b. 1976 St. George, Utah and New York City, New York

Gregory Mortenson is a classically trained artist known for his his arresting and emotive portraits of Haitian children. Shortly after completing his academic training Mortenson and his new 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 Mortenson 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, however this time, not to rebuild, but to teach art at an orphanage. During this time he was able to complete several additional figure studies which later informed his 2015 exhibition: Zion’s Children. A portion of the sales made from this exhibit have benefited the Hope for Life Children's Home in Gressier, Haiti, allowing the community to continue in its growth.

Mortenson credits his father and grandfather as being two of his earliest role models 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." Henceforth, Mortenson began his artistic journey and attended Southern Virginia University on a wrestling scholarship. After receiving his undergraduate degree in art, he returned to his family home in Utah to study life drawing and painting with Boston School Painter, Patrick Devonas and classical realist, William Whitaker. In 2006 he moved to New York 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 studying side by side with Collins in his private studio.

The majority of the figure paintings Mortenson creates are presented to the viewer as simple, half length or bust portraits. Each work celebrating the sitters individuality by a naturalistic mimesis of his or her specific characteristics. However, what becomes 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. He 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 while maintaining a studio in his hometown of St. George Utah.

-Alison Collins, Director of Collins Galleries

REPRESENTATION

Maxwell Alexander, CA

Collins Gallery, MA

EDUCATION

2010-2012 Jacob Collins Studio

2006-2010 Waterstreet 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

2022

Maxwell Alexander, Black Friday Exhibition, CA

Collins Gallery, Small Works, MA

Sotheby’s, 15th Annual ARC International Salon Competition, NYC

2021

MEAM, European Museum of Modern Art, ARC International Salon Competition, Barcelona, Spain

Arcadia Contemporary, Five and Under, NYC

Arcadia Contemporary, The Male of the Species, NYC

Collins Gallery, Summer Salon, NYC

2020

Sotheby’s, 14th Annual ARC International Salon Competition, NYC

Cavalier Gallery, Contemporary Realism, NYC

2019

MEAM, European Museum of Modern Art, ARC International Salon Competition, Barcelona, Spain

Eleventh Street Gallery, Red, NYC

Robert Simon Fine Art, Capturing the Artist, NYC

Cavalier Gallery, Contemporary Realism, CT

2018

Springville Museum of Art, Journeys: Monomyth and Transformation, UT

Allied Artists of America, NY

Arcadia Contemporary, Five and Under, CA

Collins Gallery, Summer Salon, MA

The Florence Academy of Art, 12x12 A Portrait Exhibition, NJ

2017

Collins Gallery, Small Works MA

Allied Artist of America , NY

Arcadia Contemporary, Five and Under, CA

Salmagundi Club, Non Members Show, NYC

MEAM Museum, 12th International ARC Salon Exhibition, Barcelona, Spain

Salmagundi Club, 12th International ARC Salon Exhibition, NYC

Collins Gallery, Summer Salon, MA

Eleventh Street Arts, Self Portrait, NYC

Portrait Society of America International Competition, GA

Haynes Gallery, The Real World, TN

Changing Seasons, UT

Arcadia Contemporary at the Palm Springs Art Show, CA

Arcadia Contemporary at the LA Art Show, CA

2016

Zion Art Society, UT

Arcadia Contemporary, Drawn To Greatness, CA

Allied Artist of America , NY

Arcadia Contemporary, A SUMMER CELEBRATION, CA

Collins Gallery, Summer Salon, MA

Principle Gallery, Emanuel Nine Tribute, NC

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 Video of Opening

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 Video of Opening

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

2022 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Certificate of Excellence

2022, 15th Annual ARC International Salon Competition, 3rd Place, Strictly from Life

2020 14th Annual ARC International Salon Competition, Best in Show

2019 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Certificate of Excellence

2018 The Moth Art Prize

2018 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Certificate of Excellence

2018 ARC Finalist

2017 Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition, First Place

2017 Salmagundi Club Portrait Competition, Second Place, as chosen by Jordan Sokal

2017 Morris & Alma Schapiro Award

2017 La Napoule Residency

2017 Portrait Society of America International Competition, Honor Award

2016 Zion Art Society, Honorable Mention

2016 ARC Purchase Award, 2 Honorable Mentions

2016 The Allied Artists of America Silver Medal of Honor

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 FineArtConnoisseur 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

Beginning Drawing Atelier, Juliette Aristides, Random House, Inc 2019

Fine Art Connoisseur, Lines in Motion: Drawings from Historic and Contemporary Masters, September 2018

The Moth, arts and literature, Autumn Edition, 2018

Epoch Times, Great Camaraderie at the Salmagundi Club's Portrait Competition September 2017

Fine Art Connoisseur "The Emanuel Nine: Despair and the Power of the Sublime" October 2017

International Artist, Gregory Mortenson: Depicting the Beauty and Triumph of the Human Spirit, Summer Edition 2017

American Art Collector, Portraying Life's Journeys, August 2017

Epoch Times, Gregory Mortenson Exalts in the Human Spirit, January 2017

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, UT