About

I’m Olivia Duda, an oil portraitist based on the Isle of Man, working under the name Volaraes.

I’m entirely self-taught, and have spent the better part of a decade studying the techniques of the Old Masters — painters like Bouguereau, Rembrandt, and Sargent. My practice is rooted in the neoclassical tradition: disciplined draughtsmanship and a commitment to craft as something worth taking seriously.

Portraiture is at the centre of that practice. The human face is the most demanding subject in oil painting, and that difficulty is the point of my journey. Every commission is an exercise in looking better and putting in more effort than the last.

I live on the Isle of Man with my two Manx-born children. The island has become a genuine source of subject matter — most recently a portrait of Sophia Morrison, the Peel-born author and Manx cultural activist, painted as a permanent tribute to one of the island’s most significant historical figures.

Commissions are accepted year-round in limited numbers. Enquiries are welcome from anywhere in the world.