She grew up on sugarcane farms in Queensland, and her artistic talent was noticed at school. Her teachers convinced her parents she should study art at the Brisbane Technical College. She then moved to Sydney and studied art at the East Sydney Technical College. She held the first of her 90 exhibitions in 1948. Many of her paintings were of things around her home such as flowers and bowls of fruit. In 1996 she was given Australia's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia.