My Superhero joins permanent collection

Illustrator Moira Court got a double dose of good news when she learnt that her artwork for the picture book My Superhero would be acquired by the State Library of WA in the same week she was shortlisted for the Black Swan Prize for Heritage.

All the artworks from My Superhero by Chris Owen and Moira Court will become a part of the Library’s permanent collection.

‘I found My Superhero a real joy to illustrate – I love the idea of the images being kept together and it is such a huge honour to have them where they will be looked after in the best way imaginable and enjoyed by people forever,’ said Court.

Children’s Publisher Cate Sutherland said she was delighted for the illustrator.

‘Moira’s artwork is enormously appealing and I’m not surprised it’s been snapped up even before publication of the book,’ said Sutherland.

Court’s Gija Jumulu, a painting in acrylic, charcoal and pastel, is one of 30 shortlisted artworks in contention for the Black Swan Prize for Heritage worth some $20,000. Court said she was absolutely amazed to be a finalist.

‘I had to check the website four times to make sure my picture was actually there and it wasn’t an illusion!’ said Court.

Featuring depictions of any aspect of the heritage of central Perth, the exhibition for the Black Swan Prize for Heritage will take place in September 2012. Peter Kendall, another Fremantle Press illustrator has been shortlisted for the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture.

My Superhero will be published in February 2013.

Fremantle Press is an independent publishing house publishing new and emerging Western Australian authors. For more information about Fremantle Press books go to www.fremantlepress.com.au

More information about Gija Jumulu from the artist
I painted a picture of Gija Jumulu, the large boab tree in Kings Park. It has a big, mauvy grey swollen trunk topped with contorted branches with some clusters of leaves as it is in its autumn phase. The fence runs around the bottom of it with the black plastic sheet keeping its roots warm (Is that what the sheet is for?). I used acrylic paint, charcoal and pastels. I chose Gija Jumulu because it is visually an amazing tree, it is over 750 years old, culturally significant and has a million stories to tell – one of the most bizarre being how it got to be in Kings Park in the first place.