GEMMA ASTOR (American b. 1981-)Painter ARTIST STATEMENT Wild plants and trees have become familiar friends as I grow older and spend more time in nature. I seek to bring pause and focus to the minute beauty found at every turn in the woods. I am inspired by spontaneous moments and experiences in the wilderness. I live in a place that changes so much and is stunningly beautiful at all times of the year. I get to be out there in the near dark, or early dawn, and every time in between. I see magical moments of light and shadow that take my breath away. I collect reference and will sometimes return to gather more. Later, when I’m in my studio I sort through, and choose to paint what feels the most inspiring. BIO Gemma was born in Portland, Maine in 1981. She studied short fiction and literature at Emerson, starting in 2000. In 2004, after returning home to Maine, she enrolled in the art education program at UNE. Two of her teachers at UNE, Stephen Burt and Jim Flahaven, were greatly influential in Gemma’s pursuit of her own career as a working artist. In 2009 she began the arduous process of apprenticing to becoming a tattooer. This has blossomed into a rewarding and fulfilling career. “My industry pushes buttons, and though it is far less sub-culture than it used to be, it suited my rebel heart.” Gemma owns and operates Gemstone Tattoo on Commercial Street in Portland as a solo female artist and businesswoman. She has a well-established following for her masterfully rendered, hand drawn, botanical imagery. She and her husband John live most of their lives on Mooselookmeguntic Lake, in the Rangeley area, in a small log cabin John built. Gemma is a gardener and amateur herbalist. The Maine mountains, trees, plants, and fungi are endless inspiration for her work.