Danielle Hatherley

Born in Albury, Australia, Danielle Hatherley spent her childhood in Sydney, growing to love the city’s spectacular harbour and beaches.  In her early twenties, after studying fine art and fashion design, she found her passion in landscape painting, inspired by the works of Impressionists Monet and Van Gogh, and her mentor, Australian artist Ted Blackall. ‘’Once I started to paint outdoors and experience how alive it made me feel,’’ she recalls, ‘’I couldn’t do anything else.’’

​

Throughout her twenties, Hatherley attracted loyal patrons as she won awards and exhibited in group and solo shows.  Her vibrant landscapes inspired a series of quality greeting cards featuring scenes of Sydney, and attracted corporate commissions that included several luxury hotels.  Hatherley founded and operated 'The Plein Air Painting School', taking students on weekly outdoor painting sessions.

As Hatherley matured as an artist, she became mesmerised by the play between sunlight and shadow. “Into my thirties, things started getting clearer,’’ Hatherley explains; ‘’a beautiful beach or harbor scene just wasn't enough anymore. The only scene of interest to me was backlit - and I came to realise that it didn't matter where it was. My simple suburban street suddenly took on a glorious state as the dusk light pushed between a shed and a tree."
Hatherley’s most recent works are the product of a passionate exploration of light. The vivid beach and harbor scenes have been replaced by a depth and clarity of direction that only a driven artist can bring to fruition. ’It's only about light versus dark now, so I’ve had to simplify my scenes,’’ she says. ‘’I can’t afford the distraction of my beloved color, so my palette has been dramatically reduced to concentrate on light and tone. Miles Davis once said that, in order to progress as an artist, he had to stop playing the ballads that he so loved. I know what he meant."

Hatherley now paints from her studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her works are held in private and corporate collections in Australia, Bermuda, England, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United States.

Natasha Bita, journalist, The Australian Newspaper​