Mark Wilson
Mark studied painting at Caulfield Institute of Technology (now Monash University) in the late sixties. But his main passion was Rock'N'Roll, and after a stint in the army doing national service, then a Diploma in Education, he spent most of the seventies pretending to be a rock drummer. In the mid-seventies he started working on Explore magazine for the Vic.  Education Department. Mark also started illustrating for various publishers including Rigby, Brooks Waterloo, Penguin, Shortland (USA), Houghton Mifflin (USA), Lothian and Harper Collin.
Mark has a passion for environmental and conservation issues and this has influenced much of his work in picture book illustration, Including 'The Penguin Shore', the 'Extinction Trilogy' and Young Murphy, A Boys Adventure' with author Gary Crew, published by Lothian. He wrote and illustrated 'Prayer for the Animals' to highlight the plight of many of our endangered birds and animals, and most recently, 'The Last Tree', a story set in one of Victoria's oldest forests in East Gippsland.
'Carpet of Dreams' is a fantasy for young children written by New Zealand author Tessa Duder. It is due out through Harper Collins in November. It is a beautiful story that also has an animal theme, but celebrates the importance of family, cultural history and the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Mark had just become a grandparent for the first time, so it was a very satisfying project.
He also has a ghost story called 'Fortune's Ghost' coming out in2007, written by Mark Greenwood, through UWA Press. It was a lot of fun and a lot different to anything he had done before. He is just finishing the artwork for it at the moment. Mark Greenwood is also a wonderful author to work with.
The main theme of Mark's presentations and workshops is to guide children through the basic steps of looking and drawing using simple lines and shapes, to produce their own realistic artwork. The aim is to show them that it is not as hard as they think. As the children draw along with him, they talk about wildlife in general and also the creatures from his books that they may be drawing at the time. Mark also encourages them to share their own stories about animals they have encountered, from domestic pets to wildlife in the bush. He was encouraged to draw from a very early age and thinks encouragement is the key to children's confidence in their own drawing.
Presentations and Workshops
Mark is a qualified teacher and has a lot of fun conducting writing, drawing and picture book making workshops in Melbourne, Perth and regional areas of Victoria. Recent workshops include Dromkeen Children's Literature Centre, Fremantle Children's Literature Centre, Books Illustrated Gallery, Mornington Peninsula Writers Festival and various schools, libraries and festivals. Mark has been Author in Residence at Parktone and Essendon North Primary schools throughout 2007. He is currently conducting picture book making workshops one day a week, at Mt. Eliza North Primary School, and the Frankston Community Centre.
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Painting the Yea MARC Truck, January 2008
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