Born in Warrnambool, South West Victoria in 1963, Fiona is a KirraeWhurrong Aboriginal woman. For over 30 years Fiona has depicted her Aboriginal culture through the visual arts, including tapestry, painting, public art and through children’s literature. Fiona has created a variety of artworks using uncomplicated symbols, juxtaposed against rich earthy backgrounds and colours, producing vibrant contemporary works of art.
Today she is quite well known, and her work is in collections nationally and internationally. More recently her focus is on public arts and has been commissioned to create works, in Warrnambool, Colac, Camperdown, Terang, and Melbourne.
In 2016 Cricket Australia chose Fiona’s design, ‘Walkabout Wickets’ to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Aboriginal XI Cricket team to play at the MCG. One of those players was Fiona’s Great, Great Grandfather James Couzens. Another player in this team was her Great Great Uncle John Couzens.
This year (2019) Fiona was shortlisted in the Metro Trains new High Capacity First People’s Art Commission. She was also awarded funding by City of Melbourne to write and illustrate her second Aboriginal children’s book which Fiona is currently working on, (her first was,’ Minkgill Chases the Rainbow’).