“I am fascinated with faces and people and often find myself staring at interesting faces and people as they pass by. I can’t help myself. I also love the extensions of people – our creations that make a statement about who we are as a society. It can be a building, a floating piece of plastic or a hole in the ground.”

Jaq Grantford is an ARC Associate Living Artist (Arc Renewal Centre) based in Australia and specialises in fine art and portraiture.

She has participated in numerous exhibitions, winning the 2022 Darling Portrait Prize (National Portrait Gallery of Australia) for her self portrait '2020' and the 2023 Archibald Prize People’s Choice award for her painting 'Through the Window'.

Her work is held in the MEAM Museum (European Museum of Modern art), the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and many other collections.

She has had a love of art for all her life and a particular fascination with portraits and personalities.

(She also loves cats.)

SELECTED GRANTS AND AWARDS

2023 Winner Archibald Prize People’s Choice

2022 Winner Darling Portrait Prize

2022 Best in Show, American Art Awards

2021 Portrait, ‘Sisters’ acquired by the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) Barcelona Spain

2021 Winning place in portrait Society of America Member’s Competition

2021 Part of Luna Codex with work going up in a time capsule to the moon www. Lunarcodex.com

2021 Work part of first ever auction of Contemporary Realism at Sotheby’s NY

2021 Selected for Women Painting, European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) Barcelona Spain

2021 Selected for ARC Salon, Sotheby’s NY, and European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM)

2021 Finalist Mod Portrait Prize, European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) Barcelona Spain

2021 Highly Commended SBS Portrait Prize

2020 Finalist Portrait Society of America International Members Competition

2020 ARC Salon Finalist – Runner Up Best Nude

2020 Finalist Clayton Utz Award

2020 Finalist Brisbane Portrait Prize

2020 ARC Associate Living Artist status, Art Renewal Centre

2019 Winner Kennedy Art Prize

2019 Finalist 5th International Figure Painting Competition, New York

2019 Finalist Arc Salon International Art Prize, Art Renewal Centre

2018 Finalist Mod Portrait Prize Spain, MEAM European Museum of Modern Art

2018 Finalist Arc Salon International Art Prize, Art Renewal Centre

2018 Winner Best in Show, Gateway International Painting Competition

2018 Finalist Gateway International Painting Competition, February

2018 Finalist Gateway International Painting Competition, April

2018 Winner People’s Choice Black Swan Portrait Prize, Art Gallery Western Australia

2018 Winner 8th place, Portrait Society of America, International Members Prize

2017 Winner Hidden Faces People’s Choice

2017 Winner 3rd place, Portrait Society of America, International Members Prize

2017 Finalist Fomenar Art Prize, Rome, Italy

2017 Finalist Portia Geach Portrait Prize

2017 Semi-finalist Doug Moran Portrait Prize

2016 Finalist Hornsby Art Prize

2016 Winner Melbourne in Cliftons Art Prize

2016 Semi-finalist Doug Moran Portrait Prize

2016 Park Art Fair International, Germany, Honourable Mention

2016 Winner People’s Choice Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize

2015 Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize

2015 Winner Master of Art International exhibition, Architecture Award, London

2015 Scholarship to attend International Portrait Conference with Portrait Society of America

2015 Certificate of Excellence Artavita International Art Prize

2014 Finalist Toyota Community Spirit Gallery Sculpture Prize

2014 Winner People’s Choice Black Swan Heritage Prize, Perth

2014 The Archibald Salon de Refuses

2014 Third Place, International Artist Magazine, Landscape Prize

2014 Semi-finalist Doug Moran Portrait Prize

2014 Support Stipend, Can Serrat residency, Spain

2014 Finalist Shirley Hannon Portrait Prize for realism

2014 Semi-finalist in Arte Laguna Prize in Venice

2014 Certificate of Excellence in the Portrait Society of America open international competition

2013 Winner People’s Choice Lester Portrait Prize – portrait of Jacki Weaver

2013 Highly Commended Black Swan Heritage Prize

2013 Finalist Surrealism prize, Mortimore Art Prize

2013 Australian Guild of Realist Artists, Winner of the Presidents Challenge

2013 S.H. Ervin Gallery, Salon de Refuse with portrait of Jacki Weaver

