Sandra Morris spent her early years in the Waikato, then moved to Auckland for college and university. After graduating in 1975 with a BFA from Elam School of Fine Arts, she worked as an art editor on the School Journals and Maori language journals in Wellington. She gained her MFA at Elam in 1990 where she completed her first picture book, One Lonely Kakapo, winner of the Russell Clark Award for illustration in 1992. In 1992 she moved to Dunedin to write and illustrate Discovering New Zealand Birds. While working part time at the Otago University Bookshop, she met some wonderful authors and illustrators such as Gavin Bishop, David Elliot, Robyn Belton, Diana Noonan, plus international people such as Terry Pratchett.
In 1996 Sandra gained a graduate diploma in plant and wildlife illustration from the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. It was while she was in Australia that she developed a real love for field sketching and has continued to focus on this in her free time. This led her to charter a motor/sailing boat with an artist friend Jo Ogier, to take them to the sub-Antarctic islands where they spent 12 days sketching and photographing the flora and fauna. This culminated in a large exhibition of sketches, lithographs and etchings and an installation at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery in 2000. Also in 2000, Sandra wrote and illustrated Pohutukawa - a children's book about the animals and birds that visit and feed on the pohutukawa.
For seven years Sandra worked as a designer for Shortland Publications. After a trip to the Bologna Children's book Fair in 2001 Sandra started up her own illustration agency - promoting New Zealand illustrators overseas. Sandra currently lives in Auckland. She was a senior tutor for 5 years at Massey College of Design and now teaches childrens book illustration through The University of Auckland Continuing Education Programme as well as running art classes at the Auckland museum with fellow illustrator Nina Rycroft.
Selected bibliography:
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The Dolphin Boy text by Beverley Dunlop (Hodder & Stoughton 1982).
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The Kingfisher with Geoff Moon (Heinemann 1985).
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The White-faced Heron with Geoff Moon (Heinemann 1985).
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The Bay text by Ron Bacon (Ashton Scholastic 1986).
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One Lonely Kakapo (Hodder & Stoughton 1991).
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Discovering New Zealand Birds (Hodder & Stoughton 1994).
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Pohutukawa (Reed 2000).
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Godwit's Journey (Reed 2004).
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Sensational Survivors (Walker 2010).
Awards:
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Russell Clark Award 1992 for One Lonely Kakapo.
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Russell Clark Award 1995 shortlist for Discovering New Zealand Birds.
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AIM Children’s Book Awards 1995 Non-fiction shortlist for Discovering New Zealand Birds.
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Storylines Notable Books List 2005 Picture Book list for Godwit's Journey.
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Storylines Notable Books List 2011 Non-fiction list for Sensational Survivors.
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New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards Non-fiction finalist 2011 for Sensational Survivors.
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Elsie Locke Award finalist 2011 for Sensational Survivors.
Website:
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