GEMMA SWAN
I have lived in Cornwall for over 20 years, living towards Lands End. My potter husband and I have our business and my studio on the north coast of Penwith, Pendeen Pottery, which lies about 10 miles from St.Ives towards St.Just. This north coast road is one of the nicest drives in the whole area having stone outcrops, cliffs, old farms and ancient settled land, back before living memory.
I love to paint flowers and have painted botanical works, though I don’t feel this is my natural way to paint. I love still-life, too, and am fascinated by the light and form that I can explore through this. I paint in watercolour, acrylic and oil, though for still-life I tend to prefer acrylic, so I can build the images in thin layers which feels more like sculpture, the forms emerging into 3 dimensions.
CV
Born in Cambridge in 1956
Grew up in Scotland going to school in St.Andrews.
B.A.(Hons) Fine Art (Painting) – Newcastle Polytechnic 1978 – 81.
Exhibited still-life paintings extensively in and around Cambridge.
Member, for over 20 years, of Cambridge Drawing Society.
Member of the Society of Floral Painters since 1998.
Botanical Paintings – since 1998 shown at R.H.S. Shows –
- ‘Characteristic Plants of Tresco Abbey Gardens’ silver-gilt medal 2001
- ‘Old Cornish Apple Varieties’ – silver-gilt medal 2006. These paintings were also exhibited at Trelissick Gardens Gallery after the Cornish Apple weekend in September 2006
Exhibited with the Society of Botanical Painters, in London, several times.
Teaching Botanical Painting at Penzance Art School from September 2005 – 2010.
With potter husband John Swan, took on their own pottery and gallery in June 2006 – Pendeen Pottery and Gallery, in Cornwall. With Gemma’s artistic skills and John’s pottery they have combined their talents to create distinctive, lively and richly coloured earthen ware pottery, hoping that it will be used and enjoyed by all who buy it.
Lately Gemma has returned to her painting, the still-life and flowers, that she loves bes