Irena Sibley facts for kids
Irena Sibley (born June 16, 1943 – died March 29, 2009) was an Australian artist, writer, and illustrator of children's books. She was also a dedicated art teacher. Her original name was Irena Justina Pauliukonis.
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Early Life and Family
Irena's parents, Anele and Zenonas Pauliukonis, left their home country of Lithuania in 1946 when Irena was a baby. They were fleeing difficult times after World War II. The Pauliukonis family traveled through refugee camps in Freiburg, Germany, where Irena's brother Vidas was born, and Naples, Italy. They arrived in Sydney, Australia on December 31, 1949. The family first lived in Bathurst before settling in Cabramatta, a suburb of Sydney.
In 1967, Irena Pauliukonis married fellow artist Andrew Sibley. They had two sons, Benedict and Jonathan. The Sibley family lived in Albert Park for some time. In the 1990s, Irena was involved in a protest group called Save Albert Park, which was against the Australian Grand Prix being held there.
The Sibley family also created a special property and art studio in Flowerdale, Victoria during the 1970s and 1980s. This property had amazing terraced gardens that were even featured in House & Garden magazine. In 2009, the family successfully protected their home from the terrible Black Saturday (2009) bushfires. They only had minor damage, thanks to a sprinkler system and planting special fire-resistant plants.
Irena Sibley's Career
Irena Sibley finished her Fine Arts studies in 1964 at the National Art School in Sydney. In 1967, she started the art department at Burke Hall, a junior school connected to Xavier College in Melbourne. She taught there for about 13 years. From 1982 to 2007, she was also an art teacher at Firbank Girls' Grammar School.
Her first book, Rainbow, came out in 1980. It was both a children's book and a special handmade "Artist's Book." Some of her most popular children's books include The Bilbies' First Easter, When the Sun Took the Colours Away (1991), and Zara's Zoo (2001). Irena Sibley's artworks are kept in important places like the State Library of Victoria and the National Library of Australia, as well as many private collections.
Irena Sibley wrote and illustrated more than a dozen children's books. She also created six special limited-edition handmade books and many unique bookplates for collectors. Her art used different methods, such as hand-colored linocuts (a type of printmaking), scratchboard (where you scratch away a dark surface to show a lighter layer), and later, acrylic painting. Her style often showed influences from Eastern European printmaking and also featured Australia's beautiful natural environment.
The Easter Bilby Books
Irena Sibley cared deeply about the environment and loved Australia's native plants and animals. This passion is clear in many of her works, especially An Alphabet of Australian Wildflowers (1988) and her Easter Bilby series. Irena Sibley believed that rabbits cause serious harm to Australia's natural environment. Because of this, she supported the idea of replacing the Easter Bunny with the "Easter Bilby" in Australian Easter celebrations.
Between 1994 and 2000, Sibley created three Easter Bilby books. These include the very popular The Bilbies' First Easter (1994), The Bilby and the Bunyip (1998), and Grandma Bilby Mr Budge and the Easter Tree (2000).
List of Works
Children's Books Written and Illustrated by Irena Sibley
- Rainbow, Gryphon Books 1980
- The Other Tansy, Sugar and Snails 1985
- William the Wizard Who Wasn’t, Five Mile Press 1986
- When Herb’s Mess Grew, Reed Heinemann 1990
- When the Sun Took the Colours Away, Heinemann 1992
- The Bilbies First Easter, Silver Gum Press 1994
- The Bird Woman, Silver Gum Press 1995
- The Bilby and the Bunyip, Lothian 1998
- Grandma Bilby Mr Budge and the Easter Tree, Lothian 2000
- Zara’s Zoo, an Abcedaria, Lothian 2001
- Greta the Garbo Lothian 2002
Children's Books Illustrated by Irena Sibley
- The Trouble with Peggety (author: Mary Small), Roo books 1984
- The Last Voyage of the Araminta (author Lynne Duncan), Sensicorn Books, 1985
- The Lady Down the Road (author Jill Morris), Silver Gum Press 1994
- The Wish Flower (author: Jen McVeity), Heinemann 1996
- In Big Trouble (author: Dianne Bates), Zipper books 1996
Handmade Limited-Edition Books
- Rainbow, 1980
- William the Wizard Who Wasn’t (three versions), 1985, 1986
- The Calming of Harry, 1987
- An Alphabet of Australian Wildflowers, 1988
- When Herb’s Mess Grew, 1989
- When the Sun Took the Colours Away, 1991
Other Works
- Self Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Lytlewode Press 2007
- Ode to Living Things (author: Lynne Strahan Duncan) 2009
Art Collections and Awards
Irena Sibley's special limited-edition books and original artworks are found in many private collections in Australia, Europe, Japan, and the U.S. They are also held in public collections, including:
- Firbank Girls' Grammar School
- National Library of Australia
- State Library of Queensland
- University of Melbourne
- State Library of New South Wales (Mitchell Wing)
- State Library of Victoria
In 2008, Irena Sibley won the Keith Wingrove Award. This is a national award that celebrates excellent bookplate art and design. Sibley received the award for her work for artist Charles Blackman.
Image gallery
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Irena cleaning husband Andrew's brushes, Women's Day, p.15 July 3, 1972. Photograph by Gianni Marzella.
