Gemma Lessinger

About

I’m a Cornwall-based artist creating textural seascapes using layers of paint, textiles and upcycled materials to explore our emotional connection to the ocean, place and memory. My sculptural works transform familiar coastlines into deeply personal pieces that evoke the feeling of being there.

Statement

My work explores our emotional connection to the ocean, and the way places become intertwined with memory, identity and belonging. Living and working in Cornwall, I create textural seascapes inspired by the coastlines I know and experience. I begin with photography, often using aerial and drone perspectives to capture the movement, patterns and changing character of the shoreline. Back in the studio, these images become a starting point rather than something to replicate. I’m interested in translating the feeling of a place: the movement of water, the rhythm of waves and the memories we attach to being there. Texture is fundamental to my practice. I build my paintings through layers of paint, textiles and upcycled materials, incorporating fabrics such as denim, lace, vintage cloth and other fragments that already carry a history of their own. Fabric has accompanied us through our lives; it is worn, touched, inherited and remembered. By embedding it within the landscape, I explore the relationship between the physical material of our lives and the places that become part of us. Ultimately, I want my work to offer more than a view of the ocean. I want it to create a moment of connection — to a place, a memory, or simply the feeling of standing beside the sea.

Commissions

I create bespoke seascape commissions inspired by coastlines and places that hold personal meaning, from much-loved beaches and holiday memories to wedding locations and significant moments by the sea. Each piece is created to capture not just how a place looks, but how it feels and the memories it holds.

Starting from $1,905