Biography

Tucked in behind a fantastic variety of artistic treatments and styles is an observant and humorous artistic mind.

Self taught Canberra artist Gemma Porteous draws on religious iconography, a rural New South Wales upbringing and artistic influences such as Rosalie Gascoigne, to create her extraordinary intoxicating art works.

In Canberra, often surrounded by soft, safe water colours and ordinary framed reproduction prints, Gemma fights to create the antithesis of these. Creating sometimes large simplified works, maximising impact, and taking a subtle little dig at the safety of convention.

She likes to lace her portraits, whether human or animal, with a touch of humour or the unexpected. Her landscapes of far western NSW and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia have sharp graphic influences with at times unconventional use of 2 D colour or coarse brushstrokes.
In yet another twist of style she creates wonderfully exquisite button mosaics on canvas and sculptural pieces.

Neither precious nor precocious about her art – seeking to simply enjoy the process and create works that others may enjoy she tries not to contain herself to rules. Creative fluidity allows her to change subject matter and styles with ease and to ultimately create a collection of works that excite with variety not bore.