Australia [picture] / Eileen Mayo

Mayo (1906-1994) was born in Norwich, England. She had a thorough grounding in art at the Slade School, the Central School of Arts and Crafts and under Henry Moore at the Chelsea Polytechnic. In 1940 she moved to Paris to study with Fernand Léger at the Académie Montmartre. Before her migration to Australia in 1953 she held teaching positions in London. She became a member of the Society of Wood Engravers and wrote and illustrated a series of books. She also exhibited at the Royal Academy and with the Royal Society of British Artists. On her arrival in Australia she contributed to the postwar print revival. She taught at the National Art School, Sydney and was a member of Sydney Printmakers. Her career in Australia included working on murals and designing tapestries and posters. She designed the platypus for the one shilling stamp and in 1962 was awarded the Vizard-Wholohan Prize for prints. May exhibited regularly in Australia until her emigration to New Zealand, where she taught at the University of Canterbury.