Pat Lowe grew up in post-war England, but from an early age planned to migrate to Australia, which she did in 1972, after three years teaching in East Africa and then qualifying as a psychologist. After gaining a Master's degree trom the University of Western Australia, Lowe worked at Fremantle Prison, later moving to Broome. Here she met Aboriginal artist Jimmy Pike, who had grown up in the Great Sandy Desert. In 1986 Lowe joined Pike at his camp in the sandhills. The pair spent the next three years in the desert, hunting and exploring Pike's ancestral country. While Pike painted, Lowe wrote her first book, based on her experiences with Pike, who supplied many of its illustrations.
