A classically trained sculptor, her process involves building complex metal armatures to support massive amounts of clay.

Her mother, Nancy Jacobsohn, a sculptor and an art teacher, taught Cavener how to work with clay starting at an early age and also did some painting.

Upon returning, Cavener suspended her studies in astrophysics in order to focus on incorporating her diverse interests with a major Fine Art.

Cavener would spend the next few years honing her artistic style and research through a series of apprenticeships and fellowships in Nashville, Tennessee, and at the Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy.

Trained in the classical atelier style throughout her studies, Cavener became restless with the more traditional methods of sculpting and casting, focused exclusively on the human form.

Cavener spent four years in Columbus, Ohio, independently developing her work and searching for a conceptual link to her interest human psychology and social structures.

Cavener enrolled in graduate school at The Ohio State University, where she received her Master's in Fine Arts degree in ceramics between 2000 and 2002.

She has also uses the technique terra sigillata , or "sealed earth," a process in which clay is burnished to a glossy texture, which is how she achieves the luminous surface of her sculptures.

For "Come Undone," her 2012 show at the Claire Oliver Gallery, she explored mixed media, including handmade doilies for "The White Hind" and sugar crystals for "The Adoration."