2012 Winner Surrealism prize, Mortimore Art Prize

2012 Finalist, Black Swan Portrait Prize

2012 Finalist, Portia Geach Portrait Prize

2012 Finalist, Cricket Art Prize

2012 Finalist, Waverley Art Prize

2012 Finalist, Xstrata Percival Portrait Award

2011 Semi-finalist, Charlatan Ink Art Prize in New York. 100 chosen internationally

2011 Finalist, Corangamarah Art Prize

2011 Finalist, Black Swan Portrait Prize

2011 Finalist, Mortimore Art Prize

2010 Finalist, Waverley Art Prize

2009 Finalist Black Swan Portrait Prize with portrait of Jonathon Welch

2009 Finalist in the ANL Mariners Art Prize

2008 Finalist, Black Swan Portrait Prize with portrait of Paul Mercurio

2008 Winner of the ‘Hidden Faces of the Archibald’ exhibition – portrait of Paul Mercurio


SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020 Awarded TransCultural Exchange Art Residency Portugal. Cancelled due to COVID 19

2019 ‘People’, The Button Factory, Victoria

2015 ‘Eclectic Synergy, G3 Artspace, Parkdale

2012 ‘A Show of Hands’, Chapel off Chapel, Prahran, VIC

2010 ‘Nancy Bentleigh’, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek, VIC

2008 ‘A True Person’, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek, VIC

2005 Children’s illustrations, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek

2004 ‘Shoes News’, Dromkeen Museum of Children’s Literature, Riddell’s Creek, VIC

2003 ‘Various Faerious’, Chisholm Institute, Dandenong, VIC


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2021 Women Painting, European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) Barcelona Spain

2021 ARC Salon, Sotheby’s NY, and European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM)

2021 Women Painting Women, Burrinja Cultural Centre

2016 Women Painting Women, Burrinja Cultural Centre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Painting_Women

2015 Outstanding Women Artists, Media House Gallery

2014 Can Serrat artists, El Bruc, Spain

2007 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava Slovakia

2007 Ilustrarte Biennial International Exhibition of Children’s book Illustration Portugal

2007 Warnabool Art Gallery

2004 Frankston International Music Festival

2004 Warnabool Art Gallery

2003 Wyreena Community Arts Centre Exhibition

RESIDENCIES AWARDED:

Can Serrat, Spain, 2014

Nes Residency, Iceland, 2019


PUBLISHED WORK

SELECTED WORKS AS AN ILLUSTRATOR AND AUTHOR

The Hush Treasure Book – picture book published by Allen and Unwin
Simply Drawing – book and DVD demonstrating drawing techniques
Shoes News – Listed in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge and the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge.
Various Faerious – Allbooks Editor’s Choice Award 2003
Nancy Bentley – picture book written by Tracey Hawkins, shortlisted Speech Pathology Awards
Molly’s Memory Jar – picture book written by Norma Spalding, recommended book Family therapists Award
A True Person – one of the 250 outstanding new international books for children and young adults that have been selected for The White Ravens 2008, one of the recommended books with the Family therapists Award.
Squeezy Cuddle Dangly Legs – Recommended book with the Family therapists Award, translated into 8 dialects for the African market.
Pemberthy Bear – listed in the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge.
Wishes For One more Day – Children’s Literature’s Recommended Books for Grandparents’ Day September 2006, NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Artists Magazine, May 2022
The Guide Artists, Feb 2022, cover and feature
Fine Art Connoisseur, Nov 2020
Through the Artists’ Eyes, A History of the Black Swan Prize, 2019
Art Renewal Center, International Realism
International Artist, Feature, Master Artists of the World, Issue 113 Pg 94 to 97
American Art Collector, January 2015, pg 125
International Artist, Edition 97, pg 7
Artist’s Palette, Edition 112, cover and pg 20 to 28
The Art of the Portrait, Issue 60, pg 15
American Art Collector, Issue 106, pg 83
Black Swan Heritage and Portrait Prize, 2013, featured in catalogue and image used on the front of a bus
3 x 3 Illustration Directory, pg 250

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) Barcelona Spain
Kennedy Arts Foundation, South Australia
National Gallery of Victoria, Australia
Can Serrat, Spain
Cliftons, Melbourne, Australia
Dromkeen Museum Children’s Literature Trust Collection, Victoria, Australia