statement

Through my artwork, I explore personal and collective narratives. I am drawn to the tension between the grotesque and the beautiful - to the act of peeling back façades, knowing there is always more beneath the surface. I’m compelled by the ever-shifting experience of being human: how, no matter how much we seek safety and control, we are in constant flux, the ground collapsing under our feet.

My work emerges from an intuitive, body-based process, shaped by a sustained meditation practice that focuses on the subtle relationship between mind, body, and a larger field of awareness. Recently, I have been engaged in an ongoing inquiry into somatic memory: the ways the body holds experience within its tissues, how we construct armor around ourselves, and how the past remains embedded in the present.

I work with acrylic, oil stick, charcoal, pastel, fabric, embroidery thread, beeswax and found objects. When I create, I let the emotional and sensory information in my own body guide my marks. Sometimes the marks are delicate, tracing the contours of lips or eyes. Other times, they dig into the page with broad strokes. With the deliberate act of erasure, I uncover remnants of the mark making, allowing for what is hidden to be revealed. The resulting complex, scarred surfaces create fragmented narratives, exposing that which has been hidden or constrained.

BIO

Gabrielle recently received her MFA from CCA. She earned her BFA and graduated with highest honors from UCLA's School of the Arts and spent a year at the Beaux Arts schools in Pau and Paris. She works with acrylic, oil stick, charcoal & pastel as well as handcrafting soft sculptures with fabric, beads & embroidery thread. Recent awards and recognition include the 2024 Murphy & Cadogan Award, two CCA Merit Scholarships and a purchase by the Hawaii State Foundation Art in Public Places Commission.