Meet Gabriella Grant of Ventura

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Grant.

Hi Gabriella, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a very artsy household – both my parents are two of the most creative people I know, so growing up my sister and I were surrounded by art and color. Studying graphic design in school allowed for even more experimentation and self-expression. I would say that was really when I found my groove – drawing more abstractly with saturated colors. I loved drawing human faces, still do. When inspiration started to stagnate last year, moving across the country to California was a much needed rush of energy. Fast forward to today and you’d find me painting, drawing or sculpting something bright and conceptual.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, in a weird way, yes. I’ve never experienced so much love and unconditional support. I would say the ‘hardest’ part (ironically also kind of the best part?) of the process was/is sharing my work online. The feeling of putting energy out into the open void, to only be followed by mostly silence is rough. A good amount of self-doubt and imposter syndrome over the years. Oh god and so much comparison to other artists I could vomit. For a while there, I would draw and ruminate on how much money I could make – not a great place to operate from, lot of deep-rooted fear. I’m grateful to live in a time where artists don’t need to go door-to-door to have their work seen, but the SELL SELL SELL MARKET MARKET MARKET of social media as a fine artist can get to your head. I’ve since found that coming from a place of serenity and curiosity (and trust* in the fact my art will find the perfect home) feels much better and is way more sustainable. At the end of every day I remind myself that the purpose of life is to simply experience, and I feel my chest lighten.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Mainly I would say I’m an abstract illustrator who likes clean lines and paints a lot (and sculpts when I’m not wearing acrylics). A few years back I started drawing on thrifted art and never looked back. Allowing the shape and size of an object to influence the design is a fun challenge. Truly feels like I’m working with the universe and the kind, unknown souls that assisted me in the process. In general, my work has a lot of abstract figures (unintentionally self-portraits more times than not), botanical themes, and checkerboard patterns for days! And for the record, over-use of the color pink is not a concept in my world.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Fridays after school at mom’s, watching Frasier DVDs and making home-made french fries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gabriellagrantstudio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/gabriella.grant