Raised between London, Holland and Gozo, Donovan 'learnt to carry strands of different societies, different cultures, within me.' She read History of Art at the University of Bristol, followed by Fine Art at the Ecole des Beaux Arts d’Aix-en-Provence and at The City & Guilds of London Art School. She graduated in 2005 with an in-depth knowledge and appreciation for artists ranging from the Dutch landscape artists of the Golden Age to Anselm Kiefer, a deep interest in the sculptural possibilities of painting, and a lasting preoccupation with walls. Combining juxtapositions like man and nature, order and chaos, beauty and decay, Donovan’s low relief paintings are a space where contradictions can co-exist. They are an analogy for society where harmony prevails within the politics of division and where the melting pot of nationalities and divergent creeds thrive. They could also be seen as idealistic – especially in the context of Brexit, the legacy of Trump, the climate crisis and Britain’s handling of the European refugee crisis.