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Observatory Hill (The Rocks)

Portia Geach Memorial Award 2022

  • This event finished on 06 November 2022


16 September – 6 November

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 $30,000 non-acquisitive Portia Geach Memorial Award is given by Perpetual as trustee, to the entry with the highest artistic merit.

The winner of the 2022 Portia Geach Memorial Award is Lynn Savery for her painting Kindred spirits, a portrait of Eloise de Silva.

Highly Commended was Jenny Rodgerson for her painting Tangled- self portrait.

Tania Wursig was announced as the People’s Choice.

Finalists

MARGARET ACKLAND Self Portrait the year my mother died watercolour on paper 140 x 120 cm

SALLY ANDERSON Guido holding, folding, moulding  (Guy Maestri, artist) acrylic on polycotton  198 x 153 cm

MICHELLE BELGIORNO Juggling Act (self portrait) oil on linen 92 x 92 cm

JO BERTINI The way I see it  (self portrait)  oil on canvas on board 90 x 62 cm

CYNTHIA BREUSCH Self-Portrait acrylic on linen 122 x 121.5 cm

ASHLEE BUCHOLTZ  Comedy = Tragedy + Time  (Tim Ferguson, musician and performer) acrylic on canvas 121.9 x 101.6 cm

ANN CAPE My Friend Chick – portrait of Chick Gordon  oil on canvas  100cm x 80 cm

YVETTE COPPERSMITH Self-portrait, yellow ochre  oil on linen 61cm x 50.5 cm

DESIREE CROSSING  The Storyteller  (Wayne Nicholson, filmmaker and podcaster) oil on canvas  76 x 61 cm

DAGMAR CYRULLA Self portrait with yellow shirt  oil on canvas paper on board 40 x 35 cm

ANTHEA DA SILVA  Portia does Portia  (Portia Turbo, drag queen) oil & acrylic on board 30 cm diameter

SINEAD DAVIES Gareth, Jennifer & Olivia  with Mr Manchego (Garth Jolly, lawyer, Jennifer Jolly, home economist and Olivia Jolly, student)  oil on canvas 103 x 137 cm

YVONNE EAST The day I told my truth (self portrait)   oil on linen 102 x 77 cm

NICOLETTE EISDELL Campbell at home (Campbell Robertson-Swann, gallery owner) oil on mounted wood panel  46 x 61 cm

ESTHER ERLICH  Atong  (Atong Atem, artist) acrylic paint on canvas   153 x 107 cm

SOPHIE FRESHWATER  Curtin Call – Kerri Simpson (musician and singer)  oil on board  90 x 90 cm

TSERING HANNAFORD  Justice Kelly  (Patricia Kelly. President of South Australia Court of Appeal)  oil on Belgian linen  120 x 90 cm

JACQUELINE HENNESSY  The Judging (self portrait)  oil on linen  102 x 102 cm

MICHELLE HISCOCK  Sister of the Brush No. 1  (Stephanie Monteith, artist) oil  50 x 40 cm

SHANNON JOHNSON  Diane Larter looking at the cranes in Redfern  mixed media 60 x 80 cm

KIM LEUTWYLER  Hella Tender  oil on canvas  46 x 61 cm

BARBARA LICHA  Rosanna and Mimi (Rosanna Barbero, manager) acrylic 66 x 66 cm

KATHRIN LONGHURST  Naz  (Nazanin Bagheri, designer)  oil on linen 180 x 180 cm

ALISON MACKAY  Dear Ancestor (Andrew Barnum, singer-songwriter, educator and designer) oil on wood panel   50 x 37 cm

HELLIE MAHONY  Vignette  (self portrait) watercolour on Arches paper 38 x 38 cm

SYMONE MALE My Seeding Heart  (self portrait) oil on canvas 91 x 91 cm

MARIE MANSFIELD  Michael in the studio  (Michael Simms, artist) oil on board  60 x 50 cm

