Kilmeny Niland (1950 – 27 February 2009) was a New Zealand–born Australian artist and illustrator. While best known for her children's book illustrations, she worked in a wide range of genres, including animation, wildlife art, miniatures, portraits, cards and prints. She won numerous prizes in national and international competitions, and one of her portraits was purchased by Australia's
National Portrait Gallery, in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
.
With her twin sister
Deborah
According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', " bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...
, she illustrated a children's version of
Banjo Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the ...
's poem ''
Mulga Bill's Bicycle
"Mulga Bill's Bicycle" is a poem written in 1896 by Banjo Paterson. It was originally published on the 25th of July 1896 edition of the ''Sydney Mail'', and later appeared in the poet's second poetry collection ''Rio Grande's Last Race and Other ...
''.
Life
Kilmeny Niland and her twin sister
Deborah
According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', " bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...
were born in Auckland, New Zealand, to New Zealand–born Australian author
Ruth Park
Rosina Ruth Lucia Park AM (24 August 191714 December 2010) was a New Zealand–born Australian author. Her best known works are the novels ''The Harp in the South'' (1948) and ''Playing Beatie Bow'' (1980), and the children's radio serial ''Th ...
and her husband, the author and journalist
D'Arcy Niland
D'Arcy Francis Niland (20 October 191729 March 1967) was an Australian farm labourer, novelist and short story writer. In 1955 he wrote '' The Shiralee'', which gained international recognition in its depictions of the experiences of a swagman a ...
.
[Stephens, Tony (2009) "Artist's passions ran deep: Kilmeny Niland: 1950-2009" (Obituary)](_blank)
''The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'', 12 March 2009, p. 22 She had three older siblings: Anne, Rory and Patrick, who had been born in Australia.
The family returned to Sydney and lived in
Neutral Bay
Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council.
Neutral Bay takes ...
and then
Balgowlah Heights
Balgowlah Heights is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 11 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Beaches ...
. The twins were educated at Saint Cecilia's Primary School and
Stella Maris College
Stella or STELLA may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Comedy
*Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain
Characters
*Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...
. Both then studied art at
Julian Ashton Art School
The Julian Ashton Art School was established by Julian Ashton in 1890 as the "Academy Julian", (perhaps a reference to the Académie Julian in Paris) has been an influential art school in Australia. For a long time it was known as the Sydney Art ...
.
Their father died in 1967, and some time after their mother took them to London with their brother Patrick, who had been offered a place at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
.
Kilmeny Niland married writer and researcher Rafe Champion in 1979. They had four sons: Leo, Hugh, Patrick and Tom.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991.
In May 2008, she was diagnosed with
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include lymphadenopathy, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight los ...
, and died of the disease in February 2009.
Career
Kilmeny and Deborah started their career by working freelance in London. Their first collaboration, ''The Little Goat'', was published in 1971. By this time, the sisters were back in Australia, living in
Cremorne. They collaborated on eleven more books.
They also worked on animation at Eric Porter's studios in Sydney.
During her lifetime, she published 47 books: 12 were illustrated by her with Deborah, 13 were written and illustrated by her, and 34 were texts by others which she illustrated.
Awards and nominations
* Visual Arts Board award, 1974, for ''Mulga Bill's Bicycle'' (with Deborah)
*
IBBY The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland.
IBBY history
In 1952, Jella Lepm ...
Honour Diploma, Illustration, 1976 for ''Mulga Bill's Bicycle''
*
Whitley Awards, Best Children's Book, 1980, for ''Feathers, Fur and Frills''
*
Faber Castell Grand Prize at the Combined Australian Societies of Miniature Art, 2000
Works
As illustrator
* ''An Aussie Night Before Christmas'' (2005)
* ''Blossom Possum : The Sky is Falling Down-under'' (2006)
* ''Callie's Castle'' (1985)
* ''Callie's Family'' (1988)
* ''
Clancy of the Overflow
"Clancy of the Overflow" is a poem by Banjo Paterson, first published in '' The Bulletin'', an Australian news magazine, on 21 December 1889. The poem is typical of Paterson, offering a romantic view of rural life, and is one of his best-known w ...
'' (2002)
* ''Fair Dinkum Aussie Christmas'' (2007)
* ''Fairy Tale Picture Dictionary'' (1979)
* ''Fey Mouse'' (1988)
* ''The Gigantic Balloon'' (1975, with Deborah Niland)
* ''The Gingerbread Man'' (2006)
* ''Grandad Barnett's Beard'' (1988)
* ''How Many Dogs in the House?'' (2004)
* ''Just Like That'' (1986)
* ''Matthew and the New Baby'' (1986)
* ''Mulga Bill's Bicycle'' (1973, with Deborah Niland)
* ''My brother John'' (1990)
* ''Old Witch Boneyleg'' (1978)
* ''One-eyed Jack and Other Rhymes'' (1975)
* ''Pancakes & Painted Eggs : A Book for Easter and All the Days of the Year'' (1981)
* ''Riverview Kids'' (1971, with Deborah Niland)
* ''Roger Bandy'' (1977, with Deborah Niland)
* ''Sheep shape'' (1992)
* ''Tell Me a Tale : Stories, Songs, Verses and Things To Do'' (1974, with Deborah Niland)
* ''Tell Me Another Tale : Stories, Verses, Songs and Things To Do'' (1976, with Deborah Niland)
* ''The Farm Alphabet'' (1973, with Deborah Niland,)
* ''The Haunted Castle'' (1979)
* ''The Land and the Spirit : An Australian Alphabet'' (1992)
* ''The Little Goat'' (1971, with Deborah Niland)
* ''The Ugly Duckling'' (2006)
* ''The Window Book'' (1992)
* ''The Zoo Alphabet'' (1980, with Deborah Niland)
* ''Travelling Songs of Old Australia'' (1966, with Deborah Niland, uncredited)
* ''Wishbone'' (2002)
* ''What Am I?'' (1974, with Deborah Niland)
As author and illustrator
* ''Animals at Home'' (1995)
* ''Animals at Large'' (1995)
* ''Animals at Play'' (1994)
* ''Animals at Work'' (1994)
* ''An Aussie Day before Christmas'' (2008)
* ''A Bellbird in a Flame Tree'' (1989)
* ''Birds on a Bough : A Counting Book'' (1975, with Deborah Niland)
* ''Bright Eyes and Bushy Tails'' (1984)
* ''Fat Pat'' (2008)
* ''Feathers, Fur and Frills'' (1980)
* ''My World'' (1981)
* ''Two Bad Teddies'' (2009)
* ''Two Tough Teddies'' (2007)
As author
* ''The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies'' (2010, with Tom Niland Champion)
External links
Niland's website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niland, Kilmeny
1950 births
2009 deaths
Australian illustrators
Australian children's book illustrators
English-language haiku poets
20th-century poets
20th-century Australian women writers
20th-century Australian writers
20th-century Australian women artists
20th-century Australian artists
Australian women illustrators
Julian Ashton Art School alumni
Sibling artists