My May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowship, Adelaide, June 2025

 

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.

May Gibbs Collection at NCACL

Last July, I commenced work on a hugely comprehensive archive of May Gibbs’ works and ephemera, compiled by Adelaide-based Jane Brummitt, who is related to May by marriage. The collection was an astonishing thing to move through – and left me in awe of May Gibbs (and her life and work) all over again.

But it also left me in awe of Jane’s dedication to collecting and covering May’s legacy, notably the fight for her Neutral Bay home, Nutcote, and the protection of her works and legacy in a world that’s fast leaving the past behind.

Book lovers—it’s important to note that May was an OG when it comes to Australian children’s literature, and her work is one of the important first-steps in our now burgeoning industry.

The May Gibbs Collection is housed at the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature here in Canberra. Director Belle Alderman guided me to ensure this collection is presented in a way that inspires future generations to come. The database will soon be available on NCACL’s website and a Finding Aid is currently being produced.

You can read my blog post about the Collection’s journey – and how my personal connection to our illustrious May continues to warm my heart.

Click here to see a post on the Mamie launch.

Image: me and Jane Brummitt at the launch of Mamie (on the life of May Gibbs) at Carrick Hill Estate in Adelaide, November 2018.

FLORA shortlists for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2025 - Eve Pownall category!

Absolutely overjoyed {and shocked and speechless!] to shortlist in this year’s The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards in the Eve Pownall non-fiction category.

 
FLORA was such a long time coming and was such a passion project for me. It means the world to have the book recognised by my peers - feeling quite overwhelmed.

As ever - a village is involved - thank you, Lauren Smith, Amelia Hartney, Maddie Warburton, Kath Kovac, Tricia Fitzgerald and our glorious First Nations advisors for helping craft this dream book!

Mega congrats to my fellow shortlistees! And thank you, artsACT for the grant that helped make this book possible.

FLORA has shortlisted for Australian Book Industry Awards... absolutely over the moon!

ABDA longlist for FLORA!

Australian Book Designers Awards longlist for Flora—I’m bloomin’ delighted! 

Thank you, ABDA.

notable book - FLORA!

Thrilled to see FLORA: Australia’s Most Curious Plants among CBCA Notable Books for 2025–thank you, CBCA!

Takes a village, so huge thanks to publisher Lauren Smith.books, Madeleine Warburton and Amelia Hartney at the National Library of Australia. And to artsACT (the ACT Government) for the grant that helped craft FLORA.

Congrats to my fellow longlistees for your gorgeous creations and all the hard work you have put in. And commiserations to those who missed out this year. I see you and all your hard work and passion.

procreate illustration workshop

SAVE THE DATE! Thursday 31 July, 12pm - 1.30pm

I’m delighted to be presenting an online Procreate event for The Cardboard Box Illustrators in July.

You’ll learn all about my picture book creation process—including roughs and finished art. Learn how to work with Procreate or improve your existing skills or just come along for a behind-the-scenes ride!

For all the deets, head to: cardboardboxillustrators.com.au/event/tania-mccartney

reconnecting with slow

I haven’t picked up a paintbrush for five years. 

Most of us dream of being inundated with work, and it feels amazing for a while … but too many ceaseless years of too much—we become chrysalis-like. The shell. After the butterfly has flown.
 
I’m grateful for the work I’ve had these past 16 years but ‘too much’ is ruinous and total burnout is real. Not only that… mid-2024, I lost all passion for my work; the work I’d dreamt of as a child. I not only lost the love, I actively detested it. It was confusing, confronting and devastating. I needed a complete reset, and since May last year, I’ve been working through that reset (I’ve still a long way to go).
 
One bright spot has been my desire to pick up a paintbrush and dip and smear colour on a slip of virgin Arches paper. I was inspired by the little treasures I pluck on my walks and although I don’t think this image is phenomenal, it’s a reconnect. It’s a hint of happy but more than that, creating it was calming, restorative and a joy.

Then, as I painted, I realised that I miss writing. Since taking on illustration around 2016, my writing has waned, and I feel suddenly desperate to take up the pen again. 

 

On my last school visit, a young girl asked me what I liked better ‘illustrating or writing’. 

 

I had to ponder awhile.

 

Eventually I said illustrating is the most fun, the most colourful and pretty and instantly rewarding, but – and I thumped my chest – ‘writing has my heart’. Tears came to my eyes and I was horrified. We looked at each other. I didn’t know what to add, so I just said ‘does that make sense?’ and she nodded and said ‘it does’. And I truly believe she knew.

We’re complex beings and what we fill out lives with are the ingredients for a life well-lived and -loved. Too much of anything is woeful, but—equally—not enough of some things is pure pathos. Particularly sparks. We so need sparks.
 
It’s lovely to feel a wee spark. After five years of illustrating digitally (boundless, fast), I’ve realised that boundless and fast are tricksters. Boundaries are good. So is slow.
 
Digital life and work is here to stay but taking the time to slow down and check in with our hearts is vital. It’s healing. It’s where the sparks fly.

#life

FLORA Greeting Cards!

Just delighted to have a set of cards featuring the artwork from FLORA: Australia's Most Curious Plants (National Library Publishing). They are published by Nuovo Group and will be available in stores around Australia from 6 January 2025. 

Featuring Australia's stunning native flora, they are perfect for so many occasions, and come in both greeting card and gift card versions.

FLORA: Australia's Most Curious Plants PUZZLE!

 

To say I love puzzles is an understatement. IN LOVE might be more apt. It was a life moment to have my Australia Map made into a puzzle, and the World Map, and Birds and Animals puzzles that followed, too. And now - there's Flora.

It all started when my dear friend Jennie said 'you have to make your Flora cover into a puzzle', followed by mentioning this to my divine publisher, Lauren Smith, at the National Library... to Lauren replying with 'let's make it happen'.

Et voila! Overjoyed. It's a 1000-piece creation with beautiful, quality pieces (the box is heavy!) and yes, yes, I'm piecing it together as I type. It's always a surreal thing to see your work morph into treasures like this.

It would make a fantastic Christmas gift, and if you do snaffle a copy, I hope you love it! 

Click the image below for more details and a link to where you can buy.

FLORA in reviews

Some truly lovely and humbling responses to FLORA since its release - click the image above to read and listen. This picture was taken outside the National Library bookshop in September.

Love Your Bookshop Day - FLORA reading at Bookface Gungahlin

Gotta love our fabulous bookshops! Join me to celebrate Love Your Bookshop Day at Bookface Gungahlin on Saturday 12 October. It runs all day, but I'll be reading from Flora and Ivy Bird at 10am - so do pop by!

Event by BOOK FACE Gungahlin
The Marketplace, 33 Hibberson St, Gungahlin

Join us for Love Your Bookshop Day! 

Come dressed up in book theme to receive a free gift on the day (while stocks last)

Meet some local artists selling their wares in store, as well as some local authors who will be signing their books.

Stay for storytime with Tania McCartney at 10am as she reads some of her picture books and takes kids through her new release -FLORA.