Science educator & portrait artist
Janelle Hatherly is a professional educator and writer who, for more than a decade, has committed her energies to a career as an artist. Portraiture is her passion.
Janelle is an exhibiting member of the Royal Art Society NSW and regularly works from life at their premises in North Sydney.
Her first significant artistic achievement was to paint the portraits of the twelve Principals of Sancta Sophia College (spanning 90 years) at the University of Sydney. This challenging project took Janelle five years (2012-2017) and was only possible because of the supportive learning culture that is Sancta.
Janelle with her Sancta Sophia College principal portraits—Warm, wise, strong women—in the Sheldon Dining Hall at Sydney University.
Janelle has been honoured as a finalist in several art contests in Australia including the Ravenswood Art Prize in 2019 and the inaugural Brisbane Portrait Prize Salon des Refusés in 2020.
In 2021 Janelle’s portrait At Your Service was selected as a finalist in Brisbane Portrait Prize and she then received an Honorary Mention in the 2023 Kennedy Art Prize.
In 2022 Janelle won her first major art prize - the 2022 Dungog Archies.
Janelle and Sister Mary Shanahan OAM, former Sancta principal, at the Ravenswood Art Prize 2019 exhibition with Contemplating Mary—Janelle’s interpretation of Sister Mary’s private persona juxtaposed with her College portrait which portrays her compassion and intelligence.
Soul Whisperings and Lexie Smiles. Lexie teaches art and, like her daughter Simonne, is an accomplished classical ballet dancer. The striking physical resemblance between them in youth made Janelle feel as though she was portraying the same person – looking optimistically forward while reflecting on a glorious past.
Janelle was appointed the Portrait Society of America’s Ambassador for Australia/NZ in 2020 and is keen to build up a well-connected ‘PSoADownUnder’ network. The group meets regularly on Zoom and publishes a newsletter three times a year. She also writes and edits articles for their Cecilia Beaux Literary Committee.
Communicating the visual arts is also a feature of Galleries and Gardens, a program Janelle initiated in 2005 and broadcasts fortnightly for Radio for the Print Handicapped (2RPH). She was awarded life membership after twenty years of voluntary service to the station.
The majority of Janelle’s professional career was working as public programs manager in Sydney and Brisbane’s major museums and botanic gardens. Prior to that she was Head of Science at Kincoppal Rose Bay High School after teaching A and O level science in a historic London Tutorial College.
During this phase of her life, Janelle also authored and edited school textbooks, numerous museum publications and popular science literature.
A selection of publications written and conceived by Janelle. Making science concepts and natural history accessible to students, museum visitors and professionals was one of Janelle’s earliest passions.
Janelle is a champion of all forms of learning and loves creative environments where she can share learning opportunities with others.