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Gemma Climpson
Gemma Climpson is an artist from Essex who paints tropical seascape scenes. She studied Fine Art both at school and college but describes herself as primarily self-taught.
Gemma's inspiration comes from her travels to the Maldives and Mauritius. She describes her visits to the Maldives as 'life changing'. She says of this "I was so completely taken aback by the beautiful, tranquil surroundings and different way of life. I was captivated by the luminous greens and turquoise blues of tropical oceans, contrasted against unspoilt, white-washed beaches. The colours continue to be my ongoing inspiration in my work.
Gemma describes her style as 'Escapist' and believes strongly in imagery, which is a way of training your mind to 'escape' stressful situations by looking at places or scenes you remember as tranquil, happy or beautiful. Gemma says, 'The point of my work is to express solitude and beauty. My paintings have a resonance with the idea of imagery. I hope people are able to lose themselves in my work and find peace, happiness and contentment."
Gemma belongs to an art collective - Art4Essex - with which she regularly exhibits. She has a permanent exhibition of work at The Freight House in Rochford Essex and also exhibits several times a year at the Essex Art & Design Show.
Most recently Gemma has been asked to exhibit her work at the National Gallery of the Maldives in late 2008/early 2009. She has been offered a 6 week international residency to work alongside Moldavian students and artists.