May Grigg self portrait

Mabel (May) Grigg was born at Hindmarsh in 1885, the daughter of music teacher Thomas Grigg and his wife Rachel, nee Worthley. May was one of a number of early women artists in Adelaide, who did much good work in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, but who today are largely overlooked.

May began her art studies at the South Australian School of Design under Harry Gill, and in 1904 became Hans Heysen's first art student. She followed her three years of study under Heysen with European travel, before returning to Adelaide and studying under Rose McPherson (Margaret Preston). May set up a flat and studio in the old YMCA building on the corner of Gawler Place and Grenfell Street, and following the death of her mother in 1913 she was joined here by her musician father and sister. She took students and exhibited her work with the Society of Arts. In 1921 May was inaugural winner of the Alexander Melrose prize for portraiture with a life size portrait of her father. The Mail wrote, "The artist has not endeavoured to impart inspiration into the canvas. It shows Mr Grigg just as his friends know him, and that, after all, is the high charm of portraiture." (Mail, 26 November 1921, p. 1) She won the award again the following year, with a portrait of the well known artist James Ashton.

From 1915 to 1930, May was a council member at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, and was later made a Fellow of the Society. In 1923 she joined the United Arts Club, and from 1923 to 1930 she was art teacher at Wilderness School at Medindie. May left Adelaide in 1930 to take up a senior teaching position at the Ballarat Art School. She remained at the school until 1946. This self-portrait dates from May's early years at the school. In her retirement she returned to Adelaide, where she died in 1969.

Although mostly known for her portraits, May Grigg also produced landscapes, and worked in a range of media including monotype and linocut prints, pastels, charcoal, china painting, clay modelling and pottery.

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