HEIDI YARDLEY FINALIST IN 2026 JOHN LESLIE ART PRIZE AT GIPPSLAND ART GALLERY

Heidi Yardley is a finalist in the 2026 John Leslie Art Prize at Gippsland Art Gallery with her painting ‘Dark Wood, Dark Water’.

One of Australia’s most prestigious prizes for landscape painting, the John Leslie Art Prize consistently attracts the highest calibre of artists from all corners of Australia. Named after the Gallery’s Patron John Leslie OBE (1919–2016), the continuation of this highly sought acquisitive prize is made possible through the generous ongoing support of the Gippsland Art Gallery Foundation.

The exhibition of finalists runs from 5 September until 22 November. Judges for the 2026 John Leslie Art Prize are Louise Tegart, Director of the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Simon Gregg, Director of Gippsland Art Gallery and Louisa Waters, Curator of Gippsland Art Gallery.

Image:
Heidi Yardley
Dark wood, dark water
2026
Oil on linen
86 x 71 cm