Olwen was born in Dublin, Ireland and emigrated with her family to the United States. She grew up in Malibu, California and Dublin, Ireland. Olwen paints images in oil and watercolor of the West of Ireland, as well as North Chester, where she lives in the Berkshire mountains. She is also a printmaker in intaglio, drypoint/monotype, and is a member of the Zea Mays Printmaking Studio and the Monotype Guild of New England. Olwen has been a member of the National Association of Women Artists and is currently a member of the California Society of Printmakers, The Boston Printmakers, and the Hilltown Arts Alliance.

Olwen’s paintings are in private collections in the United States and Europe. In recent years, she has exhibited at the James Joyce Centre and the Hallward Gallery in Dublin, Ireland; Smith College Alumnae Gallery, Hosmer Gallery, and the Watkins Gallery in Northampton MA. Olwen’s intaglio artwork is represented by the Zea Mays Flat File Project, and her print work has been represented in group shows at the APE Gallery in Northampton and the Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. At the Lenox Gallery, Massachusetts, Olwen received Honorable Mention in the Fem in Art Show. Olwen has been producer, managing director, production manager, and stage manager for professional theatrical institutions, as well as, director of the Northampton Center for the Arts. She graduated as a Studio Art Major with a minor in Biology from Smith College.

Olwen has been privileged to be a returning artist in residence at The Tyrone Guthrie Centre in autumn of 2023 and is privileged to be a past artist in residence and fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts last spring.