Gregory Mortenson

B. 1976 St. George, Utah

Gregory Mortenson is a classically trained artist known for his arresting and emotive portraits of Haitian children. Shortly after completing his education, Mortenson and his wife were called on a humanitarian effort to Port au Prince to help reshape an orphanage that had been destroyed during the earthquake of 2010. Amongst the rubble of despair Mortensen came face to face with the paradox of tragedy. Moved by what he calls,“the beauty and triumph of the human spirit,” he set about making sketches of the children as they waited in hope for a new home and school. In 2013 he returned to Haiti to teach art classes through an organization called Zion’s Children of Haiti. During his second trip he was able to complete several additional figure studies that later informed his 2015 exhibition: Zion’s Children. A portion of the exhibition proceeds were donated to the Hope for Life Children’s Home in Gressier, Haiti

Mortenson credits his father and paternal grandfather as being two of his earliest influences in art making. “They were both prolific draftsmen and enjoyed painting whenever time would allow for it. Between the two of them, they created a lot of art, they made me want to create art.” Mortenson studied Illustration at Southern Virginia University. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he returned to Utah to hone his drawing and painting skills under the direction of Boston School Painter, Patrick Devonas and classical realist, William Whitaker. In 2006 he moved to New York City to further his education in classical technique with Jacob Collins at Water Street Atelier at the Grand Central Academy of Art. After completing the four year program at GCA, Mortenson spent two additional years working with Collins in his private studio.

The majority of Mortenson’s figure paintings are presented to the viewer as simple, half length or bust portraits. His true-to-life approach reveals his subjects with as little interpretation as possible, so that we, the viewer, might consider the “realness” of each life without the trappings of metaphor or symbolism. What is most impressive is the artists ability to utilize a subtle downward glance, a slight part in the lips or a tilted chin to convey reflections of inner life — connecting us to a greater whole, that of our humanity.

Gregory Mortenson has gallery representation in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Tennessee and has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions and art fairs throughout the United States. In 2015 he celebrated his first solo exhibition; Zion’s Children. Mortenson teaches portrait drawing and painting at Grand Central Academy, NY and offers a summer course at the Center for Academic Study and Naturalistic Painting in Springville, UT, He currently lives and works in New York, New York while maintaining a studio in his hometown of St. George Utah.