Jeannie Baker was born in England, where she attended art college before making her home in Australia. At college Jeannie had already begun making exquisitely detailed relief collages that used textures for everything in the scene.

“When I can, I like to use textures from the actual materials portrayed, such as bark, feathers, cracked paint, earth, knitted wool, and rusty tin . . . so that their natural textures become an integral part of the work.”

This method is part of what makes her picture books so appealing. Children will try to pick things off the pages of her books or stroke the textures.

Since moving to Australia, Jeannie’s work has become more global and its detail finer, but she still has delights in using texture. Jeannie’s works illustrate her stories, but also stand individually as works of art. They are part of many public art collections and have been exhibited in galleries in London, New York, and Australia.

Jeannie is the author-illustrator of a number of award-winning picture books. Among them are Where the Forest Meets the Sea, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and the recipient of an IBBY Honor and a Friends of the Earth Award. Window was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal, and both Window and Mirror won the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award.

Jeannie is also the director, artist, and author of two award-winning animated films: Where the Forest Meets the Sea and The Story of Rosy Dock.
Her website can be found at www.jeanniebaker.com.