Having a truly talented and pioneering female artist take me under her wing and treat me as an equal was the greatest gift, and Susan continues to inspire me in so many ways.
Meet the Artist
Melanie Vugich
Growing up in the outback New South Wales town of Broken Hill gave me a deep love of nature that has always influenced my work.
I started drawing and painting from a young age and knew early on that I wanted to be an artist. This dream led me to Italy, where I fell in love with the Tuscan city of Florence and decided it was where I wanted to live. It became my home for 24 years.
In Florence I was introduced to the city’s dynamic community of artists and worked as a studio assistant to Susan Nevelson, who was the Creative Director of Italian fashion house Ken Scott and became an incredible friend and mentor.
Susan helped me to develop the skills to become a fabric designer, which enabled me to work with multiple fashion houses. She also encouraged me to paint daily, and we visited galleries all over Europe – this was when I started focusing on still life painting and started exhibiting.
When it was time to return to Australia, I chose the seaside suburb of Bronte as my base and promised myself I would swim and paint every day.
In the years since, I have been committed to painting full-time and sharing my passion for colour, composition and the small but meaningful everyday objects that surround us.