Jaq Grantford

Jaq Grantford specialises in fine art and portraiture. She has won numerous prizes, most notably the 2023 People’s Choice Award in the Archibald Prize with her portrait of Noni Hazlehurst, and the Darling Portrait Prize ( National Portrait Gallery of Australia) in 2022.

 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.

 Since she was a child, Jaq has been passionate about portraying the human form, and that love has persisted throughout her life. To capture the essence of a person is one of her greatest joys. She loves to tell stories through visual imagery: the influences, the environment, the cultural background, the joys and heartbreaks, and so much more. 

(She also loves cats.)

Throughout history, there have been so many unspoken societal demands where women have been expected to behave in a certain way, dress in a certain way, speak in a certain way…to be ‘ladylike’. This painting is a celebration of a woman’s right to speak her mind - to swear in a pretty dress if she wants to. There are serious double standards when it comes to what men can say and what women can say. I’ve had a couple of people on Instagram say that they are offended by this painting. If she was wearing jeans and a hoodie, would they have been so offended? If it was a man, would they? Possibly, but it’s less likely.