Sue DeGennaro

Illustrator

Sue deGennaro is an illustrator. She has illustrated 5 picture books. Her illustrations are quirky and infectiously funny.

What other jobs have you had?

I spent 10 years in the circus as an aerialist. I worked in an all women’s flying trapeze troupe and lived in the back of my car for a year. I have worked in a zillion cafes, been an artist model, a rigger, a removalist, a street performer and a lolly girl in a lolly shop. I have helped renovate a house, I have washed windows and my first job was filling peoples cars with petrol. The dullest job I ever had was demonstrating and trying to sell an ‘automatic needle threader’, as you can probably tell it wasn’t a great success. But right now I am teaching workshops at Artplay for children and teaching book illustration at NMIT in the evenings for adults.

What have been the highlights of your career?

Getting the chance to work with Jackie French. Now that I have her email address I ask her dumb gardening questions all the time. Oh and a flash morning tea with Harper Collins where they had the most magnificent scones I have ever seen, huge with jam and cream, but I was so nervous before my presentation that I couldn’t eat one, clearly I still regret it.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about ethics, about talking the truth and demystifying the constructs that suck us into our culture. I’m passionate about women and their power, their education and autonomy.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

The only award I have received to date was in grade 5. I got a trophy for ‘best and fairest’ for netball.