Collection: Jess Hayton

A versatile, self-taught Adelaide-based painter, Hayton moves fluidly between intuitive abstracts, richly textured seascapes, emotive still-lifes, and expressive realist portraiture—often of natural subjects. She is equally drawn to bold abstraction and intimate representation: her intuitive abstracts and sweeping seascapes channel the beauty of nature, while her realist portraits (often painted in oil) capture intricate detail and emotional resonance.

Finalist in the 2022 Kennedy Art Prize and recipient of a Merit Award from the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, Jess’s work—including Departure and The Last Sunset—reveals a profound engagement with nature’s beauty through painterly sensitivity. What anchors her practice is a boundless curiosity and range.