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Gracie - nearly 105

FACE UNframed exhibition

I submitted this work to the FACE UNframed exhibition (August 2020) at the Belconnen Arts Centre, Canberra. The exhibition called for artists around Australia to respond to the idea of the face; to celebrate the people who excite, inspire, challenge and provoke us to action.

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My portrait features grandmother in-law, Gracie. Here, she sits in a familiar pose wearing one of her signature skivvies; she looks like she's holding court. At the time I drew her, she was a few weeks shy of her 105th birthday. The three core words left in her vocabulary - 'OK', 'Right', 'Beautiful' - epitomise her positive outlook on life. I have no doubt that this attitude underpinned her longevity. 

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Gracie enjoyed a long life filled with friends, family and fun, fun, fun. She was the matriarch of the Lloyd family. She ruled with fierce love, loyalty, optimism and flare. 

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While Gracie made it to her 105th birthday, a 106th celebration eluded her. Grace Kathleen Clarke, 16 April 1915 - 5 September 2020.

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