Denise Nethercote

I’ve always loved to draw and paint and strive to create an image that appeals. I’m often drawn to a subject because of the play of light or perhaps there is a pattern that intrigues me, using colour boldly in some cases where the subject requires it. I feel it is part of the creative process to look at your surroundings with an artist’s eye, and it is not unusual for me to remark 'That would make a great painting!'

After a long break, I decided to have formal oil painting classes at the Victorian Artists Society in East Melbourne. I had an excellent beginning with Christine Wrest-Smith and then progressed to Tonal Impressionist classes with Ray Hewitt. More skills were refined with Paul McDonald-Smith. As a member of the Victorian Artists Society for over 10 years, I have enjoyed socializing and painting with many like-minded artists and travelling to Paint Out days and weekend painting trips. I feel it is important to paint outdoors as often as I can. It can be exciting to capture the moment and therefore I tend to paint quickly.
Other workshops and summer courses included Portraiture in Oils with Lee Machelak, an Oils Workshop in Modern Impressionism with Colley Whisson, and a Watercolour Workshop with Ted Dansey.

The Watercolour Society of Victoria invited artists to contribute work to the National Trust. The exhibition compiled by Wayne Degenhardt was on display at Como House in 2021 and a publication titled Small Wonders, The Collection of the Artworks from the Giant Miniature Art Exhibition contains my work as well as over 80 other artists. It was such a thrill to see these miniatures on display.