Mary Wilson Fellow, May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust
Work: a picture book for older readers on the life of artist, Ellis Rowan
Adelaide, June 2025
My month of creative immersion and contemplation - reading, researching, writing, sketching, painting, walking, foraging. A joyful time, head-down at the Burrow in Norwood, pockmarked with the odd get-together with beautiful people, and some life experiences I'll never forget.
Here is a rundown of some highlights.
A delightful welcome by Mary Wilson and Rebecca Bird - the Burrow is a sweet pocket of comfort where every little thing has been thought of, and where a creative could want for nothing (not even chocolate!). There are May Gibbs delights at every turn, from artworks on the walls to the beautiful cabinet crammed with curios, and the most beautiful handmade model of Nutcote by John McEwin.
There were almost daily wanders around the neighbourhood and its stunning houses and established trees and plants, some species I had never seen before. I would collect fallen leaves and sprigs, and filled a basket with them. I foraged so many, I began displaying them on the kitchen windowsill, in whatever vessel I could find. This became an ever-changing landscape - almost an homage to Cressida Campbell.
The first two weeks involved stacks of reading and researching and whittling an overfed manuscript into something workable. At the end of the month, I managed to shape it down to 48 pages, with an end goal of 40.
I explored many illustration styles jostling in my head for over a year, and spent time sketching with pencil on paper and on my iPad, painting in watercolour - again on paper and iPad - crafting plants from foraged leaves and pieces of paper torn from the pages of a book. I also experimented with a line-drawing style on my iPad, which will definitely be incorporated in my work, along with interesting plans I have for copies of Rowan's actual paintings.
The Botanic Gardens, of course, were sheer bliss and were every excuse to make part of my walks. The Amazonian giant water lilies, Chihuly sculpture in the Palm House, and the succulent gardens were my favourites. The colours and forms were so inspiring for my illustration ideas.
Another inspiring visit was to the Art Gallery of South Australia for a timely exhibition - Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe (1890 - 1940). Exquisitely curated with some of our finest art, it was just what I needed to invigorate my work on Ellis (she spent a lot of time in Europe).
Mary Wilson introduced me to Lindl Lawton of the Botanic Gardens here in Adelaide, and she kindly took me into the State Herbarium for a behind-the-scenes peek at Ellis Rowan's original paintings. They number over 100 and every one is framed and stacked in the archives.
It was also fascinating talking with Lindl. She insisted on showing me the Museum of Economic Botany, too - which I'd missed on an earlier walk of the Botanical Gardens. The last remaining museum of its kind, anywhere in the world, it's become one of my favourite ever collections relating to plants.
I went back again later to enjoy it in greater detail and also to see the Linda Catchlove watercolour exhibition. I fell head over heels for the museum'
s collection of German-crafted apples, pears and fungi that form part of their collection, and have taken many, many decades to source.
The following week, Lorrae West took me into the Herbarium's library where she had kindly sourced every book relating to Ellis's life. It was special to hold a copy of Ellis's only children's book in my hands - Bill Baillie - featuring the real life baby bilby she was once gifted. I also loved flicking through her autobiography (really a travelogue, most particularly of her astonishing time in the tropics of northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea).
On the last two nights, my hubby flew over to spend some time trawling gardens with me (and to help lug back all my luggage! I will admit to a teensy scrap of thrift shopping - see the orange poncho in this post). We visited Hahndorf, The Cedars (home to artists Hans Heysen and Nora Heysen) for a peek at the astonishing studios and gardens. Despite the rain, this was a major highlight.
As the rain cleared, we took a long walk through Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens - oh my. This is some lusciously-crafted eyefest. We didn't want to leave. We also visited the David Roche Gallery and strolled along the pier at Henley Beach (brings back memories as we lived here when the kids were young). And finished this amazing stay with a pub dinner at the Norwood Hotel.
Just a sprinkling of photos below.
Before leaving, I tweaked my entries in the Fellows' journal and the artist Folio. And left a flourish of blooms for the next Fellow, Emma Quay.
Huge thanks to Mary Wilson and her fabulous team for looking after me, for their kindness and for providing this much-needed, immersive time - to escape real life and focus on this long-awaited project before me.
I have wanted to write on Ellis Rowan for around 15 years, and as I'll soon be taking a break from work, it feels fitting to finish up for a while with the life of a woman I've long admired, and whom Australians really need to know. The book is planned for end 2026/early 2027, with the National Library of Australia, who happen to hold 970 of Ellis's paintings - just part of her mammoth artistic legacy.
Below is my final windowsill tableau at The Burrow, in honour of Ellis, followed by some of the artworks I created during my stay.
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