The Artistic Journey of Phyl Waterhouse
Born in Australia, Phyl Waterhouse developed an early interest in drawing that intensified during a period of chronic illness in her childhood. Her formal training began with watercolour classes at the Eastern Market in Melbourne. She later spent seven years studying at the National Gallery Victoria art schools under William B. McInnes and Charles Wheeler. During these formative years, she was part of a vibrant student community that included Sidney Nolan and Joy Hester. Despite the financial hardships of the Depression era, Waterhouse demonstrated a remarkable persistence in her practice, a determination she attributed to her time under the guidance of Bernard Hall.
Waterhouse's career included significant periods of travel and professional engagement. While her partner, Charles Bush, received a British Council grant to work in London, Italy, France, and Spain, Waterhouse supported their livelihood through various roles, including working as a telephonist, a chauffeur, and a night-shift switchboard operator for a radio station. In 1962, she co-founded the Leveson Street Gallery in North Melbourne, which later became the Leveson Gallery in Carlton. She remained active in the art community, managing the gallery and exhibiting her work extensively through the 1980s.
Style and Subject Matter
Waterhouse described herself as a realist, though her work was often associated with a modulated post-impressionism. Her practice focused on lyrical depictions of buildings, trees, and people, with a particular talent for portraiture. While she occasionally attempted abstraction, she preferred working from sketches, colour notes, and impressions gathered from her subjects rather than working strictly en plein air. In her portraiture, she sought to capture a subject's personality and achieve a good painting through a sufficient likeness, often working from a model in her studio to refine her impressions.
Her notable achievements and recognition include:
