Ann James | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ann Catherine Stewart James 6 October 1952 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Graphic designer, illustrator, writer |
| Genre | Children's picture books |
Ann Catherine Stewart James AM (born 6 October 1952) is an Australian illustrator of more than 60 children's books, some of which she also wrote.[1] She was born in Melbourne, Victoria. James has been illustrating books since the 1980s[2] and has become a significant contributor towards the development and appreciation of children's literature in Australia. In 2000 she was awarded the Pixie O'Harris Award as a formal acknowledgment of this contribution and was also the 2002 recipient of the national Dromkeen Medal for services towards children's literature.[3] Ann James still lives and works in Melbourne, where she runs the Books Illustrated gallery and studio that she co-founded with Ann Haddon in 1988.[4]
Ann James was born in Melbourne, Australia, in October 1952, and grew up in the suburb of Ringwood. She attended Norwood Primary School and Tintern Girls School.[1] Later she earned the Higher Diploma at Melbourne Teachers College.[citation needed] Trained as an arts and crafts teacher, she taught at both Doveton and Ringwood High School in Melbourne, then worked in publications for the Ministry of Education in Victoria.[1][5] It was here that she began to work as a graphic designer and illustrator of educational publications between 1978 and 1988.[6]
During this time James began freelance illustration of children's books, beginning with A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle, written by Gwenda Smyth, which they entered in a 1981 competition for unpublished writers and illustrators.[1][7] As her career in books began to take off, (with 14 books published by 1988), James left the Department of Education and co-founded a gallery named Books Illustrated, dedicated to children's book illustration.[2] From this time onwards she has worked towards promoting Australian Children's books, and continued illustrating books from her home in Melbourne, and her country studio, near Castlemaine, Victoria.
Many of James's books have won or been short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia book of the year awards, including Bernice Knows Best, by Max Dann, (CBCA Junior Book of the Year, 1984) and Hannah Plus One by Libby Gleeson which won the same award in 1997. Also in 1997, The Midnight Gang, by Margaret Wild, was a CBCA Picture Book of the Year Honor book, and went on to win three Children's Choice awards around Australia. Books short-listed in the CBCA Awards included Dog In, Cat Out, by Gillian Rubinstein; Hannah and the Tomorrow Room, by Libby Gleeson; Looking Out for Sampson, by Libby Hathorn; and Penny Pollard’s Diary and Penny Pollard’s Letters by Robin Klein.
In 1988 Ann James co founded a gallery and studio space in Melbourne called Books Illustrated with fellow book enthusiast Ann Haddon. This gallery has become a center for children's literature and children's book illustration[2][8] and has exhibited the work of many prominent Australian illustrators including, Terry Denton, Shaun Tan and Leigh Hobbs.
Ann James's illustrative work is part of the permanent collections of the Lu Rees Archives at University of Canberra, the Dromkeen Collection, Fremantle Children's Literature Centre, Seasons Gallery, and the Customs House Gallery.[citation needed]
James was awarded Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day 2016 Honours List "for significant service to children's literature as an author and illustrator, and through advocacy roles with literacy and professional bodies".[9]
