Narelle Oliver
Author Illustrator
NARELLE Oliver was the author-illustrator of several award-winning children’s picture books including The Best Beak in Boonaroo Bay, The Hunt, Sand Swimmers, The Very Blue Thingamajig, Dancing the Boom-cha-cha Boogie, Home, Fox and Fine Feathers and Don’t Let a Spoonbill in the Kitchen.
A Queenslander, Narelle grew up in Toowoomba. Her father was a keen amateur photographer and her mother was a water colourist and art teacher. As a child, Narelle was constantly exposed to the delights of artistic creativity, and not surprisingly, she herself enjoyed drawing, painting and reading. A highlight of her childhood was regular family trips into the country to gather ideas and specimens for various artworks.
While studying for a Bachelor of Education degree, Narelle became interested in contemporary children’s picture books. She majored in design and printmaking. This led her to create her first picture book, Leaf Tail (1989) while she was working as a teacher at the Queensland School for the Deaf; thus beginning a rewarding career in children’s literature.
Narelle went on to create more than 20 books, which received numerous awards including the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year, CBCA Book of the Year for Early Childhood, CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books as well as the NSW Premier’s Literature Award for Children’s Literature.
Most of the illustrations in Narelle’s picture books have been undertaken using linocut prints and linocut rubbings, often combined with other media such as coloured pencil, watercolour, pastel, collage and even photography. The original illustrations from Narelle’s picture books have been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions throughout Australia including Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, WA, Dromkeen Children’s Literature Centre and Books Illustrated in Victoria and the State Library of Queensland.
Sadly Narelle passed away last year. She had been fighting ovarian cancer for some time but her passing was sudden and unexpected.
I want to be in a book, Narelle’s last book, has recently been published by Omnibus Books, a division of Scholastic Australia. It features the adventures of Cecil, once a drawing from a pin board, who gets to have amazing adventures in his very own book.
A retrospective of Narelle Oliver’s artwork has just been opened as part of the StoryArts Festival in Ipswich.
Learn more: narelleoliver.com
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