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