Biography

Tohby Riddle is based in Katoomba, in The Blue Mountains, near Sydney. He studied painting at Sydney College of the Arts and architecture at The University of Sydney. For many years afterwards he has applied his training to create picture books and illustrated books, winning awards nationally and internationally for art, literature and book design.

His work has also been translated into many languages, including one title which was translated into Japanese by one of the world’s greatest living writers, Haruki Murakami, after he’d discovered it on a visit to Australia. For his contribution to books for young people, Tohby has been nominated for the 2022 Hans Christian Anderson Medal.

For ten years Tohby was also the cartoonist for Good Weekend magazine, the weekend magazine of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Selections of these thought-provoking cartoons were published in two cartoon collections by Penguin Books. The cartoons also feature in a permanent exhibit in the Melbourne Museum, and are in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.

Returning to painting, Tohby has exhibited in group shows at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and David-Rex Livingston Art + Objects. His paintings are held in the collections of the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and the State Library of NSW. Silent Light: paintings by Tohby Riddle at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in early 2022 was Tohby’s first solo show.