Artist Gill Bustamante taught herself to draw and paint as a child by copying animals and horses out of books. In 1979 she took a foundation course at Chelsea and then a degree course at Brighton where she graduated in 1983 with a fine art degree in sculpture. She then worked in a studio on the seafront for a while making sculptures with an architect for clubs and hotels. In the late 1980’s she moved to East Grinstead and began painting for an art agent that specialized in animal, people and bespoke portraits and she soon became skilled at ‘classical’ style painting which she continued to do for over 15 years.
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Like most women who are artists, she struggled to divide her time between art, raising a child, work commitments and other obligations. It wasn’t until she was nearly 50 years old that she finally found enough time to experiment and find her true artistic style. She began to sell her new work in online art galleries and became an art tutor to help others and evolve as artists. Bustamante had finally discovered her distinctive style through experimentation which she describes as follows:
"I found that what I wanted to paint was places and things that were a little bit mystical and that I could escape into. I wanted to paint things that were reminiscent of real places but with something else enchanting them a little. I wanted paintings that could lead me elsewhere entirely - along with anyone else who wanted to go there.” Her creative process often begins with a visit to a place and a walk whereby she is inspired by the timelessness and magic of these locations. Bustamante hopes that her work uplifts people who experience it, while providing a temporary escape. Gill Bustamante currently resides in Sussex, UK.
