humanity through history and psychology. Olivia’s pursuit of her doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Toronto helped to shape her worldview and ignited her desire for travel. She continues to travel and learn, sharing her experiences with a global community of professional photographers for whom she has the utmost respect, admiration and gratitude. She has worked with and learned from many of the world's renowned photographers. Jay Dussard, Don Messec, Alister Benn, Etienne Bossot, Shelagh Howard, Jim Hamstra, Bruce Barnbaum, Drew Hopper, Michael Kiestler and Nathan Horton to name a few. So many individuals have been instrumental in shaping Olivia’s art resulting in a unique vision of the world.
Actively engaged in her art since the late 1990s, Olivia started working with film doing black and white prints in the darkroom. In 2010 she moved into digital but still enjoys the unique artistic expression of alternative printing. Techniques such as platinum printing and piezography, as well as photo transfers capture her imagination.
Olivia swears by the maxim, “You’ll never waste money on travel.”
She is inspired by the diversity of people whose culture has been shaped by their environments. In her words: “ You may not think that visiting the Gobi Desert in the winter, camping in a one-man pup tent at -14C is what you want to do; do it and the experience may forever change the way you experience life. It changed my life at the very core.”