Olive was educated at the North London Collegiate School. She then studied architecture and worked for several London based architects, later becoming a primary school teacher. As a mature student, from 1990 she gained an Honours degree in fine art at the University of Hertfordshire (formerly St Albans School of Art).

She had her first solo exhibition at the Heifer Gallery in London in 1997. Recent work has been inspired by music, mainly Puccini, Stravinsky and Wagner. The pictures make reference to Japanese woodcuts, Norse mythology and also often incorporate large birds that appear throughout her work.

As a member of the Printmakers Council she has exhibited in England, France and Russia. The Museum of Football in Carlisle holds her work.