Dorothy-Anne Wilson QSM has a long history with the arts. She was a partner in the designer knitwear label Trieste and a founding member of the Opotiki Community Arts Council. She also represented New Zealand Arts and Crafts in Hawaii and created the hugely successful Fibre and Fleece Fashion Awards, that continue to run today.

In 1990 she moved to Melbourne where she studied oil painting under Paul McDonald Smith and watercolours with Leo De Silva. While there she established diverse adult art and craft classes including screen printing, silk painting, textile design and emu egg carving.  Dorothy-Anne also initiated a ‘Go Green’ Australia Day outdoor art exhibition of murals created by the Atwood community and collated four annual art exhibitions for Essendon City Council.  She also personally exhibited paintings, as well as hand-painted silk clothing and mohair garments during her time in Australia.

Working with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Textiles, Dorothy-Anne worked on art projects with Aboriginal students and has used her experiences to publish Carving, Painting and Cooking with Emu and Ostrich Eggs. 

Dorothy-Anne has travelled to Europe on several occasions to paint in oils and watercolours.   Now back in the Bay of Plenty she is currently the manager of Opotiki Museum and paints in her spare time at her Ohiwa Harbour Studio.