An ornamental education examines the relationship between the cultivation of flowers and botanicals, and the ways we seek to create a sense of home, place, and spiritual connection through both domestic and public gardens. The paintings and collaged works within this exhibition draw inspiration from the local landscape and examine the interweaving of botany, architecture, history, and culture of cultivated outdoor areas.  

With a special interest in the history of women artists’ interaction with flowers, botanicals and gardens, Nethercote’s work reflects directly on the unique ways women have approached this subject matter in their art practice. 

Susan Nethercote is a Ballarat-based painter. She graduated with honours in Fine Art at the University of Melbourne in 1998 where she then lectured and tutored. She has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions and her 2022 solo exhibition Autumnal Dreamscapes at the Old Butcher’s Shop Gallery in Ballarat was a sell-out success. She is commencing her MA in Visual Art at Federation University in 2024.