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Acrylic on canvas, 30.5x25.4 cm

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​Sugar-Coated
Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, 2003
Eurojet Futures 03, RHA Gallery

"The uniformity of size, scale and composition in Gemma Browne`s
Sugar-Coated series recalls American yearbook head shots. each teenage girl has over large staring eyes and unblemished pink skin. 
None is smiling, but the seriousness  of their gaze ranges from worry to quiet confidence. 
There is a primitive quality to the style and presentation of the 
paintings and links them to religious icons; and while they are clearly individuals, Browne has developed a formula for representing them which leads to a certain homogeneity.,They may conform to the sugary standard of "all things nice" on the surface, but dark eyeliner and  eyes partly hidden behind fringes hint at a different lifestyle;
lipstick gives the girls a sophistication as fake as their supposed innocence might be."

Excerpt from 'The Me Generation' by Christin Leach
The Sunday Times, August 10th, 2003


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