Irena Sibley

The Pauliukonis family immigrated to Australia via refugee camps in Freiburg, Germany, where her brother Vidas was born, and Naples, Italy.

The property was successfully defended by the family from the Black Saturday (2009) bushfires, with only minor damage sustained, due largely to a sprinkler system and the strategic planting of fire retardant vegetation.

In 1967, she established the art department at Burke Hall (a preparatory junior school of Xavier College) in Melbourne, and taught there on and off for 13 years.

Stylistically, her work can reflect Eastern European printmaking traditions, as well as contemporary representations of Australia's natural environment.

Irena Sibley's limited-edition books and original artworks are held in many private collections in Australia, Europe, Japan, and the U.S., and in public collections including: In 2008, Sibley claimed the Keith Wingrove Award, a national accolade that recognises excellence in book plate art and design.