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Gabrielle K Brown, is a multifaceted artist who eagerly and energetically seeks new ways to tell stories through her paintings, sculptures, and public murals. Her work retains an object-like quality until intricate details draw the viewer’s attention, revealing a natural and intuitive, seemingly naive yet extremely complex aesthetic. The works dissect the relationship we have with ourselves, our companions, our society, and our past with an awe and celebration of nature and the divine, shedding light on how we grow and how we suffer as human beings. Controntational imagery is often contrasted with uplifting symbology, creating a narrative of natural and intuitive, seemingly naive yet extremely complex aesthetic. Born in 1994 on the east coast of Canada in New Brunswick, Brown grew up along the river side and mountains which is where she connected to art and began painting and sculpting. She has spent much of her life traveling the world and moving through countries, experiencing the extremes of the human condition and experiencing the various cultures she connects to. Gabrielle’s work has been exhibited at Art Basel Miami, the London Art Fair, as well as in Montreal, New York, and Los Angeles.
Hi Gabrielle! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Canada?
Hey Ruben! A regular day for me is getting up, taking my 8 year old son Roscoe to school and once I get home I have coffee and get started on whatever piece I am working on. I usually commit my full time to making art while he is at school. While I’m painting/sculpting I usually listen to music or have documentaries on in the background. Once my son is out of school we come home, depending on the time of year we may get outside to the ocean that’s nearby or if it’s winter we come home and have dinner, maybe play cards, followed by getting cozy in bed and watching a movie or show together. On the days my sons at his fathers I usually create longer into the evening, I don’t have as much as a set schedule. I try to also get out into nature or go for walks in the city to keep the blood moving. Me and my Husband also watch a lot of films, so at night we usually get something going on the projector.
I’m curious. Growing up, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing and how did you spend your time?
I was always living in my own world, that’s something looking back at my life as a child that hasn’t left me. I grew up in nature out along a river, so much of my time was exploring the woods and spending time with my sister. My sister Chloe who is 3 years older then me was also very creative as a child, she would be drawing/painting things that would blow me away, and since I was younger I wanted to be as good as her, so it really pushed me to try my best whenever I created something. I also just had my own deep passion and love for drawing and painting, I spent a lot of my time off on my own making things and creating my own made up characters.
Alright, so when did you start painting? And when did you start taking being an artist serious?
Painting has been a constant since I was young, as I got into high school it was really all I wanted to do, I painted a mural inside my high school and participated in painting a mural outside the school with a professional painter. All of which ignited my love and need to paint large scale, I would go home and roll out canvases the size of my room and paint for hours each day after school. Once I graduated I went to an art school for 2 months but left after realizing I felt freer when teaching myself new things. I found myself a year later pregnant at 19 and asking myself if I wanted to go back to small jobs and painting on the side, which led me to decide to commit myself fully to my art and to do whatever I had to do to make it work. So from the age of 20 until present I have been making a living from my work and managed to get myself into different galleries and group shows ever since. It’s been 9 years and I am very grateful everyday for this path.
What’s your inspiration behind the various surreal scenes in your work? And how do you come up with them?
What inspires me is a combination of what I see when I’m out in the world, in nature or just around the city along with whatever I’m digesting from the films that I’m watching. With that, I find that when I’m truly present when creating, I enter a trance-like state and I really am just a vessel for something greater than me and that’s when I find all of these stories unfold. It’s the other dimensions and layers that exist in our world and beyond that excite me.
Can you tell me about your use of symbolism?
The symbolic nature of my work never comes in an intentional way, rather the subjects and pieces of the story are there to tell me something about my inner psyche. They serve as messages and are a way to remember the deep truths of life. For example, walking in love, coming back to one’s true nature, peace through hardship and overcoming obstacles with a spirit of resilience. So all this to say the symbols are far beyond me, and as I put in the last answer I feel like a vessel for the greater forces to move and speak so I am not the one putting anything out with the intention of it telling me or the viewer something, it just comes to be there and I don’t ask any questions until maybe I am finished.
You also incorporate wooden sculptural elements into your works. When did you start doing that? And what was the initial reason for implementing it to your work?
