Nan Paterson - Art on Cairncross

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Nan Paterson
Painting - Oil, Sketch

Born: Mackay, Queensland 1923
Resides: Sunshine Coast

Artist Information
“The Gallery Art School at the time of my attendance, was essentially a school of portraiture and my interest in the human figure was firmly established, thus portraiture and genre became my mode of expression marrying the techniques of the old masters in application with a juxtaposition of colour of the Impressionist’s techniques.”

Nan Paterson is one of Queensland’s more senior and most talented artists. Her career began in earnest in 1941 with a sponsorship to the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne, where she studied under Will Rowell. Her studies were shelved as she served in the A.I.F. for the remainder of World War II. In 1946 she resumed her studies at the National Gallery Art School and was tutored by Charles Wheeler, M. Vaughan Griffin and William Dargie. In 1949 Nan moved to Holland with her new husband and baby and lived there for eight years, painting mostly in isolation whilst juggling the responsibilities of family life. “Living in Holland presented great opportunity to absorb paintings of the High Renaissance and Impressionists work and techniques. This was ultimately applied to my own work.” Returning to Australia initially to Victoria, she continued her artistic studies, but also contributed to the National Gallery Victoria building fund by drawing a large number of children’s portraits. Moving on to Sydney in 1962 she was associated with a gallery in Paddington, but now with three children still had to put family first. Seven years later and the move was to Brisbane where she set up a studio at Rainworth and began tutoring at the Royal Queensland Art Society in portraiture. During the 70’s Nan had many solo exhibitions and really re-emerged as an artist. Since 1989 Nan has resided near Maleny in the Blackall Ranges of Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Her work is hung in many private and public collections in Australia and overseas. In 1995 her portrait of Dr. Gertrude Langer was acquired by the National Library of Australia for hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and Nan’s portrait of author Kylie Tennant was acquired by them in 2006. Later that same year no less than two other Paterson portraits were acquired by the University of Queensland for their collection.

Finalist - Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2006