About the Artist
My name is Gabby and I am an artist from Perth, Western Australia. I currently work with colour pencils on pastelmat and acrylic paint on canvas. My artworks celebrate animals with their unique beauty, temperament and talents. I originally used acrylic paint pens as my medium of choice in the past but I have only recently started using colour pencils and acrylic paints as they create a beautiful softness and realism to my art which I love.
In my early childhood, I struggled to read and so, instead of reading, I would draw. Hence my love for drawing has been with me for as long as I can remember. I studied one year of Art at university but did not enjoy the structure and constraints of the formal learning environment. I became a little disheartened and decided to change my university degree to something completely different….accounting!! I really enjoyed my accounting degree and working as an accountant. Perhaps the attraction of numbers and designs made the transition from art easier and my accounting ‘brain’ took over for many years after that.
It wasn’t until nine years later that I rekindled my passion for art and drawing when I lived abroad in the Netherlands with my husband and travelled regularly to Florence, Italy. I now have two gorgeous daughters and work part-time as an accountant. But I still manage to find spare time to draw and paint, art has always been a part of my life. When I had a break from my art for those nine years, I always felt there was something missing. The joy and happiness that I feel when drawing or painting is indescribable. Sitting down at my drawing table with my paper and pencils or standing at my aisle with a canvas and paints is my happy place; my place to unwind, meditate and relax from a chaotic day. In 2021, whilst on maternity leave, I decided to take my art to the next level. Life is too short and the desire that I felt to pursue my art was too strong to ignore any longer.
I have always loved to draw animals and faces, even as a child. I grew up surrounded by animals with lots of different pets (birds, rabbits and dogs) and my grandparents owned a farm. I have many wonderful memories of going out to the paddock with my grandad to see the animals and herding the cattle. I was also very fortunate to travel to Africa for a safari with my family when I was 16 years old. It was an unforgettable holiday and I was captivated by the animals. They fascinated me with their movement and beauty, and I felt a real connection to them through their eyes. I travelled with my sketchbook and I remember just drawing constantly all the animals that I had seen. After staying at one of the safari camps for a few days, I was amazed and thrilled when the local staff requested that I should draw a lion in their guest book after they had seen my drawings.
Animals are my inspiration. I believe animals are very much like us with extraordinary traits and personalities that resonate with humans. But most of us have no idea that they share these special qualities. My art celebrates these qualities and quirks that we may be unaware of and adds a little bit of playful personality to their lives. When looking at my work, I would like people to appreciate these animals for their uniqueness and learn about their similarities, as well as their differences. I would love my viewers to relate to my work by discovering an animal amongst my collection that resonates with them and their personality, or perhaps someone close to them.