As an artistically gifted person, Olga was a faithful friend and devoted assistant for Andrew Karelin.
This is how Fyodor Fomin, a student of Karelin, recalls this: ‘Olga Grigorievna and Lyudmila Andreevna were engaged in retouching positives. Lyudmila Andreevna, in addition to retouching, received and explained to the public the details of the process and handed over orders. I remember once she sent me to the governor to take the portraits from him.
… Olga Grigorievna played the piano every day, and sometimes Andrew stood near her looking similar to Jupiter with his wavy hair, sang with his soft tenor to the accompaniment of Olga; she often stopped him: “You lie, sing higher!” I admired Olga Grigorievna’s playing more than the music itself as it was clear with what inspiration she was playing’.