I grew up in Perth, Western Australia where I spent a lot of time drawing and writing. Animals have always been part of my life - we always had cats, dogs, guinea pigs and sometimes tadpoles and newborn abandoned lambs would come home from our property in the Perth Hills. I have always adored picture books and would make my own at school and even in the holidays. I was very excited when I was awarded 3rd place in the CBCA Make Your Own Book Competition in Year 8. I was even more excited when the first book I illustrated, With Nan (by Tania Cox) was awarded Honour Book in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards in 2013.
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I love to draw characters that are young, old and in between, as well as the wonderful creatures that we encounter in Australia – in the bush, the sea, the outback, or at home. I have a background in painting landscapes and love incorporating this into my illustrations.
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I live in Fremantle, Western Australia with my husband, daughter, son and cat. I work from my studio which looks over a garden that attracts lots of local birds. I also have a wonderful part-time job teaching primary art which allows me to play with clay, sculpture and all sorts of other lovely art materials. The students get to have a go sometimes too.
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