Issue 6 Artist Spotlight | Gabriella Giaconia
C+B: Tell us about yourself, Gabriella!
GG: I am an elementary art teacher in NYC. I enjoy going to the beach, checking out galleries and exhibits around the city, and trying different Italian food and restaurants. My inspirations come from shapes and lines in nature, and the connections I have with people and myself. I think that paintings are a lot like people.
C+B: How has your relationship with your work changed since you first started creating?
GG: It is much more of a priority in my life. When I first started teaching, my own creative practice became non-existent for about 4-5 years. I felt very unaligned in many aspects of my life. Since getting back into it and being much more consistent, I feel much more myself.
C+B: Describe the earliest memory you have of creating something. How did it make you feel?
GG: My most distinct memory of creating something was in 3rd grade art class. We were studying Georgia O'Keeffe and her flowers, and our assignment was to create flowers using chalk pastel on black paper. I remember loving using that material, and seeing how vibrant the chalk pastel was on the dark paper excited me. That piece was chosen to hang in the local mall in the district art show, and when I took it home, my mom framed it and hung it in our living room and it made me feel so proud.
C+B: Which creator (present day or in the past) do you most admire and why? What draws you to their work?
GG: I have so many artists and creators that I admire for different reasons, but Julia Cameron's book "The Artist's Way" changed my life. Her ideas and beliefs and rituals around creativity really catapulted my own creative practices, so she is usually the first that comes to mind around creative inspiration.
Find and support Gabriella here:
IG: @gabbygiaconia
Website: etsy.com/shop/BelleandBumble
(Untitled 1, 8’’ x 10’’, mixed media, ©Gabriella Giaconia)
My ideal creative retreat would be: My ideal creative retreat would include morning pages, solo art making time, supportive critique time with other artists, and it would be by the ocean, where I feel the most at peace, creative and inspired.
One word that describes my most recent work is: Layered
A quote that inspires me is: Although I do not know much about Thomas Merton, his quote, "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time" has always spoken to me. I think as artists and viewers of art we learn more about ourselves, other people, and the world around us each time we participate in creating or looking at art, while also escaping from reality into another realm.
My hope for those viewing my work: I hope it inspires them to want to pursue their own creative work, and invite them to look at paintings like people- with lots of layers and a story behind everything. Maybe the colors or movement will also remind them of a special time and place.
