An artist based in Australia

Gemma Black

Gemma Black is a distinguished artist and calligraphic-designer based in Australia.

In 1984, she met UK calligrapher Donald Jackson and from then began to pursue lettering as a lifetime profession. In 1986 and 1987, she studied with Gaynor Goffe through the Roehampton calligraphy course. In 1991, she studied in the UK and Europe as a recipient of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship. This gave her the opportunity to research, observe and learn the practice of calligraphy.

A Fellow of the prestigious Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society, Gemma has taught extensively for over 25 years for calligraphy, bookbinding, art and craft organisations including the Australian National University College. Gemma has also taught in Italy, Germany, Spain, South Africa, USA, Canada and the UK.

A luminary lettering artist, Gemma applies crisp classical scripts in modern, new and fresh ways to produce iconic and highly recognisable works of art.

Gemma loves calligraphy history, the evolution of the western alphabet from the Greco-Roman period through to the 21st century and shares her passion and love for letterforms with enthusiasm. Gemma’s work involves mostly calligraphy, citations and documents, book structures, decorative paper techniques, abstract watercolour painting and grounds for calligraphy.

A little-known fact about Gemma is that she is also a musician! Her study of classical & ragtime piano has had a huge influence on her work in developing perseverance and discipline.

Gemma’s works are housed in private and public collections including the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK, the European Parliament and Parliament House Canberra.

In Symbiosis II, Gemma mentored Su Sian Tan and Bernice van Overbeek, guiding them with care and sensitivity to challenge their boundaries and forge new grounds.

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