ROSALEEN NORTON
"THE WITCH OF KINGS CROSS"

HOMAGE TO AN AUSTRALIAN LEGEND 1917 -1979

  Sydney NSW

Primary mediums:
  PENCIL AND COLOURED PENCIL
  

Rosaleen Norton was an artist, author and occultist who spent most of her life living in Sydney's bohemian suburb of "Kings Cross." She published many books of art, poetry and short stories, and a number of books have been published about her by other authors, many of which are still available for sale today. Much of her published material caused particular controversy in Australia during the 1940s and 50s, when the country "was both socially and politically conservative" with Christianity as the dominant faith and at a time when the government "promoted a harsh stance on censorship." She was also a journalist and illustrator for Smiths Weekly newspaper and a horror story writer.

She challenged many conservative minds of her time and was often in the newspapers and tabloids for her controversial lifestyle and ideas. The public were fascinated and intrigued by her as well as appalled and disgusted by her audacity to be so different to the norm  and to dare to be so public about her "unusual" lifestyle.