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Steven Woolman Steven Woolman i(A51376 works by)
Born: Established: 1969 Adelaide, South Australia, ; Died: Ceased: 30 Apr 2004
c
New Zealand,
c
Pacific Region,

Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Steven Woolman majored in the sciences during his secondary education and undertook a Bachelor of Design at the University of South Australia following his schooling. He majored in illustration and, following his graduation, worked as a freelance illustrator prior to joining Era Publications in 1991. Initially working as a designer, it was not long before Woolman began to illustrate books for children. His collaborations at Era included the award-winning The Watertower with Gary Crew and The Lighthouse with Dyan Blacklock. Such was the calibre of Woolman's work that he was awarded the Ena Noel IBBY Award in 1997.

In 1999, Woolman left Era and took up freelance work once more. He wrote and illustrated a children's novel about his budgerigar (Budgie), and designed and illustrated two books for Isobelle Carmody (Dreamwalker and Wildheart). Woolman's final work for publication was to illustrate Beneath the Surface, the sequel to The Watertower.

Focussing mainly in the macabre spectrum of the science fiction and horror genres, Woolman worked in a range of media including acrylics, collage, pencil and computer-generated imagery. He acknowledged that his artwork reflected 'hours spent as a child watching old movies and TV shows'.

After a long period of illness, throughout which he continued to work, Woolman died at the age of thirty-four.

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

1997 winner IBBY Australia Ena Noël Award Special Award Woolman received a special award for his body of work.

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Beneath the Surface Sydney : Hodder Headline Australia , 2004 Z1118127 2004 single work picture book mystery children's

'The mist lifted the moment he stepped through. And there was the watertower at the summit. His watertower This was what he had come for.

'In the award-winning book The Watertower, readers were introduced to the small town of Preston and the old watertower that stands outside the town. It is a place where Bubba and Spiro go to play and swim. But what lurks in the deep waters? Why are the townspeople changing? In Beneath the Surface, Spiro, now a doctor of science, returns to uncover the mystery and to find an explanation for the nightmares that haunt him. What he discovers will change his life forever.' (Publication summary)

2005 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books
2004 winner Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction Children's Division Short Fiction
y separately published work icon Dreamwalker Port Melbourne : Lothian , 2001 Z817917 2001 single work picture book young adult fantasy

'Ken’s ambition was to be a comic-book artist, one of a team that made the drawings come to life, that made the stories real. His greatest creation was the sorceress, whose deadly hungers visited sleepers and fed upon them. But one day he woke from a dream and found himself in the world of the sorceress, a world where one of his own characters, the beautiful Alyssa, claimed to have imagined him. Who was the dreamer and who was the dream?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2001 winner Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction Young Adult Division Best Short Story
y separately published work icon One Child Flinders Park : Era Publications , 1997 Z847687 1997 single work picture book children's 'One child is a picture book illustrated by the magical Steven Woolman. It is about kids, our planet and what one child can do. Global warming, habitat destruction, the accumulation of waste, pollution and many other environmental aspects are part of this title. [It is] a simple text with richly coloured illustrations drawing on the imagery of an old stained glass window that is gradually cleaned to reveal the beauty underlying the pollution. This is a hopeful book about the environment for young children. One child saw trees torn from the ground; saw oceans stained with waste, no longer blue and clean; saw skies choking, blocking the sun. What could just one child do about the devastation of our planet?' (Source: Author's website)
1998 winner The Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature Picture Book
Last amended 4 Apr 2016 08:51:29
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