Grace Gardner commands considerable respect in the art community both as an artist and collector. She was five when her first experiments in abstraction were begun and her life has been devoted to abstract art ever since. She has been exhibiting constantly since 1966 and came to Cornwall from Chicago in 1984. During that time she has never stood still, exploring with great energy new ideas and new ways of doing things. Her paintings are usually painted in series, the most famous being the grid series, which was inspired by her painting a quilt while recovering from illness in bed. In 2004 Grace donated an important collection to Falmouth Art Gallery.