Today we’d like to introduce you to Gemma Lessinger

Hi Gemma, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I am a born and bred city girl, from Slough in Berkshire. Although my family for generations were London based, my Dad always had a special place in his heart for Cornwall. We would come on holiday here every year when we were little and that is where this special place stole my heart. After a few failed (or lost our nerve) moments of my husband and I moving to Cornwall, we finally did it in 2011. Originally from France, he loved Cornwall from the very first trip I brought him on to visit the county.

I had taken a GNVQ in Art & Design , along with A-Levels in Graphics and Photography and I loved the variety of the work I did during that time. I then went onto university to study a BA Hons in Fashion and Communication. That was incredibly creative and involved drawing and graphics and photography, but my painting took a back seat. I loved the world of fashion, being able to use clothing as a way of expressing yourself, much like painting but it was accessible to everyone.

Following university, I worked in various fashion production and buying roles and also moved into a more graphics/artwork role for a few years which was really exciting. It allowed me to use the graphics-based skills I had learned during College.

When my husband and I finally decided to take the lunge and re-locate to Cornwall, I very unconsciously ended up working straight away back in the fashion industry as a Buyer. But in 2019 I started really noticing that feeling that something was missing, I just had no idea what it was. Then Covid 19 happened….and I picked up my paintbrushes again.

I have always found the ocean fascinating, I fight with feelings of deep fear for the power and force it holds, yet feel at complete peace when embraced in it, floating in its still waters. My pieces are my portrayal of those juxtaposed feelings which I cannot seem to put into words.

My re-discovery of painting during the Covid 19 pandemic has not only re-ignited a long-forgotten passion, but it has also led to me be a passionate advocate for saving our oceans and planet.

Very early on I became drawn to the aerial view of the ocean. I now have a drone which I use to gather aerial photos and videos of the location. I love using it to help me view things I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to see, such as colour patterns in the water, light bouncing off a wave, details in the white water that you would never see from the shore.

I then gather sand and any other artifacts from the shoreline to use within the piece or keep me inspired while I work. I have used crushed shells, dried grasses from dunes, drift wood and fabric from clothing in my pieces before, all adding unique texture to the pieces. Texture is a key factor in my work, which has evolved over time. The more I experiment with it the more I feel I can use it to express the power and momentum of the ocean. I also feel that by using sand from the shore I am working on, that those tiny grains of sand are bringing the colour, emotion and memories onto the canvas. My most recent method of creating texture is by using offcuts of fiberglass from surfboard manufacturing for the wave crests in my pieces. It dries in the most beautiful way and still shows all its beautiful fibrous detail.

Re-purposing waste that is ending up in our waterways and on landfill is my way of showing people that one person’s waste is someone else’s treasure. Before we discard into the bin, think about whether that can be re-used, up-cycled, re-purposed.
In my all my work I try to re-purpose as much as possible, from fibreglass offcuts from surfboards to ghost fishing net, which I then use to create texture. By re-using this waste it not only helps other Cornish businesses to be more sustainable, it also creates some incredible texture and depth for me in my paintings. It creates the illusion of the wave rolling off the canvas towards the viewer. For me this is also a powerful way to portray my fascination and wonder of the momentum of the ocean.
I hope as my journey continues I can re-purpose more and more waste elements into my work. I am passionate about teaching others how to create re-purposed art with my art workshops, showing others how we can re-purpose to regenerate, from clothing to driftwood found on our coastline.

I have now been running my business for nearly 5 years and it is constantly expanding, into new revenue streams and ways to spread my message of the power of creativity and repurposing.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Oh no!! It never fails to shock me now when there is new thing I need to learn, a new part of being a business owner that rears its head. Being an entrepeneur involves wearing so many different hats, its no surprise there are bumps along the way. I think some of my biggest struggles have been learning to be comfortable with the inconsistant nature of income when being self employed. I have built my business to have multiple ways in which I can bring in revenue, but it is still a relatively unknown amount each month, which takes trust and strength to keep going when things appear tough.

I have also, in the pursuit of the above, created and launched products that have not worked. But I learnt a long time ago that ‘failing’ is not failure, its all learning and actually from those perceived failures have come even better ideas.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I gave you a bit of insight into that on the opener question, but essentially I create textured ocean art paintings, focusing on aerial views of shorelines and breaking waves. My texture is 3 dimensional, the the extreme in some cases! I create this texture using repurposed and upcycled materials, taking waste and turning them into waves.

I use all sorts of things from offcuts of surfboard fibreglass from a surfboard shaper in my town, I use fabric and paper, anything really that I can sculpt into texture. I also infuse the paintings with a sprinkling of sand from the beach or shoreline I am focusing on.

I am known mostly for those textured, repurposed paintings, but also for my painting workshops. I teach small to large scale events where I show people various ways in which they can repurpose and upcycle to create art; from my ‘Wearable Art’ clothing painting sessions, to my driftwood painting beach sessions. I think they are one of my proudest achievements actually, watching people tap into their creativity, hearing from them after that they have carried on paintings and upcylcing.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?

Thats an interesting one, as I don’t believe it is luck necessarily. More following my intuition and inner guidance. By being quiet and listening to what I really wanted to do during Covid 19, I realised how much I had missed painting. I still use that inner guidance to this very day, to lead me in decisions about my paintings, about new products, connections I make that may lead to collaborations. By taking just 10 minutes a day to be still, quiet and be mindful we find our way, no luck needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gemmalessinger.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemmalessingerart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gemmalessingerart

Image Credits

Clare James Photography