In Memory of Steven “Paddo” Patterson
It is with a very heavy heart that I share the passing of Steven “Paddo” Patterson; a remarkable man, a quiet giant of the Australian Art community, and someone who meant a great deal to me personally and to the Launceston Art Centre.
Steve was the owner and master colour maker behind Derivan Matisse, Australia’s most successful and respected paint manufacturer. For more than two decades, Steve and Derivan supported my family business and the Tasmanian arts community with unwavering generosity. That support spanned generations.
Through thousands of experiments, Steve developed groundbreaking, non-toxic and sustainable materials that fundamentally changed how artists work, learn, and experiment in Australia and beyond. His innovations helped make printmaking and painting safer and more accessible, from water-based relief inks for education to non-toxic screen printing systems and environmentally responsible cleaning solutions. Among his many achievements was the development of Yin Min Blue, the first new blue pigment discovered in nearly 200 years.
Beyond his scientific and technical contributions, Steve was also an accomplished artist in his own right, with a sustained exhibition practice spanning from 1999 through to the present. His final exhibition, Origins, held in 2024.
My father founded the Launceston Art Centre in 2000, and I took over the business around four years ago after he passed away. Long before that, Dad had built a relationship with Steve in the early 2000s. Together they spent many days travelling across Tasmania, introducing and championing Derivan products to artists across the state. Over the last year, Steve fondly shared those stories with me, stories of long drives, conversations about paint, art, and community, and a shared belief in supporting artists at every level… and maybe a few beers! Those stories now mean more to me than I can express.
Steve and I developed our own relationship in the last few years, after he reached out to me when I took over the business. Upon our first meeting in Sydney, he likened my passion and fire I had for the Launceston Art Centre to his own passion for the arts and Derivan and after this we started collaborating on ideas together. Sharing different projects we were working own and giving each other feedback and ideas, during this time Steve became somewhat of a mentor to me and even brought me in to work on ideas and new products for Derivan themselves. Somewhere along the way here, the “Launceston Light Violet” paint came to life, something that just would have never happened without Steve.
Steve was one of the most generous people I’ve ever met, generous with the things that really mean the most and are our most valuable asset. He was generous with his time, his knowledge, his experience, his wisdom and his perspectives. He passed all of this onto me alongside his deep passion for what he did.
He was also always a great supporter of me personally, of my ability to be successful in business and in my own arts practice. More than support, it was belief. Steve truly believed in me, and that meant the absolute world to me.
I was constantly trying to be a sponge whenever we would talk, absorbing everything he was willing to share. I was fortunate enough to travel to Sydney several times to work alongside Paddo, and those trips are memories I will always treasure. I am deeply saddened by the many projects we were working on that will now never come to light, the ideas, collaborations, and plans we had for the future and for the Tasmanian arts community.
Time spent with Steve was never just about work; it was about ideas, laughter, stories, and shared excitement for what could be created. His energy lifted the people around him, and his love for living fully is something I will always carry with me.
Above all else, he was an absolute lover of life. He was a joy to be around, warm, curious, endlessly enthusiastic, and deeply present. He loved music, he loved the arts, and he embraced everything life had to offer with an openness that was infectious. I genuinely believe everyone that met Steve, was a better person for having done so.
What the wider public may never fully realise is just how significant this loss is to the Australian arts community. Steve believed wholeheartedly in people. No one was ever competition to him. No one was the opposition. He wanted everyone to succeed, no matter their path.
I deeply mourn the loss of Paddo, the loss of the work we were going to create, the conversations we were yet to have, and the future he was helping to shape. My heart breaks for his family, his wife Justine and his children Isobel and Dave, and for all his extended family at Derivan.
A loss this great is incredibly hard to accept. I am simply so thankful for the time I had with Steve, for everything he taught me, and for everything he had done, taught, and shown me. His generosity, integrity, and passion will continue to ripple through the artists, makers, and communities he believed in so deeply.
Vale, Paddo.
You will be missed more than words can say.
Stefan
Read more about Paddo on his website below:https://www.paddoart.com/
