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I was born in Switzerland during the depression years and grew up during World War 2. Times were tough and the small material possessions we had were very precious.
As a child I was given a beautifully decorated doll’s tea-set which I treasured and later on, as a teenager, I came across a small vase hand painted in the Dresden Style. This piece of porcelain fascinated me so much and as I could not have it, I decided that I would learn, one day, to paint on porcelain. This started my interest in china painting. I would have liked to have made porcelain painting my profession, but Mother did not think it was a worthwhile occupation for me and on the other hand there was no opportunity to learn the trade where I was living at the time, so I became a private-Secretary.
However, I never stopped searching for someone to teach me how to paint on porcelain and by a stroke of luck I found Mme M. Maire. She was one of our school Teacher in Avenches who had been taught to paint on porcelain in the Nyon Style in Lausanne by one of the last artist who had worked in the Nyon Porcelain factory before it closed its doors in l813. She was conducting small evening classes on china painting and was happy to pass on the traditional way of painting in the Nyon Style. As I was rather young she warned me that this kind of painting required lots of practice, patience and determination to obtain the end result of perfection expected She was a very good and kind Teacher and expected perfection in the application of the colours and designs and it took me long hours of practice to master the brush strokes required to paint to her satisfaction . Even today, when painting in the Nyon Style this discipline is still standing.
In those early days only about a dozen different patterns and designs were available from the Museum in Geneva where a few pieces of porcelain painted in the Nyon style were displayed, but by 1950 I was very happy and proud to have painted my first Tea-Set in six different patterns of the Nyon style.
In March 1950 I married and migrated with my husband to Australia. I arrived in Melbourne with very little English but in my luggage were five dials of pigments—cornflower blue, soft green, black green, ochre and Dresden ruby , a jar of fat oil and a couple of small painting brushes. I was going to paint on porcelain in my country of adoption! But, very quickly, I had to change my priorities.
Everything was so new and different from where we had came from. We had to find work, lodging, learn a new language so we could communicate with the people around us and specifically adapt ourselves to our new Country’s way of life...
China painting in Melbourne in l955 was very much a ‘closed shop ‘. Not many people knew about this fine art and in desperation a friend wrote on my behalf to ‘Elisabeth’, a broadcaster on the then radio 3DB for a contact. I was given four addresses, including a Miss Burrows who was a renowned china painter living in Footscray. Miss Burrows fired some of my first china painting here in Melbourne and as I admired her style of painting, she told me to keep on painting my little blue flowers as I had been taught in Switzerland. I loved her soft look way of painting but again I had to get my priorities right and as we were new settlers soon to bring up a young family and I was also required to help in the development of our new business, there was no time left for china painting. But china painting was never far from my mind and I continued to buy pieces of porcelain…to be painted one day.
Twenty years later, again with the encouragement of friends, I found Moira Treacher who was just starting classes in china painting. I was in her second intake of pupils. A few years later I was able to gain a place in Lorraine Hanson’s classes. Then I learnt from Patsy Meldrum for eight years, where I had been applying myself to master those glorious roses and then eight years with Ursula Liebel, where I enjoyed painting in the traditional Dresden style. I have also attended many workshops and have been very fortunate to have been able to participate in so many talented teachers’ seminars. It has been really a lovely interest and hobby for me.
I belong to the Victorian Guild of China painters since 1972 and have been made an honorary member since 2011. I have also been accepted as a member of APAT since 1997 and was a member of the International Porcelain Artists and Teachers from 1995 until 2000.
I have given many demonstrations and workshops on how to paint in the Nyon style which dates back to 1781-1813.
I have been teaching, from my home, exclusively the Nyon Style since 1991.
Today, I love also painting and experimenting on porcelain using new and different products on offer. But my comfort zone is still painting in the Nyon style. Maybe this preference is because the delicate brush stroke technique of Nyon was the very first technique I learnt. When painting in the Nyon Style there are some basic rules to follow, but it can be very versatile thanks to the choice of all the modern shapes available who lend themselves beautifully to painting and decorating in a traditional way.