On winning the prestigious Greenaway Medal in 2010 our very own Julia Eccleshare interviewed Freya Blackwood, for Books For Keeps. To download and read the article click here.
Freya Blackwood is an illustrator of children’s books. She was born in Edinburgh and grew up in Orange in NSW, Australia. The daughter of a painter and an architect, she was encouraged to draw and paint from a young age. Freya completed a degree in Design (Visual Communications) at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) where she became interested in filmmaking. She worked for several years in the special effects industry in Sydney and then in Wellington, New Zealand, where she worked for Weta Workshop on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
In 2002 she began illustrating books and has illustrated about ten picture books, several of which have been published in numerous countries. Her books have won awards in the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards, including the Crichton Award in 2003 for TWO SUMMERS and Early Childhood Book of the Year in 2006 for AMY AND LOUIS.
Freya currently lives back in Australia, in the town where she grew up. She has a studio out in the backyard where she draws and paints. She has a young daughter who is a fabulous inspiration.
Illustrator's Website: http://www.freyablackwood.net/
