First awarded in 1965, The Portia Geach Memorial Award was established by Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister, artist Portia Geach. As per the direction of the will, the Award is annually presented to an Australian female artist for the best portrait painted from life of a man or woman distinguished in art, letters or the sciences. Geach was widely acclaimed as a leading artist and was a frequent commentator in the national media – making her an iconic figure in the Australian arts community. The Portia Geach Memorial Award is awarded by The Trust Company as trustee, to the entry with the highest artistic merit.

Winner

Painter Prudence Flint has been named the winner of the 2010 Portia Geach Memorial Award for her work Scrambled egg. The award is open to female Australian artists and is restricted to portraits.

Flint’s painting depicts a woman beating eggs, with broken eggshells scattered across the kitchen table around her. She notes: “In this painting I wanted to capture the intimate act of transforming one thing into another.”

Pictured: PRUDENCE FLINT Scrambled egg 2010 (detail) oil on canvas 127 x 102cm

People’s Choice 

The People’s Choice for 2010 was awarded to Danelle Bergstrom, Independent Spirit (pictured left), a portrait of artist Ann Thomson. 

This is the fourth time Bergstrom has won the People’s Choice prize at the Portia Geach Memorial Award, with previous wins for portraits of Nancy Borlase (2006), Inspector Michael Hobbs (2005) and composer Peter Sculthorpe (2009).

Finalists

Joy Beardmore, Mitch and Ted Ted May

Melissa Beowulf, If all else fails…! Michael Kempson

Melissa Beowulf, The Sleek Geek Adam Spencer

Danelle Bergstrom, Independent Spirit Ann Thomson

Joanna Braithwaite,Canine Council – Self Portrait with Dogs in Art, Self Portrait

Rachael Brook, The Gent and the Unicorn, Michael Zavros

Filippa Buttitta, Eyeing a Greener Future

Lee Rhiannon Ann Cape

Grace Costanza with her Mother, Vera Grace Costanza and her Mother, Vera

Sophie Cape, Betrayal, Self Portrait

Leeanne Crisp, Portrait of Andrew Sayers, Andrew Sayers

Sinead Davies, Swah Swah (Sarah Shrapnel Designer)

Bridget Dolan, Time & Plays, Self Portrait

Prudence Flint, Scrambled Egg, Self Portrait

Judy Fullerton, The Lady Babushka, Irene Miller

Jessica Geron, Max and Me, Self Portrait with Son

Sophie Hann, In My Studio, Self Portrait

Juliet Holmes á Court, Yours in Paint, Self Portrait

Laura Jones, Ben’s Chair, Benjamin Storrier

Deborah Kay, Off the Field, Beau Champion

Joanna Kitas, And This Too Shall Pass, Self Portrait

Judy Lane, Joseph Corkhill at Garryowen, Joseph Corkhill

Rebecca Lavis, Me and Locky (Self portrait with Son), Self Portrait with Son

Nerissa Lea Hung, Self Portrait

Symone Male, No requests, Nicholas Hugh Naughton

Marie Mansfield Mrs A Anna Alison

Sue Marshall, Self = Portrait Self Portrait

Gabrielle Martin, Jenny Nestor Jenny Nestor

Bridgette McNab, Woman in a Red Dress, Self Portrait

Morna McIlraith, Roman Soprano, Rosella

Kerry McInnis, Sketch of Ann Thomson, Ann Thomson

Carolyn McKay, Nicholas Hope, Nicholas Hope

Lynn Miller, Brett Dean, Brett Dean Linda O’Toole,

Emma Pask – The Flapper, Emma Pask

Judith Power Thomson, All that Jazz, Don Burrows

Kate Rae, Alan Somerville – Artist Sculptor, Alan Somerville

Lesley Redgate, Jacky and the Red Shirt, Jacky Redgate

Marion Richards, Sonia Richards, Sonia Richards

Sally Robinson, Self portrait squared, Self Portrait

Sally Ross, Eliza, Eliza Hutchinson

Sally Ryan, Yaw Yaw, Glymin

Claire Stening, The Year 2009, Self Portrait

Jodi Stewart, Suzanne Chick with her painting “Gift from Diego”, Suzanne Chick

Pam Tippett, Self portrait (for a change), Self Portrait

Katherine Uren, Portrait of the Artist in Character, Self Portrait

Rosemary Valadon, Murder by the book, Tara Moss

Victoria Watts, Reading the Script – Jesse Spencer, Jesse Spencer

Maryanne Wick, Self Portrait in Studio, (After Hammershoi)Self Portrait

Frances Wiedersatz, What Next?, Self Portrait