I started to dive into wood carving about 4-5 years ago, the first year I didn’t dedicate a lot of time, I also didn’t have a big enough space to set up my wood shop but once I moved and got a bigger studio I got everything ready and went full force. I always admired the physicality of it and when I finally threw myself into it I never really had a plan, I knew what types of sculptural work I enjoyed so I just applied the same ways I tell my stories in my paintings to the wood carvings. Eventually I put the two together, I don’t do it all the time but the moments that the sculptures and paintings are in the same piece it just happens organically. So ya, there was never a real reason, it just felt good so I did it.
Ok Gabrielle. I know you’re interested in human consciousness and the path of spirituality, within your art practice. Can you tell me about that?
I have always been fascinated by the experience of being human, and since I was little both my parents were devoted to God and had a unique way of practicing their spirituality. That made me very curious about how we connect with ourselves and whatever higher power/s we choose to believe in. I really think the path of creating is the same path of walking through everyday life, both are one and the same. So just as I try to practice being present and living in the now in my day to day, it is no different when it comes time to paint or sculpt. It is essential and vital for me to be conscious when I create, just as it is for me to live a good life.
Can you walk me through your creative process. From beginning, to end result?
Each time is unique and individual, but I keep small quick sketches of visions that I get of future pieces. I try not to cling to any particular idea, but when it comes time to start something new my spirit-my intuition knows what it wants. Depending on the piece, if it’s a painting I tackle the background, I get it to a place that feels good before applying the subject matter, then I just start layering different things, from people, animals to materialistic items and inter-dimensional beings. If its a wood carving, I get the wood I’m using out and sketch the shape, cut out the shape, glue together whatever pieces need to be glued and clamped and then I use my hand tools and chip away at it, after that I sand it if that’s where I want to go with it and then do final things like paint, perhaps add hair or in some cases accessories like metal earrings or cloth.
With that in mind, how do you deal with creative blocks?
I actually don’t believe in creative blocks, I’ve come to decide a long time ago that a block of any kind is just a mindset. So as I move through things and if I’m ever feeling down or unsure I just go back to my practice of being completely present because that’s when all the visions and ideas come through and there is an endless flow.
What motivates you?
My passion and love for creating. It is a feeling that goes deep inside me and I have so much joy for making things and am grateful I get to do it. I also am motivated by the challenges in my life, having this also be my way of living pushes me to great lengths to fight for my passion and to keep it alive. My son Roscoe also is a big reason I want to keep doing what I love, I want to be a good example for him as he grows.
How would you describe a perfect day?
I love both simple days and I also love days that are adventurous and new. The days I finish a big painting or wood carving always feel good, perhaps followed by walking outside, being at the ocean with my husband and son are the best, just playing games and sharing a meal together makes me happy. I also love the days where we are somewhere new together in the world, checking out galleries or the folk art fairs/museums, being in a foreign place and discovering it as a family is very special to me.
Any future projects coming up?
I’ve got some things planned, big visions that I am hopeful about! I hope to do another residency next summer and bring my son and husband along with me. I am currently still finishing a large body of work that I’ve been creating for the past 2 years, I have 3 big installations I plan to work on over the winter. Besides those things I have some group exhibitions coming up
Alright Gabrielle. I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
It’s tough to pick but what always comes to mind is ‘There will be blood’ as every time I watch it, it evokes a deep feeling in me from how they told the story, to the music and the level of acting. I also very much love ‘The Revenant’ the cinematography is so beautiful and inspiring, and the story-telling is also so powerful and moving. I am a huge fan of ‘Dune’ for its imaginative narrative, it keeps me in awe and makes me wonder about the other worlds and beings. The other that comes to mind is ‘Blue Velvet’ I love David Lynch’s films and the madness and visually stimulating scenes he creates. Lastly, I love so much the work of Kenneth Anger, I am grateful for all his experimental films and am forever inspired.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
I am listening to a lot of classical music, I find the music specifically composed by Michael Nyman keeps me in a good space when creating. But I also really enjoy rap, I love the album called Continuance by Curren$y, and I listen to a lot of Boldy James, Freddy Gibbs, Wu Tang, MF DOOM, and Kendrick Lamar.
