Gerard Mignot was born in 1957 during the Algerian war of independence and relocated to France with his parents, brother and sister in 1962, where he spent 24 years before immigrating to Australia in 1987. After working as an illustrator for a greeting card company in South Australia, he studied graphic design and pre-press printing. Gerard then honed his skills in various design studios and printing enterprises. Drawing since he was ten years old, Gerard became inspired and influenced by the classic portraits by masters such as Rembrandt, Van Dyck and Rubens who “controlled the subtle color harmonies, the spare compositions and masterly handling of light”, Matisse, Manet and Renoir who “worked quickly in order to capture the fleeting moment and to give their work a spontaneous feel”. Combining his experience, training in the old masters’ technique in oil painting he learned at Adelaide Central School of Art and the mentorship of commercial artist David Beevor, Gerard set out on his own and today works from his studio as a freelance artist in Adelaide, South Australia, selling his pieces to private collectors.