Gabrielle Brown
Gabrielle_Brown_balanceiseverything_acryliconwoodcarvings_12x5_2022𝙂𝙖𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚 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 𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 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. 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙨, 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 - 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 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 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙩 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙖. Her w𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙖𝙢𝙞, 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝘼 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨.
1. Hi Gabrielle, tell us about your background. How and when did you first start to paint and sculpt?
Hello, well it really has been a creative journey since I was a child. I have made things for as long as I can remember. But really once I graduated high school I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career path. I worked a few small jobs and painted on the side and then once my son was born in 2015 I made a very conscious decision to make it work full time. The sculpting didn’t come into play until 4 years ago, I had always been deeply inspired by wood carvings made from various folk artists/outsider artists, and had played around with sculpting with other materials for a long while, but I knew I wanted to carve with wood. I received a grant to buy the tools I needed and it wasn’t until a year after that, that I really dedicated time to it.
2. You grew up along the river side and mountains in New Brunswick. How has this environment influenced your art?
Its played a big role in every part of my life. I feel being in nature clears my mind instantly and I can hear my inner voice which is very important and crucial for me in creating anything, or just to function in this world. I really enjoy painting mountains, rivers and wild animals, so it all comes back to my time as a child. I have so many good memories playing outside, swimming in the river, eagles flying over.. it brings a smile to my face.
3. What is your process like? How do you begin to work?
It depends on the day for the most part, but usually I paint/sculpt monday-friday while my son is at school. So I take him there, come home, and usually I get to it. I like to put on some music.. or whatever I’m in the mood for, today I had a few different documentaries playing on filmmakers that inspire me, so sometimes listening to people talk helps me get going. But for the most part I get my paint out and get to work, I also try to work 2-3 nights a week which I enjoy as well.
4. You utilize many folk art materials in your work, including wood and various paints. How do these materials contribute to the natural and intuitive aesthetic you strive to create?
I just really love the imperfection and the character wood scraps have, and in the past few years its been very therapeutic to just let go and to not try to hard to make something overly polished or finished looking. Mind you I also enjoy getting technical and learning new tricks but its always about balance. But overall when it comes to using certain materials, especially when Im sculpting I really try not to overdue it and let the material shine as much as possible. Sometimes I add horse hair or just paint very loosely on the wood…Im just letting what Im using take the lead.. and for me its a pleasurable experience.
5. Your works explore the relationships we have with ourselves, our companions, our society, and our past. How do you approach such complex subject matter in your work?
It all stems in being present, I try not to really give what I’m making to much thought. I feel that naturally in my subconscious I am going through my own experiences in the work and that translates into how we as humans connect with ourselves, a higher power, nature, and the world around us.
6. Your imagery often contrasts confrontational elements with uplifting symbols, action, and words. Can you tell us about a specific piece where you employed this technique
and what you aimed to convey?
I really think that the balance between aggression and sadness…to joy and peace is fundamental and something that always interests me, both in my creations and in life. I think that experiencing all these feelings, the hardships and the happy moments are all beautiful. I think that when Im making something I look for the balance between both experiences. That said, I believe all the work I make showcases this, but some more then others. More specifically I just finished a piece that I haven’t released yet, it is of two dobermans fighting with blood all over them, flames in the background, and on the top left hand corner is a representation of God, with a river flowing out of its mouth with flowers and rocks around it, and the river ends between the dogs…with a single drop of water. To me that represents the battle we sometimes have with ourselves, and the importance of letting go and letting the river carry you.
7. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.
I would say the experience I had the year leading up to my mom passing away, it was a really challenging year, it was for a few years prior to that, but the last year was difficult seeing her decline in her health, and I was her main caretaker at the time. So I think that being with her as she slowly transitioned on was very eye opening and still is, it has effected me deeply in ways that Im still learning and figuring out, and Im seeing it clearly in the work, and the work has helped me heal tremendously.
8. You have traveled the world and moved throughout Canada. How has your art evolved and reflected these experiences?
Getting out and seeing the world helps me evolve as a person and that translates into what I make. I think that change is important and being plucked from your safe space gives you a new perspective, so traveling and moving around is a big part of what I enjoy doing and through those experiences I see new sides in me and the work always showcases that.
9. You have created public murals in addition to paintings and sculptures. Can you speak to
the unique challenges and opportunities of working on a large-scale, public project?
Its been a few years to say the least, but I really loved being outside and painting on walls. I have always found painting large scale to be exhilarating. I feel excited when I have to put a lot of physical work into something. That said, its challenging when dealing with the elements with a time constraint, its a lot different then how I work in the studio. But even with those challenges I really enjoy it, and I look forward to getting out and doing murals again. As far as opportunities go, its so wonderful to be out in the public painting, getting to interact with people and just to be outside feels really good, its a very nice switch from my usually routine of being inside working.
10. How has the city you are living and working in influenced you and the art you make?
Its a very old city right on the ocean, it holds a lot of character but is also dominated by the oil industry with a lot of industrialization and pollution… so theres this very strong contrast between beauty and greed. There is also a special feeling here that is hard to explain, its very small and the people here are very unique in there own way, I really find the grittiness of it all keeps me curious and fascinated. Its never a dull moment thats for sure, I can walk outside my steps and see many different walks of life, theres no real “rich” or “poor” area per say its all blended in for the most part, so ya, I find Im always sitting back and admiring the strangeness, which all seeps into what I make.
