Nan Paterson was born at Mackay in central Queensland in 1923. She moved to Brisbane and boarded with an aunt while she studied at the Central Technical College, Brisbane. She furthered her studies at the National Gallery School, Melbourne 1941-46 under Sir William Dargie, Will Rowell, Charles Wheeler and Murray Griffin but her studies were interrupted by World War Two. Artists such as Clifton Pugh, Fred Williams and John Brack, who all went on later to achieve prominence, were fellow students. During the war years she worked with plastic surgeons at the Heidelberg Military Hospital. Later she studied privately in Sydney 1965-68 and Brisbane 1968-82.
Patterson married and went to live in Holland for several years where she absorbed the influence of masters of the Dutch School, particularly Vermeer and Rembrandt, before returning to Australia. She exhibited at the Royal Queensland Art Society 1971-85 as well a contributing to some of the local art prizes such as the HC Richards Prize (1965), the L.J. Harvey Prize for Drawing (1971) and the Redcliffe Art Contest where she later received a prize for portraiture in 1978.
She is highly regarded as a portrait painter in Queensland. As an artist Nan Patterson enjoys the richness of effect of the oil medium which was is illustrated in her series of religious paintings, 'Genesis’, which was shown at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane in 1983. A survey exhibition of her work, entitled 'Nan Paterson survey 2005’, was held in Brisbane.
Research Curator, Queensland Heritage, Queensland Art Gallery.
- Writers:
- Cooke, Glenn R.
- Date written:
- 2008
- Last updated:
- 2011
