Gemma Lessinger

I create textural seascapes that hold the soul of a place.

My work is born from a deep connection to the Cornish coastline — not just how it looks, but how it feels to stand at the water’s edge and breathe again. Every piece is built from layers of repurposed materials, fabrics, and fragments collected from the coast. They carry stories: the places people return to in their minds when they need grounding, comfort, or clarity.

Before I became an artist, I spent twenty years in the fashion industry. What I didn’t realise then was that textiles, tactility, and storytelling would one day become the heartbeat of my practice. The textures you see in my paintings are built from that world — denim, linens, ghost nets, surfboard fibreglass — transformed into something new. The work is as much about sustainability and reinvention as it is about the sea.

I paint for people who long for the ocean in the same way I do — those who feel a pull toward the horizon, even when life keeps them inland. My commissions often include personal, meaningful materials from the client themselves: fabric from a wedding dress, sand from a beach that changed their life, a fragment of clothing from someone they love. These pieces become more than artwork; they become vessels for memory.

My purpose is simple: to help people feel connected — to the ocean, to their own stories, and to a sense of calm they can return to every day.

Workshops offered. Please contact me for more information.