Artist, Designer and Creative Director

Louise Olsen is an Australian artist, sculptor and designer. As Creative Director of Dinosaur Designs, she has helped shape one of Australia’s leading design brands. Alongside her work with Dinosaur Designs, she also creates precious metal jewellery and sculpture collections under her own eponymous label.

Her creative practice spans painting, sculpture and design. Nature strongly influences her work, with organic forms and natural textures appearing throughout her collections.

Global Exhibitions and Recognition

Louise’s work has appeared in leading galleries and museums around the world. These include the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Brisbane.

In 2016, Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy published The Art of Dinosaur Designs. The book launched alongside a travelling exhibition shown at Karen Woodbury Gallery in Melbourne, Bega Regional Gallery, Hazlehurst Art Gallery and Newcastle Art Gallery.

The Art Gallery of Western Australia also holds selected works by Louise in its permanent collection.

Dinosaur Designs

Louise co-founded Dinosaur Designs with her partner, artist and designer Stephen Ormandy. The pair met while studying at Sydney’s City Art Institute, now known as UNSW Art & Design.

For more than thirty years, Louise has created sculptural homewares, jewellery and objects for Dinosaur Designs. Today, the brand sells internationally through major retailers including Bergdorf Goodman, Holt Renfrew, Lane Crawford, Selfridges and Net-A-Porter.

Louise and Stephen also created Series 8, a large-scale installation commissioned by Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art.

In 2017, the pair won the Best Accessories Designer award for Dinosaur Designs at the Australian Fashion Laureate Awards.

Education and Creative Practice

Louise graduated from the City Art Institute in Sydney. Since then, she has built a multidisciplinary career across sculpture, jewellery and design.

Her artistic practice continues to evolve through experimentation with colour, form and materiality. The natural world remains a constant source of inspiration.

Community and Advocacy

Louise actively supports organisations that promote art, environmental protection and human rights.

She has supported initiatives including the Australian Conservation Foundation’s rainforest protection program, WWF’s Gouldian Finch campaign and GetUp’s Great Barrier Reef campaign.

Louise Olsen also supports Human Rights Watch and serves as an ambassador for projectABLE, a careers initiative focused on attracting younger skilled workers to the disability sector.

Since 2014, she has judged the Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award, a global program that champions women’s empowerment.