Jim and Roey Fitzpatrick established Star Hill Studio in 2009. Their combined interests led them to set up a company to produce books, fine art prints, and original music.
Jim grew up in southern California, where he graduated from UCLA. After serving with the Peace Corps in El Salvador, he moved to Australia, where he has spent most of his adult life and professional career. He earned a PhD in Human Sciences at the Australian National University.
He has served as Executive Administrator of the Australian Spinal Research Foundation; Project Director for a National Library of Australia Oral History program; Director of Major Gifts for the Salvation Army; Research Officer with the Education Department of Western Australia; and has taught in the Universities of Natal, Western Australia, and New England.
Jim is the author of several books and numerous articles and reports on history, education, urban planning, health, and cycling. The Australian Logie Award-winning film, ‘Tracks of Glory’, was based on his book, Major Taylor in Australia.
Roey is a graduate of the publishing school at Oxford Brookes University in the U.K., and was an original member of the Australian Society of Editors (Queensland). She has been an art director, designer and illustrator at Jacaranda-Wiley and Queensland Education Department Publishing Services (Brisbane), John Murray (London), and Modern Woman magazine (Capetown). She has also freelanced for University of Queensland Press and the Queensland Museum, among others.
She contributed as both a writer and illustrator to Dinosaurs Illustrated magazine, and illustrated several series of Joy Berry's early learning books in the United States. Roey's own picture books are now published under the Star Hill imprint. See Books and Kids pages on this website.
Examples of Roey's art and illustration can be viewed on the Art page.
Roey was a founding member of the Guild of Australian Songwriters and has performed as a folk singer and singer-songwriter in various parts of the world. Her CD, 'Diamonds and Rain', with an accompanying book of lyrics and poems, is now in production. She still performs regularly with her guitar and is a member of the folk trio, The Wishful Thinkers.