As a British-Australian artist, my practice spans across countries; exhibiting works and teaching art internationally. My studio is now based in Australia. My art moves between observation and imagination.

Through a multi-disciplinary visual arts practice and storytelling, I investigate subjects and ‘scapes that affect me — sometimes serious, sometimes playful. Well-being and balance is important to me as we are multifaceted creatures, so my creations reflect that.  

My work embraces a variety of diverse themes. Inherently, art is autobiographical. Within my art traces of who I am exist: my relationships, my curiosity, my life between two continents, my multi-ethnic heritage and my scientific research. 

I’m also the founder of an Art Book Club that brings creatives across the globe together to reflect, connect, and exchange ideas through conversation and shared reading. As an arts consultant, I contributed to national museum programmes, supporting inclusive, innovative approaches to audience engagement and institutional change.

Whether I’m leading workshops, consulting, or creating new works, I value connection, exploration, and play.

Let’s create together
I’m currently open to creative collaborations, consulting opportunities, and arts education projects.

Originally from Queensland, Gimara Duncan-Rice has set up her art practice in England. Being a global artist has exposed her to an array of colors, from the ochre of Central Queensland to the muted greens and greys of Hertfordshire and Yorkshire. Gimara has become particularly interested in the way light affects colour as a result of the extreme environments she has experienced.

Gimara uses a multi-disciplinary approach to her visual arts practice, working with a wide range of different mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. Drawing is seeing and the way she visualises the world has been influenced by her career in within a variety of physical & biological scientific organisations: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, FSA, Kings College London, University of Queensland, CSIRO etc. She often creates trans-disciplinary pieces transcending between art and science to create a type xenogenesis.

The focus of her work has evolved over time. Initially, Gimara studied the form in minute detail, specifically looking for abnormalities, to being drawn to how forms (inorganic or organic) occupy the impermeant space they inhabit. Although her art is often grouped into collections; they are not always hermetic.

'I embrace multiple forms of media. I am fascinated by life, form and science.'

Journey

Gimara's artistic journey began while working on research project at Kings College London (KCL, UK), where she took anatomical photos with a microscope and made visual notes. As her art practice developed, she was sponsored by the Creative Industries Development Agency (CIDA). This sponsorship included the opportunity to study a tailored visual arts programme at Artworks (UK):  a structured drawing and painting curriculum of work that dealt comprehensively with the creative, analytical and observational act of drawing and painting under the mentorship of Peter Stanyer MA (RCA).

She received instruction in sculpture at City Lit, London. Gimara was also awarded an opportunity to train (and exhibit) in sand sculpture techniques funded by The Sand House, the Arts Council England Lottery, Invest in Doncaster, Success Doncaster. She views her work with fabrics as another sculptural form. Gimara studied Draping Womenswear and Patternmaking at UAL: Central St Martins (Granary Square, London, UK).

Her interested in printmaking started at school. She received training in etching at the Royal Drawing School and Japanese woodcut printmaking at Morley College.

Art grants, awards, funded art development

2024
Monotype-Monprint Workshop for Beginners: Funded Regional Arts Development Fund and supported by the Rockhampton City Council and Capricornia Printmakers Inc. Funding was to develop and run a workshop (sold out)

2021-2022
Metal Artist Programme: Funded by Metal (artists' network) with mentoring provision by artist K. Genever

2021
Storytelling for artists. Funded by Axis Art

2019 (January-March)
Essential digital skills for museum professionals. Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and by Mu.SA, an EU-wide Network of museums, universities, training providers and cultural organizations 

2018                  
Arts Award advisor (Discover and Explore) training. Funded by The Royal Opera House Bridge and Hertfordshire Music Service, Hertfordshire, UK: http://www.artsaward.org.uk

Arts Award advisor (Bronze and Silver) training. Funded by The Royal Opera House Bridge and Hertfordshire Music Service, Hertfordshire, UK: http://www.artsaward.org.uk

2012                  
Training in sculpture techniques and an exhibition opportunity. Funded by by The Sand House, Art’s Council England Lottery, Invest in Doncaster, Success in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK      

2008-2010         
Professional art development in drawing & painting techniques and mentoring provision. Funded by CIDA, the Creativity and Innovation Company and supported by The Artworks (P. Stanyer MA (RCA)) and M. Cameron, Yorkshire, UK

"Gimara has been an excellent student. She responds well to teaching and is always enthusiastic about learning, and the creative processes. She is a committed proactive student who can generate and work independently on her own ideas developing and expanding her own creative practice whilst following a brief. Gimara is very versatile when it comes to using materials she has a very open, deliberate, and methodical approach to her work, which allows her to explore, and reflect upon her ideas with inventiveness..." - PW Stanyer MA (Royal College of Art) - 2010

Peer Review: Artistic/cultural exhibtions

Gimara participates in the Arts Council England's Impact and Insight Programme. She has peer reviewed exhibtions held at the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge) by invitation.

Demonstrations, workshops & lectures

Like many professional artists, Gimara designs and delivers creative workshops tailored to adults. She landed her first job as an arts educator with Derbyshire County Council's Adult Community Education programme, teaching 'Drawing and Painting Techniques', in Ashbourne in 2010. To date, she has held over 100+ art workshops for many different types of clients - from her local community college to musuems, councils etc. She also teaches privately through Koala Courses. Since 2019 been a lecturer of drawing and painting at the Hitchin Campus at North Hertfordshire College (NHC via Hart's Protocol). These non-accrediated workshops form part of NHC's Adult Education Course programme. Gimara introduces beginners to art techniques related to line, shape, form, negative space, chiaroscuro, mark making, colour theory and perspective. For details on the beginners and improvers workshops, please visit: NHC website. Aside from 'drawing and painting' workshops, she has developed printmaking and other bespoke workshops, e.g., drawing and painting with watercolour pencils. Selected clients include:

• North Hertfordfordshire College, Hitchin Campus, Hertfordshire, UK:
  • Jan 2019 to date; Drawing and painting, two levels: beginners and improvers
• Lowewood Museum, Broxbourne, UK (while under managment of Epping Forest District Council)
  • Dec 2019, Printmaking; March 2020, Drawing and Painting with Watercolour Pencils
• Derbyshire County Council, Adult Community Education (ACE)

Further information can be found here.

Memberships

Gimara is a member of (AUS):

Capricornia Printmakers Inc

Art Matters

Gimara was a member of (UK):

a-n
The Artists Information company: https://www.a-n.co.uk/about/about-a-n/

IAA
The International Association of Art (IAA/AIAP): http://www.aiap-iaa.org/

MA
The Museum Association: https://www.museumsassociation.org/

Digswell Arts Trust
Print Group: https://digswellarts.org/

Selected media

• Hybrid by the Arts Council England, Creativity in Business (2009)
• Creativity in Business E-Bulletin (Issue 4 2009)
• Creative Hertfordshire: Received 'Top Rated Business' (14th June 2017) for Koala Courses