Kylie Dunstan was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales in 1972, and completed secondary and tertiary (Bachelor of Visual Arts) schooling in Adelaide. She worked for a number of years in commercial art galleries before her twelve-month stint in Gunbalanya (Oenpelli), Arnhem Land. She also spent three years in Hanoi, Vietnam with her husband and two daughters before returning to Australia and settling in Melbourne where she worked for Museums Australia. In 2004 Kylie received an ASA mentorship and worked with author and illustrator Sally Rippin on the development of Collecting Colour.