Born in Australia, Jocelyn Ortt-Saeed was educated at Brisbane Girls' Grammar, and studied philosophy and German at the University of Queensland. She taught English and History at a girls' boarding school in Herberton, before travelling to Germany, Sri Lanka, Italy and Pakistan. She later moved to Western Pakistan after marrying a Pakistani man, with whom she had six children. Since the death of her eldest son from myeloid leukaemia, Ortt-Saeed has been coming more regularly to Australia, making her 'home' in Canberra where her daughter Maryam Ortt-Saeed lives.
(Adapted from Capital Online Artists website, http://www.cola.com.au/)