Jean Nethercote (now Goldberg) first met Ola Cohn when she took a life class in Cohn's studio in the mid-50s. They became good friends. Nethercote went to Saturday afternoon classes at George Bell's studio from 1956 to 1959. She continued painting for ten years or so, but later found working with textiles more congenial. She entered the portrait of Cohn in the Archibald competition for 1961.