GABRIELLE MARTIN The Ecologist  (Dr Cassia Read, ecologist)  oil on linen 91.5 x 61 cm

FRANKIE MORGAN Pilgrim (self portrait) acrylic on paper   50 x 35 cm

VR MORRISON  Last Flight from Eden  (Corrine Lewis, artist) oil on canvas  102 x 76 cm

KIRSTY NEILSON  Judith – the modern woman (Judith Neilson, philanthropist) oil on polycotton 105 x 80 cm

ELIZABETH NELSON  Self-portrait  oil on board 50 x 50 cm

SUSAN O’DOHERTY Fiona Lowry with red cushion (Fiona Lowry, artist) acrylic on canvas 152 x 102 cm

SASSY PARK  Ebony and the angels (Ebony Russell, artist) unglazed ceramic 53 x 33 cm

LORI PENSINI  Nourish (self portrait)  oil on linen 120 x 150 cm

ROBYN RICH  Reflection – Self portrait  oil on copper Australian Penny, set into painted timber panel      20 x 20 cm

JENNY RODGERSON  Tangled – Self Portrait  oil on linen  62 x 72 cm

SUSAN ROTHWELL  Gaz  (Gary Rothwell, architect) oil on Belgian canvas  90 x 120 cm

SALLY RYAN  Natalie Tran (actress, writer and comedian)  oil on linen 53 x 50.4 cm

LYNN SAVERY  Kindred Spirits  (Eloise da Silva)  oil on linen 210 x 180 cm

KIRTHANA SELVARAJ  Ramesh and the Guardian  (Mario Ramesh Nithiyendran, artist)  oil on canvas  152.4 x 121.92 cm

WENDY SHARPE Self Portrait Vanitas (after Pereda)   oil on linen  122 x 152 cm

DEBORAH SINGLETON   Patsy Payne oil on canvas 66 x 54 cm

NICOLA SMITH  Julie Rrap with Cirrus, at Marta, Rushcutters Bay (Julie Rrap, artist) oil on Belgian linen  48 x 89 cm

KATE STEVENS  Witness (Dusty, Afghanistan, 2012) (Daryll ‘Dusty’ Miller, ex-SAS combat medic) oil on canvas  175 x 125 cm

LIZ STUTE  Bird in the hand, Fox in the bush (self portrait)   oil on cotton 121 x 91 cm

TRISH TAIT  Self portrait with Rosalba  oil on board  30 cm diameter

JILL TALBOT  Darren and Ray (Darren McDonald, artist) acrylic on birch ply  61 x 50 cm

ALEX THORBY  Besties (Eric Lobbecke and Vicki White, artists)  oil on board 32 x 26.5 cm

SEABASTION TOAST Big Fun (self portrait)   oil on canvas   76 x 61 cm

CARLA TUCKER  Reflection with homage to Dorrit Black (self-portrait)   oil on canvas 90 x 80 cm

DEBORAH WALKER  Writing I (Judith) (Judith Lucy, comedian)  oil on linen 51 x 65 cm

ANDREA WILSON  Nicola Pain (Nicola Pain, Justice of the NSW Land and Environment Court) oil on board            40 x 40 cm

TANIA WURSIG  Unnamed Midori Goto (mother, artist/sculptor and studio assistant) acrylic on cotton on canvas 185 x 100 cm

ZOE YOUNG  Frank Prihoda, The world’s longest living sportsman at Thredbo Intercontinental Resort  acrylic and oil on Belgian linen  90 x 120 cm

CAROLINE ZILINSKY  Words are Silverton (Fiona Lucas, comedian and front line worker) oil on linen  138 x 122 cm

ZUZA ZOCHOWSKI I protested today, Self portrait with still life 2021  oil on board 30 x 30 cm

MICHELLE ZUCCOLO  Dr Janet Davey, the Forensic Egyptologist with Thoth  oil on Italian canvas  70 x 80 cm