lga came to this country from Mexico at a very young age. Her artistic abilities were nurtured by her father, who was also an artist. She remembers watching him cut stencils as well as other designs early on in her life. Because of his influence, she chose a path in life as an artist. After graduating from Woodbury University and Seguro de Mexico, she successfully dealt in many facets of art. She did layout work for ad agencies, painted, sculpted and ventured into design work. She even took up teaching for a time. Nothing seemed to give her the kind of fulfillment in art she was searching for until she rediscovered papel picado.

It was on one of her trips to Mexico that she became fascinated with papel picado, a dwindling art at the time. Olga found it in the form of banners cut with scissors, knives and chisels. It was the chiseled paper she was drawn to the most. It took her back in time to a place that was familiar and comfortable. It seemed to have all the elements of art that she had been experiencing most of her life. Taking up the art form allowed her to design original works based on traditional papel picado. She has also used the colored paper to simulate a painting by cutting and layering the different colors. She sculpts the paper with chisels, knives and scissors as it had been done for countless years in Mexico.Olga began exhibiting and teaching her craft in the United States and Mexico and then Europe. Her exhibits include her interpretation of the different schools of paper cutting from Japan, China, Poland, Holland, Germany and, most of all, from Mexico.Olga has been featured in Los Angeles Times, Sunset Magazine, Rotterdam's Nieuwsblad, the Evening Free Lance and many more. She has appeared on television in various programs, like the Carol Duvall Show on the Home & Garden Television network. Her work has been used on the sets of several film and television projects.

Olga has received a number of awards and certificates of   achievements, including the PTA Life Membership, Golden Apple Award and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Professional Artists in Schools Association, the California Alliance for Arts Education, the California Arts Council and the County of Los Angeles. She has also received the Professional Artists in School award from the California Department of Education. 

Currently she specializes in workshops for teachers, teacher's aides, small private group lessons and may still be up for teaching the skill to a few more kids, while she can.  Olga also offers private lessons to those who wish to study with her... in Hawaii.

Olga has five children, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She currently resides in Kailua - Kona, Hawaii with her husband of more than 50 years, Robert C. Furginson, who is a retired set decorator from the movie industry.