Tina Wilson

Tina Wilson grew up in a world of play on a large farm in a tiny country town called Snake Valley. Her love of nature and animals led her first to a career as a visual artist with a focus on plant and wildlife illustration.

Tina founded the Lester Prize, Australia’s third richest portrait prize, and was its Executive Director for ten years before returning to her arts practice. She remains a patron of the prize and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the arts.

As an author and illustrator she has most recently created the much loved picture book series Monkey’s Great Adventures, featuring a cheeky toy monkey, hand-knitted characters and props by her mother, and music by her partner artist/composer Matt Ottley. These works are part of the multi-modal performance initiative, The Sound of Picture Books, which have been performed nationally and internationally, including at the Sydney Writers Festival and the Hong Kong International Literary Festival.

Tina now lives in a rainforest in a small village in the Northern Rivers, NSW, and spends time moving between painting, drawing, writing, curating, creating children’s books…and drinking chai! She is inspired by nature, people, all things quirky and handcrafted.