Oliver was born in Bedford in 1982; he currently lives in Buckinghamshire where he works as a full-time portrait and figurative artist from his studio in Wolverton, Milton Keynes. His preferred medium is oils, although he sometimes works in watercolour, graphite and charcoal. “I love the fluidity of oils as well as their strong, robust textures. It’s easy to feel that you’re almost carving the portrait out of nothing when you’re applying paint to the canvas.” Oliver is fascinated by people and the human form and has dedicated a large part of his practise to completing portrait commissions as well as painting interesting members of society, actors and musicians. He is a huge fan of the works of Lucien Freud, Jenny Saville and David Hockney, although he seeks the majority of his inspiration from the music he constantly listens to when he paints: “For me, silence is the enemy of a creative mind. I need music to charge me up and give me energy. Without it I am too self-conscious and considered when painting.” Oliver was featured on the TV show Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year where he painted the actor Trevor Eve from life. During his career, Oliver’s work has been exhibited at various locations around the world including the Mall Galleries, Royal College of Art and the prestigious Saatchi Gallery. Notable portrait commissions have included Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, Jamie Staff MBE, Joe McFadden and Laurie Kynaston. His work is held in numerous private and national collections.