Gilles Lortie was born and raised in Ottawa. As a child growing up in a predominately working class environment, he had little exposure to formal art training. From early on he showed interest in woodworking and was always trying to fix everything that was broken. Singing occupied a great deal of his time, culminating to a first appearance on television when he was 12 years old.

He shows a  passion for drawing and paintings of audacious nature. His first painting, a canvas representing a fanning of 8 colors was done in 1971, still in his possession. He strated painting murals in commercial outlets as well as offices. Using geometric froms creating optical illusions of fascinating nature, As all modern painters, abstract paintings followed suite leaving to the imagination the subject of the painting.

Always looking to be different, he retains the hexagonal from shading his colors gradually, creating optical illusion. After years of applied forms, he graduates to living subjects always keeping his shading of colors.

He started exhibitions in private homes and commercial avenues. In November 1995 he joins "L'Art dans l'Outaouais" and was awarded first prize for his painting. He received maximum marks for originality and coherence confirming his talent as an artist more than a painter. A surrealistic edge to his painting began to emerge.