Gemma Climpson

To view more pictures by Gemma Climpson click here.

I am an artist from Rayleigh in Essex and love nothing more than to paint from my travels! I would describe myself as being self-taught in terms of the type of paintings and the media I use now. I did study both art and textiles at school and college and although I very much wanted to carry on at degree level, I decided at the time not to, preferring to go my own way. While I was at college I was truly inspired by the artist Georgia O’Keefe and her close-up studies of flowers. I was amazed by the scale of some of her works and had never experienced any kind of floral work looking so exciting to look at. I took this inspiration and created my own collection of close-up flower work, most of which are now sold. I have several pieces at home, which I still find as bold and eye-catching as ever. In 2005 my style of work really changed. I visited the Maldives for the first time and was truly mesmerised by the tranquillity and beauty of my surroundings. I had never been anywhere quite so special, so colourful and so silent and it really did change my outlook on life forever. From this point on I have been inspired to infuse a combination of vibrancy and stillness in everything I paint. Now I work mainly with acrylic as my medium and preferably the larger the canvas the better! I love to travel and create paintings from the places I have seen and experienced. And it is so much more enjoyable to recreate a memory and really lose myself in the setting! I aim to paint something that will brighten a room and radiate happiness - something that has someone walking in and saying 'wow!’ My paintings capture many memories from some of the fantastic places I have seen and experienced and I really do hope that they stir emotion in those that may or may not have also seen those places. I sell many tropical paintings to people who want to remember a special memory or place - and what happier memory is there than being on holiday without a care in the world! At the moment I focus on landscapes such as exotic paradises, skies and sunsets, particularly from the Maldives. I am really enjoying building up this collection and hope that my work really spreads some cheer into the life of anyone viewing it! I try to paint in a simplistic way but still with much depth on stepping back from the painting. I am off to Mauritius in November so plan to spend some time soaking up the atmosphere and hopefully produce some lovely pieces for my new collection on my return. I currently exhibit my work in a permanent exhibition at The Freight House in Rochford, Essex, where 9 pieces can be seen