Gordon Semmens grew up in the small town of Carrington. He is a native of North Dakota. His passion for wildlife drawings and photography was marched only by his love for the outdoors. He learned to enjoy the best of both worlds and this led him to develop a technique he called fotobrush. The technique involved the blending of acrylic paintings and photography. Each of his creative adventure may begin with a hiking trip into the mountains of Glacier, photographing wild horses of the North Dakota Badlands, or kayaking the Minnesota Boundary Waters. Semmens’ only hope is to bring the images home from each of his journeys.
Semmens unleashes his creativity through the impulsive quality of his approach, making the process of painting as important as the final product. He paints what he feels. His paintings capture the essence of himself and all that he has observed in the world. He displays his feelings on board or on the canvas in the form of deliberate marks, and games of negative and positive space. His work has been collected and exhibited internationally. Semmens has completed many projects. His technique of line and stroke are intuitively unidentified. He doesn’t labor over works, but takes it easy, one step at a time. His paintings are known for their contrast of texture. He develops his paintings from direct observation. All his paintings display a delicacy of touch, simplicity of application, and a wonderful understanding of color. He is represented by Applejack Art Partners.