The granddaughter of John Stanton, the well-known Bay-Area painter, O’Connor has always wanted to pursue an artistic career, but because fortune has a way of sending one on a different course than planned, she started to make art later in life. O’Connor received an AA in art from College of Marin and a BA in studio art from Sonoma State University, where she studied under Jay DeFeo. She has exhibited her work at juried shows, winning several awards. Her work is in a number of private collections.