Pixie O'Harris was an artist and author particularly of children’s books. On 1 January 1976 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) for services to the Arts. In 1953 she was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal and in 1977 she received the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1977 she became patron to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney.
Pixie O’Harris was the daughter of George Frederick and Rosetta Elizabeth (née Lucas). Her father was an artist who was chairman of the Royal Art Society Cardiff. The fifth of nine children she was educated at Sully village school and Allensbank Girl's School Wales. At age 14 she was a member of the South West Art Society.
The Harris family migrated to Australia in 1920 and settled in Perth before moving to Sydney the following year. It was while on the ship to Australia that she adopted the name ‘Pixie.’ Being referred to as ‘the Welsh pixie’ and not liking the name Rhona, she decided to use Pixie. A change in her surname followed after a printer at the Sydney Morning Herald added an apostrophe to her second initial.
During her career she contributed poems, stories and illustrations to many publications as well as illustrating the work of other authors. These included Frank Dalby Davison, Lydia Pender and Kenneth. On 16 July 1928, Pixie O'Harris married Bruce Pratt, editor of the Australian Encyclopaedia. At the time of the births of her three daughters, she found the hospitals cold and clinical and decided to paint fairy-style murals for children. Over 50 children's hospital wards, schools, day nurseries and baby clinics throughout New South Wales have been decorated with her work.
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Pixie O'Harris was a mid 20th century painter, children's book illustrator, muralist, cartoonist and writer. It was the birth of her third daughter that prompted O'Harris to paint nearly 50 murals over the following 40 years in a number of children's institutions. She was awarded an MBE in 1976 for her efforts.
Painter, illustrator, muralist, cartoonist and writer, was born on 15 October 1903 in Cardiff, Wales, fifth of the eight children of George Frederick Harris (see National Gallery of Australia australianprints.gov.au website), painter-chairman of the Royal Art Society in Cardiff and RA exhibitor, and Rosetta Elizabeth, née Lucas. In 1920 the family migrated to WA, arriving in 1921. On board the Demosthenes the 16-year old Rhona was given the nickname "Pixie", which she ...
View the full record at Dictionary of Australian Artists Online
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