Christina "Tina" Matthews (born 1961 in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

) is a

author/illustrator and a puppetmaker who was born in Wellington and works in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. She also played

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

in bands such as The Wide-Mouthed Frogs and

The Crocodiles The Crocodiles was a New Zealand pop/ new wave band formed in 1979 with lead singer Jenny Morris, who went on to commercial success as a solo artist in Australia; and later included drummer Barton Price, who subsequently joined Sardine v and t ...

Biography

In 1979, Tina Matthews joined an all-girl group, The Wide Mouthed Frogs in Wellington, playing bass guitar.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo
'Jenny Morris'
Retrieved 4 January 2010. Fellow members were Jenny Morris on lead vocals, Katie Brockie on vocals, Andrea Gilkison on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, Bronwyn Murray on

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and Sally Zwartz on

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

. In 1979 they released the track, "Some Day" for the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, ''Home Grown Volume One'. ''In 1980 they played the high-profile''

Sweetwaters Music Festival Sweetwaters Music Festival was a series of events held between 1980 and 1999, at venues such as a farm in Ngāruawāhia, then further north on a farm near Pukekawa, and finally at South Auckland, New Zealand. Events *1980 - Ngāruawāhia *1981 ...

. ''Morris and Matthews also performed at the Sweetwaters Music Festival with the Crocodiles. Following the festival, The Wide Mouthed Frogs disbanded''. ''In April 1980 The Crocodiles released their debut album ''Tears'' which, along with its lead single "Tears" reached No. 17 on the

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

charts. In 1980 The Crocodiles won 'Best Group' and 'Most Promising Group' at the

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. Matthews began her puppet making career in 1979, working on Summer City, a community arts project run by Graeme Nesbitt for the QE II Arts Council in New Zealand. In 1982 Matthews moved to Sydney, where she worked with master puppet makers Ross Hill, Beverley Campbell-Jackson and Peter Chester and director Richard Bradshaw at the Marionette Theatre of Australia. During the 1980s Matthews honed her skills by working on the

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

movie ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

'', starring

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. She later worked with designer Garth Frost to fabricate the puppets for Australian ABC television programme ''

The Ferals ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' and produced puppets for the ABC's ''

Bananas in Pyjamas ''Bananas in Pyjamas'' is an Australian children's television series that first aired on 20 July 1992 on ABC. It has since been syndicated in many countries and dubbed into other languages. In the United States, the "Pyjamas" in the title was ...

'' and ''

The Upside Down Show ''The Upside Down Show'' is a children's television series produced by Blink Films and Sesame Workshop. It was made for the Noggin channel. The series is set in a strange apartment building where the doors lead to a variety of unusual rooms. It is ...

'' with ''

The Umbilical Brothers The Umbilical Brothers are an Australian comic duo formed in 1988, consisting of David Collins and Shane Dundas. Their performances heavily feature physical comedy and surreal elements. Stage shows by the Umbilical Brothers include ''Heaven ...

''. Matthews' first book, ''Out of the Egg'', was published in Australia and New Zealand by Walker Books Australia and in the US by Houghton Mifflin Company in 2007. It is illustrated with Japanese woodblock prints. ''Out of the Egg'' is recommended in Walter E. Sawyer's ''Growing Up With Literature''. ''Out of the Egg'' was nominated in the Picture Book section of the 2008

New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governme ...

and won the award for Best First Book. ''Waiting for Later'' was published by Walker Books Australia in 2011. It is about a young girl growing up over an autumn afternoon and the strongest themes are family, love of nature and independence. ''Waiting for Later'' is illustrated with wood block and stencil prints. It was shortlisted for the 2011 QLD Premier's Literary Awards, the NZ Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and the LIANZA Russell Clark award for illustration. Matthews' picture book, ''A Great Cake'' is about imaginative play and home cooking. It is illustrated with stencils and woodblock prints and published by Walker Books Australia. ''A Great Cake'' was shorted listed for the 2013 NZ Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and won the LIANZA Russell Clark Award for illustration. ''So Many Wonderfuls'', a picture book for the young and old, was published by Walker Books Australia in 2014. In 2017 Matthews self published ''Do What You're Doing'', a read aloud, sing along story for the classroom, library or home about the perils of digital distraction and compulsive multi-tasking and the pleasures of giving something your undivided attention. It has been turned into a song by the Eeore Chanticleers. In 1993 Tina Matthews self-published the ''Black and White Baby Mobile'' for newborn babies. It has sold over 40,000 copies and continues to be manufactured in New Zealand and Australia, distributed from Matthews' studio and sold in shops throughout Australia and New Zealand. As well as creating picture books Matthews has taught puppetry at the

National Institute of Dramatic Arts The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including ...

(NIDA) in

for many years. She was writer and illustrator in residence at the University of New England, Armidale during May 2014. In 2018 Matthews published HOME, a frieze/book based on an Emily Dickinson poem.

Discography

The Crocodiles

Bibliography

* * * * * *

References

External links

Tina Matthews interview with Kim Hill
on

Radio New Zealand National RNZ National ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa Ā-Motu), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operat ...

(24 May 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Tina 1961 births Living people Musicians from Wellington New Zealand children's writers New Zealand women children's writers People from Wellington City 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers 20th-century New Zealand writers 21st-century New Zealand writers