Australia Day Honours 2023: Ballarat High alumna, artist Tina Wilson

Mr Quick in biology would often give Ms Wilson A-triple-plus grades for assignments, not only for the content but the intricately detailed posters she would submit.

Such mentors help set Ms Wilson on a career trajectory as a prolific artist, illustrator and graphic designer for more than two decades. But it has been Ms Wilson's work to make art more accessible to emerging artists and community groups in Western Australia that has been the key factor in her being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in this week's Australia Day honours.

Art has taken Ms Wilson across the nation. She is now based with her husband in Uki, a village in the Tweed Valley of far north New South Wales not far from Nimbin and Byron Bay.

At school, Ms Wilson was voted most likely to be a farmer. She grew up on a Snake Valley farm and most of her classmates were town-based. By about year eight, Ms Wilson knew she wanted to be an artist.

"Growing up on the farm and being fascinated by nature and wildlife were big influences," Ms Wilson said. "I was really interested in science, too, but at the time you couldn't study science and art at the same time and I always thought I'd do that later.

"That was why I studied at the University of Newcastle, it was the only place you could study wildlife and plant illustration. It was a good foundation for understanding art as a whole and I've moved on from there but wildlife art was part of what I always wanted to do."

Ms Wilson moved to Perth in 2000 as a graphic designer for an urban planner. A chance to paint the twice-jailed former Western Australian premier Brian Burke for the Archibald Prize changed everything.

In trying to send a 2.5-metre-by-2.5m portrait to the east, Ms Wilson quickly realised the stark disadvantage - primarily cost - of living on Australia's west coast.

Ms Wilson said the key way to build a name as an artist was to win art competitions. So, Ms Wilson founded the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, now known as the Lester Prize.

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Within 10 years, the Lester Prize was built up to become the nation's third richest art prize. The prize has an artists' choice prize and has also developed into a youth competition, exhibited alongside the adult entries.

Ms Wilson said the team put a lot of time into building a community program, creating art in high schools and partnering with people living with dementia or disabilities and people from low-socioeconomic areas.

There have been times when celebrities in town would visit the hospital so, in partnership with the Starlight Foundation, young people could practice their portraiture.

"It's not only creating jobs for artists but encouraging a love for art," Ms Wilson said. "Portraiture is the easiest way to do that."

By 2017, Ms Wilson felt the pull to once more focus on following her own creative pursuits but was proud with the team and programs in place.

Ms Wilson's projects since have included a collaboration with her mum Joan, who lives in Ballarat, on the Monkey's Great Adventures series. Her mum knitted characters that Ms Wilson has taken and photographed across the world.

On reflection, Ms Wilson said she was exceptionally proud of what she had achieved since her time at Ballarat High.

"What I've learnt is if your dream is big, if you have a passion and know what you're trying to communicate, someone will come on board your idea," Ms Wilson said. "You do need a lot of energy to do that."

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