J Nicole Vertuel

Nicole was born in France and lived in Paris until the age of five, when she emigrated to Belgium and remained there for twenty three years. After schooling, she did her apprenticeship with the best French catering business. In l970 with her husband and children, she emigrated to Adelaide, where she owned a restaurant, as well as a catering business. After 12 years, the family decided to travel Australia and eventually settled on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in 1982, where she worked in various restaurants: Misty's, Clio's, as well as teaching cookery at Nambour and Mooloolaba T.A.F.E. for 16 years. Whilst she realised at High School she had a talent for drawing, she was unable to pursue this because of family and work commitments, until they moved to Flaxton in 1994. Nicole is a founder member of BLACKALL RANGE VISUAL ARTISTS and works in pastel, oil, acrylic and charcoal mediums. She enjoys painting buildings, lavender fields, portraits in pastel, still life, flowers and becomes totally absorbed when working. She is self-taught, but has attended a number of workshops with the group, is eager to face new challenges and quotes the great Picasso: I am always doing what I cannot do, in order to do it.