Burlington watercolour artist loves to share her passion

Michelle Nettleton has been painting almost her entire life.

Whether it’s still life, (teapots, glass etc.) landscapes, pets, florals or wildlife, her ability to precisely capture a moment is her signature.

Nettleton’s pet portraits have been one of her most popular, so much so that she sought to paint colourful toucans just so she could get out of the natural tone colours of the dogs and cats she paints.

Her watercolour paintings have helped to capture history and reward milestones, and have been given as family gifts for people to treasure for years. Looking at her accomplished portfolio it’s hard not to smile - it’s obvious she captures moments in time with skill and passion.

She paints every day; her studio is an upstairs bedroom in her east-Burlington home that’s got her paintings on walls throughout. She’s lived there 33 years with her husband Peter, whom she’s been married to for 40 years. It’s where she raised son Nathan and daughter Melissa, and where she’s been able to capture the area’s history with her paintbrushes.

She also teaches classes, and has been able to reach far and wide thanks to the internet. 

She said many times she gets together around the kitchen table with her three grandchildren to paint. 

“I have a binder of all the art my children have done,” she said. “I will teach anyone who wants to learn and I do that all the time.”

She said she taught an eight-week course at Forestview Community Church earlier this year and feels inspired when people learn new things.

“I interact with diverse communities,” she said. “I want the everyday average Joe to be able to learn.”

Nettleton’s sense of humour is contagious, and it’s likely one of the things that makes her such a successful teacher. In fact, many of her students go on to become friends. One such group gets together online regularly, and everyone works on their own thing.

“Painting can be very lonely and I’m very social, so we get along great.”

She calls her talent “capturing precious memories,” and encourages others to strive to do the same. 

History is important to her; she enjoys capturing today’s culture for future generations to enjoy and to preserve moments in time. Her goal throughout her life and her life choices has been to record memories, much like the work of Norman Rockwell from the 1950s, she said. 

Her depiction of Burloak Waterfront Park, for instance, conveys a scene that transcends viewers to the same spot, perhaps rekindling a time when they spent their own quiet moments there.

The same applies to Bronte’s Spruce Lane Farmhouse.

Her depiction of a special spot in Spencer Smith Park where a couple met regularly is another of these. Titled The Coffee Bench, it’s simple but elegant and attention to special details made it a joy for the recipients to recall their weekly coffee date.

“Every painting tells a story,” she said. “We want to celebrate and preserve special occasions by highlighting intimate everyday occurrences.”

Originally, Nettleton painted in oils, but she developed an allergy and learned watercolour instead. She prefers it now, especially since it opens a world of possibilities for where you can actually paint – she’s carried portable supplies onto a plane, for example.

She believes she inherited some of her talent from her parents, who were creative: her dad was a woodworker, while her mom was always making something on her sewing machine, including Barbie doll clothes.

The enthusiasm she brings to her pet portraits has made them a huge success. Pre-pandemic, she was doing hundreds of them each year. It’s easy to see why – looking at her astounding paintings is like looking into the animal’s soul - the eyes are so expressive.

Some of her paintings are memorials to lost pets and give owners a chance to remember their special furry friends forever.

Nettleton’s Egyptian Queen Of Puppy perfectly captures her daughter’s dog Steak (her daughter shares her sense of humour since she’s a vegan), complete with hat and coat. She said her daughter loved it.

She's also donated many animal portraits to the Burlington Humane Society to auction off at fundraisers over the years.

Another was a gift she was commissioned to paint from children for the 50th wedding anniversary of their parents. It captures a home the father had built himself, along with his beloved Bentley classic car.

“I listen to people’s stories and I try to depict them,” she said. “I create a piece that can be shared with family and friends.”

Other momentous occasions she’s had the pleasure of painting are anniversaries and an couple expecting their first child.

In the latter case, she was commissioned by a sister to paint Goldie, her sibling’s dog, which she then hung in the nursery.

She captured the fire station in Toronto when a man got promoted to fire chief at Station 132.

Other paintings are based on a Burlington photographer’s works. Ginette Kew’s photos of a fox (Silent Steps) and a chipmunk (Chippy) are exquisite.

“My job, as an artist, is to listen to people’s stories and depict them via a watercolour painting,” she said. “The goal is to create ‘touchstones’. And the touchstones (paintings) elicit sweet memories so folks can reminisce and share their memories with family and friends.”

She displayed her paintings last year during Art Walk 2022 at Burloak Waterfront Park and she will be there again this year on Aug. 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Though you can’t sell your paintings at this event, it’s a chance for her to teach others about watercolour work.

She’s also a regular at the Elizabeth Gardens Spring Artisan Market at St. Elizabeth’s Church.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in from the University of Windsor and holds a Bachelor of Education from Redeemer, though she didn’t start formally teaching until she was 50. She taught art and French for the Halton District School Board as well as Meadow Green Academy in Mississauga. She also home-schooled her own children for three years. She has also been an instructor at the Burlington Art Centre and The Artist Gallery.

Age doesn’t stop her, and even now, at 70, she loves to teach. She calls watercolour painting easy and she showed a photo of a group who took her classes and each one of the dozen was able to accurately paint a bunch of oranges.

At one time, she was the manager of Tandy Leather in Windsor where she created and painted animal portraits which were hand-carved on leather. A leather Bible cover she made through leather tooling shows the degree of her artistic talent.

For many years she taught cartooning to children and adults. As an illustrator, she wrote and illustrated for newspapers as well as magazines. 

JOY, written and illustrated by Nettleton, is her first self-published book. It features cats, dogs, ducklings, birds and perfectly captures what it means to be joyful.

Her commissioned paintings have found homes across North America and several other countries.

These days, she paints for around two hours at a stretch, although she said it would be easy to paint longer, she gets so focused. But the aches and pains of aging catch up, so she tries to limit her working time.

Visit Nettleton's website  to learn more.