Mermaid Beach
Original aquatint by Pixie O'Harris, signed and dated 1978 and numbered 4/10.
Pixie O'Harris MBE (born Rhona Olive Harris; 15 October 1903 – 17 November 1991) was a Welsh-born Australian artist, newspaper, magazine and book illustrator, author, broadcaster, caricaturist and cartoonist, designer of book plates, sheet music covers and stationery, and children's hospital ward fairy-style mural painter. She became patron to Sydney's Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in 1977.
O'Harris was born in Cardiff, Wales, and emigrated to Australia with her family in 1920. She studied at Julian Ashton's art school in Sydney, and began her career as a commercial artist. In 1923, she received her first commission, producing illustrations for a children's book titled Cinderella's Party.
O'Harris went on to illustrate over 20 children's books, including The Little Wooden Horse, The Magic Pudding, and The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek. She also painted murals in hospitals, schools, and other public buildings. Her work is characterized by its whimsical, fairy-tale style.
O'Harris was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal in 1953, and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1976. She died in Sydney in 1991.
Limited edition aquatint, printed on fine art cotton rag paper, 200 mm x250 mm, signed and dated.
Price (AUD): $150.00 other currencies