Artist Bio

Jonathan Comerford was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1961.  He attended the Frank Joubert Art Centre for 5 years and in 1985 graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art, majoring in printmaking and drawing, from the Ruth Prowse School of Art. Comerford spent two years living and working in Scotland, working at Peacock Printmaking Studio and Cyrenian Art Centre, in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 1988, he returned to South Africa, and set up Hard Ground Printmakers Workshop, an independent printmaking studio.

He was the Chairperson of SAA Arts, Western Cape, South Africa, in 1991 and has been greatly involved in curating exhibitions such as the exhibition of Printmaking, University of Stellenbosch Art Gallery; an exhibition of Relief Prints - S.A. in Black and White, for the British Council and he curated an exhibition of S.A. Printmaking in 1994 for the Brighton Festival, U.K. He has organized and run many educational printmaking workshops in Cape Town and has participated in the University of Cape Town’s Summer School programme. He has held numerous solo exhibitions of his works and has participated in several group exhibitions, both locally and abroad.

Jonathan Comerford has participated in curated Print Biennales and international exhibitions such as Third International Print Biennial, R.O. China (1987),  International Graphic Exposition, Nice, France (awarded a Diplome D'Honneur), Critical Impressions, Florida State University, USA, Deuxieme Triennale Mondiale d'Estampes, France and an Exhibition of South African Art, Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami.

His work is represented in major various public and Corporate Collections in South Africa, and in International Collections such as Scotland and the Seattle Print Museum, USA, and the Peacock Printmakers' Print Collection, to name a few.

He was the 1994 recipient of the prestigious, Volkskas L’Atelier Award, and spent six months working at the Cite International des Arts, in Paris. In addition, he has initiated exchange programmes with other International Print workshops, and has an ongoing exchange programme with the Grafische Werkstatt im Traklhaus, Salzburg, Austria.

Jonathan Comerford has been involved in a number of portfolio projects dealing with Human Rights and Aids issues. He was part of the Aids portfolio in 1999 called `Paper prayers`, and he has published a portfolio of silkscreens with 14 local artists in Cape Town to highlight Aids awareness amongst professional artists.