Halifax-born, Andrea studied at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham (1967-71) where she met painter John Garrihy (qv) and they married in 1969. After further study at Bristol University (1972-73) she taught in various educational establishments across the South West from Cheltenham to Newlyn Art Gallery, and continued to carve sculpture in stone, wood and plaster for commissions and exhibitions. For twenty years she had a studio in the Gatehouse of Corsham Court, and currently has one in her Penzance garden. Andrea also carves snow, which she obviously can't practise in Penzance. From 1992-2008 she was Captain of the UK Snow Sculpting team at international snow sculpting events in Canada, USA, Japan, Sweden and Norway (including the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan). 

Besides practising sculpture, she researches, lectures and writes on sculpture. She is South West correspondent for the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association newsletter, and has contributed articles on sculpture, crafts and women sculptors to the Dictionary of Women Artists, the on-line Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford), Sculpture Journal and Artists in Newlyn and West Cornwall (Hardie, Ed 2009).

In 2000, she was awarded a Year of the Artist residency in Wiltshire - Sculptures in Corsham (mixed media) - where she exhibited on the streets of Corsham and appeared on Blue Peter (4th December 2000). In 2011 she had a six week residency/exhibition, ArtSpace, at the Pound Arts Centre, Corsham.  In Cornwall she was the co-organiser of the Art Auction & Exhibition, Queen's Hotel (2004) for the establishment of the West Cornwall Art Archive. She has been a regular volunteer of the WCAA and a research associate of the Hypatia Trust. She was the exhibition organiser for the Hypatia Handbag fundraising art show, contributing her life-size doll of a cheerful bag lady to the creative mix of handbags in every shape and form. (2012)  Her contribution to the artist files of the Hypatia libraries was considerable over the years, working on indexing and cataloguing, and adding numerous cuttings to the contemporary record.

In 2015 she was diagnosed with cancer; throughout her long therapies, she remained cheerful, having the great comfort of her husband John and their two daughters. She died on Easter Day, 27th March, 2016. Her contribution to community activity through work with the Hypatia Trust has been immense, and much appreciated.