Gregory Mortenson
United States
B. 1976 St. George, Utah; currently lives in New York City, New York
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.
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
2010-2012 Jacob Collins Studio
2006-2010 Water Street Atelier at the Grand Central Academy of Art
2008 Master Copies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
2007 Hudson River Fellowship
2004-2006 Patrick Devonas Apprenticeship
2004-2006 William Whitaker Apprenticeship
2000-2002 Southern Virginia University, BA
EXHIBITIONS
2016
Arcadia Contemporary, A SUMMER CELEBRATION, CA
Collins Galleries, Summer Salon, MA
Arcadia Contemporary at Art Market San Francisco, CA
Arcadia Contemporary at the Palm Springs Art Show, CA
Arcadia Contemporary at the LA Art Show, CA
2015
Arcadia Contemporary, Five & Under, NYC
Arcadia Contemporary, Zion's Children, One Man Show, NYC Video of Opening
Arcadia Contemporary, Works on Paper, NYC
Portrait Society of America International Competition, GA
Eleventh Street Art, Nude NYC
Eleventh Street Art, Inaugural Group Show, NYC
2014
Fort Wayne Museum of Art Contemporary Realism Biennial, IN
Arcadia Gallery, Five & Under, NYC
Principle Gallery, Tourist Season, VA
Haynes Gallery, Celebrating the Portrait as Art, TN
Haynes Gallery, Mundane to the Sublime, TN
Arcadia Gallery at the LA Art Show
2013
Contemporary American Realism, Beijing World Art Museum, Beijing, CN
Six city tour 9/12-11/13: Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Shanghai
Haynes Gallery, Small Works Show TN
Arcadia Contemporary, "Small Works Show" NYC
Haynes Gallery, New Work: New Directions ME
Arcadia Gallery, Summer Salon (Part 1) NYC
Trailside Gallery, "Small Works Show" WY
Nelson Gallery, "The New Realism" VA
Portrait Society of America International Competition, GA
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery, TX
Arcadia Gallery at the LA Artshow, CA
Whistler House Museum - "The Modern Atelier", MA
2012
Converge: Where Classical & Contemporary Collide, 25CPW Gallery, NYC
ACOPAL, Beijing World Art Museum, Beijing, China
Fort Wayne Museum of Art Contemporary Realism Biennial, IN
Portrait Society of America International Competition, PA
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery, TX
Convergence, La Maison d'Art Gallery, NYC
2011
Spiritual & Religious Show, Springville Museum of Art, UT
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery, TX
Salmugundi Club, non-member show, NYC
Church History Museum, Salt Lake City, UT
2008
Waterstreet at the Atlanta Art Gallery
Jacob Collins & the Hudson River Fellowship
2004
One Man Show, Nelson Gallery Lexington Va
2002
Two Man Show, Nelson Gallery Lexington Va
AWARDS
2016 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Certificate of Excellence
2015 Portrait Society of America International Competition, 2nd Place
2014 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Certificate of Excellence
2014 ARC Salon Finalist
2013 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Honor Award
2013 Salon International, 2nd place Award, as chosen by Max Ginsberg
2012 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Honor Award
2013 ARC Finalist
2012 ARC Salon Finalist
2012 Fine Art Connoisseur Publisher's Award of Excellence, as chosen by Edward Minoff
2011 ACOPAL Finalist
2011 Raymar Fine Art Competition, 2nd place Award, as chosen by Scott Christensen
2011 Salon International, 3rd place Award, as chosen by Daniel E. Greene
2011 Spiritual & Religious Show, Springville Museum of Art, Award of Merit
2011 Salmagundi Club, Washington Square Award
2011 ARC Salon Finalist
2010 ARC Scholarship
2009 ARC Salon Honorable Mention
2008 Morris & Alma Schapiro Award
PRESS
Jan. 2017 Epoch Times, Artist Gregory Mortenson Exalts the Human Spirit by Milene Fernandez
John Dalton Podcast, From Haiti to Gethsemane with Gregory Mortenson
American Art Collector, Petite Wonders, December 2015
The Moth, arts and literature, Winter Edition, 2015
International Artist, Portrait Society of America, Winter edition 2015
Underpaintings Magazine, Gregory Mortenson at Arcadia Contemporary, NYC
Huffington Post, Love of Sight: People, Places, Things, Article by Daniel Maidman, 2015
American Art Collector, November, "Zion's Children" Article by Nicki Escudero, November 2015
American Art Collector, Portrait Society of America August 2015
The Krakens, Gregory Mortenson: Children of Haiti June, 2015
Artists on Art, Summer Edition "Painting from Life on a Budget" 2014
The Artist's Magazine, Jan/Feb 2014
Fine Art Connoisseur, "The Narrative Portraiture of Gregory Mortenson," Article by Jeffrey Carlson, 2013
Fine Art Connoisseur, Portrait Sketch Competition, 2013
Epoch Times, Portrait Sketch Competition, September 3, 2013
American Artist Magazine, 75th Anniversary Edition: Greatest Artists of All Time, 25 Artists of Tomorrow 2012
American Artist Magazine, The Portrait, Demonstrated, Part 3, November 2012
American Artist Magazine, The Portrait, Demonstrated, Part 2 October 2012
American Artist Magazine, The Portrait, Demonstrated, Part 1 September 2012
International Artist, August 2012
American Art Collector, August 2012
Plein Air Magazine, Winter Edition 2012
Lessons in Classical Drawing, Juliette Aristides, Random House, Inc 2011
TEACHING
The Grand Central Academy of Art
Portrait Drawing & Painting
New York City, NY
Center for Academic Study & Naturalist Painting
Portrait & Figure, Summer Workshop, Springville, Utah
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 14th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
