The full list of MURDER IN THE MAIL: A BLOODY BIRTHDAY contributors is here, but this article is specifically about the art from the exhibition currently showing at The Front cafe & gallery, with teachers and school principals in mind. I have chosen the most school-appropriate image from each artist to recommend (and have neglected Annabelle Lee because her books are too naughty, and I know she’ll forgive me).
These pictures are especially well suited to English, Art, History, and Psychology departments.
YES, Felicity Banks (yours truly; curator, head writer, and novelist) is available for discounted school author visits and the MURDER IN THE MAIL: A BLOODY BIRTHDAY story can be purchased here. It is suitable for 12+.
For schools/libraries, some prices are negotiable if the art is not sold during the exhibition period (especially if you buy more than one picture).
Michelle Bedford (Kija/Jaru people)
Full Moon Beaming
original painting
55 x 65 cm
$600 framed
Why buy it?
Because every school should display some original Indigenous Australian art. Michelle is a Canberra artist and poet who is active in the local community.
This is a great piece celebrating nature and it’s best hung next to a window so the specks of shining paint in the moon can be brought out.
Shauna O’Meara
Naomi’s Room
fromMurder in the Mail: A Bloody Birthday
limited edition print
42 x 30 cm
$250 framed
Why buy it?
This is an incredibly detailed piece that works best in the context of the MURDER IN THE MAIL: A BLOODY BIRTHDAY story. I can include a folder/display version of the story so students can explore interactive storytelling.
There are five clues in the picture, some of which require specialist knowledge (such as written Japanese) as well as a large number of ‘Easter Eggs’ (such as books by several authors who each wrote a character in the story).
Shauna O’Meara is an award-winning Canberra artist and writer.
Jane Virgo
Cattitude
fromMurder in the Mail: A Bloody Birthday
“There’s something you don’t know about me.”
original painting
42 x 60 cm
$500 framed
Why buy it?
This is a painting of Canberra writer Cat Sheely by Canberra writer and painter Jane Virgo.
Adam Lee
National Museum
fromMurder in the Mail: A Bloody Birthday
“I kept her secret because it was hers.”
photograph
60 x 42 cm
$350framed
Why buy it?
This is a stark and elegant photograph of a Canberra icon by a Canberra photographer.
Tash Turgoose
Hands
fromMurder in the Mail: A Bloody Birthday
“When I draw, the world disappears.”
limited edition print
30 x 42 cm
$250framed
Why buy it?
This minimalist picture shows how a skilled artist can use detail to render a simple image powerful—and that it is possible to draw hands well!
Keely Van Order
Rorschach
fromMurder in the Mail: A Bloody Birthday
“It’s over. And also beginning.”
limited edition print
42 x 60 cm
$350framed
Why buy it?
This complicated image has a million different interpretations. Is it wings? Faces? A blot of ink? A person could see a different image every day and never run out of impressions.
