Gambrielle of Gam Art Inc., stretches the boundaries of everyday life and art to the extreme. Gam is a devoted mother and wife, who is passionate about her work. Someone who, despite  all the hurdles in her life, has achieved greatness and it reflects in her work. Nothing will keep her from her passion, Art. Gambrielle is the kind of woman who exemplifies what we need in today’s art world. I could write a story about her struggles, her successes and her passion but I can’t do it quite like her, so I decided this story is best, if Gam tells you herself.  Her words and thoughts are as intense as her work.

What inspires you in your art?

The first would be pain, I’ve had quite the obstacles to overcome to get to where I am now. I wasn’t always admired or respected as I am today, those are things you have to make happen yourself… there are far too many obstacles to list them all so I will mention the ones that have had the most impact on me and my ways of being.

Growing up I was very poor, often teased, and socially awkward. I wasn’t the prettiest one in class and an allergic reaction to a medication I was given caused me to gain a lot of weight (which took me years to lose) in a short matter of time; therefore, I was bound to get teased for that. Socially I always felt ahead of the children/students around me; my mind races with billions of thoughts every second. I’ve been lucky enough to breathe, making me unlike the others. When I was young I was tested and found to have an I.Q. of 168, I have been drawing and painting since the age of two, I’ve always gravitated to the things that others didn’t.

Pain will do many things to one’s self, and all that person may or may not stand for… but pain isn’t always something to frown upon. I don’t believe anyone can understand the kind of pain I went through to bring forth my precious son, that is one journey that needs a book itself in order to understand the entire story; yet after all the pain my body had endured I can honestly say I’d do it all over again if it meant my child would be safe and intact. I have 8 herniated discs, and a spinal disease, along with over active thyroid disease. I am in agony all the time and I’m physically exhausted.  

My son, aside from my husband, has truly become my every reason to be.  They are my reason to go forth and never end the war between myself and the pain I deal with every moment I’m alive, thus making them the fire, that burning passion, that makes me who I am and keeps me creating. So in a nutshell I suppose there are many things that can inspire one into art; everyone has their own reasons and story but those were some key matters in my life that inspire me.

What does art mean to you? What impact do you see it has on our world?

In a sense everything is art, so art in a sense means everything. It all had to come from somewhere, whether it be a building, painting, animal, food, etc. All has been delicately molded into something, something we bring meaning into and ultimately the meaning we all live and die for. Our world is a work of art in itself, something we can all look at and apply our own views onto; yet it is only through a clear and unbalanced mind that we can fully see the things I’m saying. Far too many people spend their entire lives trying to find a balance that they fail to see, that they are all living and dying without finding the reason why they exist; along with it’s purpose, making them unable to see the true impact art really does have on this world. The strange thing about art and painting is that it lasts forever so in a way it makes you immortal, …infinite.

What is your favorite painting and why?

My greatest work of art is my son, but since he doesnt consist of oil paints and consists of flesh and blood i suppose he isn’t in the running…but for my paintings, that’s a tough one. I love all of them for very different reasons but I’d have to say “Lavinia.” If you ever saw the movie Titus, there is a scene that touched my soul where Romulous and Reamus kidnapped Titus’s daughter, took her to a desolate place, stripped her down raped her. They cut off her hands, placed tree branch twigs where her hands once were, placed her on a tree stump surrounded by sharp thorn bushes barefoot, so she was stuck there and couldn’t get down; to make matters worse, they cut out her tongue to silence her from calling for help or saying their names. With no hands she couldnt write their names either. It was something about the helplessness along with the vulnerability that touched me enough to paint it. The manner in which she was left behind, to suffer and die. This whole act was done to her for something her father did, she was an innocent, she was beautiful; and they took everything from her. In my painting I made it so it looked like the sky was swallowing her whole, as in a way to take her away from her pain and the anger within the clouds evoked the emotions she was feeling….

Tell me about you, and the artist you want to be?

For starters, in my mind, one can only be called an artist when we expire, but as long as we breathe and bleed I’d say we are only painters and architects of thought. So the type of artist that I’d aspire to be is a dead one.

When all is said and done, you look back on your life, what do you want to say you accomplished? What do you absolutely not want to say you regret.

I’d like to leave a pretty nice dent in this world in one way or another, be it through my work or the things that I experienced. I regret nothing, why do something you’d regret in the long run? It’s both pointless and a waste of time, and time is something I do not like to waste.

What is your favorite medium, what mediums have you dabbled in as well?

Oils, they’re what I prefer the most over any medium, when I’m with my oils and brushes, I am home. Acrylics aren’t my thing but I’ve dabbled with them in the past. I’ve done air brushing, watercolors, charcoal, but like I said oils are my heart and home, in some odd way they truly complete me and my many thoughts.

Give me some feedback on how your art has touched others lives?

I sold my human condition painting to a soldier from Iraq. I really wasn’t interested in selling it, but when I saw how important it was for him to own it, and the connection that he felt he had with it, I knew I had to part with it.  I get emails very frequently from fans of my work that tell me I inspired them to paint and keep working.  They say after reading the story about my struggles and triumphs, if I let nothing stop me, then they have no excuse. Over the years I’ve become quite the role model and mentor, for girls and for quite a few as well. When I was a little girl I just enjoyed creating anything. I never knew that by people finding my work and in turn finding me, I’d be saving lives and inspired others to create as well. If my work just helped one person, I’m happy. I’m even more lucky that it has helped many….

Have you ever had your work shown in galleries, museums etc? If so which ones?

Quite a few local galleries, and solo exhibits even on a famous television show. I’ve also had my work published and printed in some pretty important places so that is pretty swell. My goal is the MET, Frick and the Louvre. Someday, someday.

What about art makes you happy the most?

The process, or all that is art, allows me to feel like there is a way and place for me to breathe; like I said earlier it’s home.

What do you learn from the past masters?

I’ve learned how to properly paint, from mixing paints, to the way I hold the brush, to the mental state I have to be in, in order to create. I’m completely self-taught in many ways, but most of the knowledge I gained is strictly from observation and independent studies.

Art is more than just creativity, it takes so much more…. What do you feel is the discipline in each picture you paint?

I believe that it truly comes from inside. It’s something you are born with; the discipline is giving birth to something that was only a picture in my mind at one point, a seed. To literally make it look alive the seed itself must bloom, something that that can only take place with proper care and attention down to the microscopic details. I’ve been told I have an extremely distinct style, that the eyes of my pieces follow you no matter where you go; they can see everything, including right through you.

When you paint a picture, describe the process from the birth of the idea to the finished product.

I’ll get an inspiration from the smallest thing or random idea and I’ll leave that thought in my head for months even years; sometimes I deal with it right away. Sometimes I sketch it, but most of the time I just freehand every thing on a blank canvas, or look at a small photo for reference. I have sat for up to 18 hours at a time with no breaks, and paint everyday for months on end, with a two haired brush and won’t stop until it’s perfect. My standards are pretty high for myself, I’ve been known to turpentine an entire canvas after months of work if I didn’t feel it was right. I take my work very seriously because it is an extension of me and all I have. When my work is complete I search for the perfect ornate frame and paint the frame to make my piece become one with the frame; because it is important in my mind for the frame not only compliment the art, but to be part of the art itself.

Please check out Gambrielle’s work at her MySpace page www.myspace.com/gambrielle and tell her The Expressionist sent ya!