We recently connected with Gabriela Domville and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriela, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My most meaningful project is my bird project. It all started as a simple art class project in which I had to select an image as a reference to paint. Not having enough detail from my own photographs, I decided to touch base with the San Diego Natural History Museum for a better look at my subject -birds-. After several attempts and a couple of months of waiting, I was invited to visit their bird collection. This collection is an archive that is not open to the public but serves as a research center. As I was opening the specimen drawers, I became speechless and quite impressed by the striking beauty of this beautiful bird collection, their vivid colors, and smooth feathers (even in specimens that are 80-100 yrs. old) made me think about our future. In a 100-year lap would birds still be around the earth. Being a mother of 3 girls, I am concerned about the climatic changes that we are facing and the constant abuse of the resources as well as the destruction of them, the rapid consuming world in which we live in, scares me. Right there, I became aware that this could be the only form of seeing birds in a future, in a drawer, as we keep destroying our planet with unmindful practices. I decided that the cause for my collection would be that, of making the viewer aware of the tiny changes we can do to our daily routines to improve this situation. After several visits and numerous photographs, I had complied enough material to start drawing and painting my subjects.

Dreaming of beautiful natural scenery that surrounds me and inspired by the French textiles “Toile de Jouy” in which humans and animals coexist in harmony, is the parting point of my “Intervene and Interfere collection”
Using my drawings from nature observation, I have created my own version of “Toile de Jouy” patterns in which the main subject are birds. As a symbol of freedom, liberty and renewal, birds also represent one of the many animals endangered in our planet; ghost birds, keys, chairs, and feathers to name a few are other symbolic elements that appear in my work. Minding the materials and trying to incorporate recycled items, I try to move the viewer into questioning the cause of the dead birds presented in my paintings. By reflecting and changing small things in our daily habits, we could contribute to reestablish balance in our environment.

My collection is comprised of oil paintings, paper, and watercolor as well as scarfs. My collection is contributing to causes that support bird conservation like Audubon Society as well as women in India that are part of a fair trade employment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My creative journey started early in life; I can recall filling up coloring books that I purchased in my trips to USA. Then a bit older, wanted to build houses and sew clothes for my dolls, so using crates from the market and scraps of fabric, and rug from our local upholster, my brother and I made a huge barbie house (he is now an architect). As a teen, I used newspapers to draw patterns and with fabric that my grandmother gave me, I started sewing my own clothes. That eventually evolved into taking formal art classes and culminating with studying fashion design. As I am an avid learner, I continued to study and ended a Ceramic Master course, 2 certifications one in Art and Creative Process, the other Photography. Up to date I have probably taken over 50 courses in different art related techniques.

My work is a compilation of all this knowledge that I have acquired over the years as well as my experiences of living in three different places. I enjoy painting in oil and in acrylic, I can draw in detail with a pencil but also with my sewing machine. I like to collage, but also stitching over it as well as over photographs. I can do representational art as well as abstract, I love to include recycled materials, as well as repurposing objects and fabrics, trying to do a meaningful practice and giving back to earth. My art reflects this great vastness of knowledge acquired though my studies.

One of my favorites things to do is work on commissioned projects because there is always a challenge, and it moves me out of my comfort zone. I have created murals, 6ft paintings, family portraits, abstracts, and ensembles as well as commemorative gift for special occasions.
I also teach classes to kids and adults which I really like.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

When it comes to talk about being an artist people might think “oh how fun, I wish I could be an artist!” Behind being an artist, comes a huge package of multi-task being and a huge organizational skill. Being an artist means taking risks, having to struggle with your own demons constantly, and learning to let go. Painting can be quite soothing and being in the zone is a bliss but choosing topics, resolving to finish a piece can sometime be quite challenging. Painting is not as easy as it looks it requires knowledge to be able to find solutions as you go along. It means that you are willing to let go of things that you probably love to make a piece of artwork in balance or composition. It sometimes feels that painters just put paint to their canvas, and it will look good, but it is not, there are so many decisions that you make as you paint, always thinking about the next move to have good result and sometimes you need to start all over.
Being an artist is also being someone who is organized and has a drive.
When you work in a company, certain requirements and hours are agreed while being your own boss requires to be present and organized to fill in studio hours and being able to handle all that is involved now a days to show yourselves to the world. Painting or creating is less of the time that you spend in all the business side of being an artist.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I find that when I am working, there is a certain sense of calm, a happy feeling, a place where time or space doesn’t exist it is a very therapeutic state; when you are flowing, it is like a state of pure bliss and that feeling is very rewarding to me.

When I create, it means I get to experiment with different materials and subject matter, trial and error is constant flight with knowledge and intuition. When you finish something that you like, it is not also rewarding but a sense of freedom and conquer is felt. Being able to turn pieces of paper and paint into something pleasant is rewarding when you sell a piece, it is a cherry on the pie! Nothing is more pleasing than to know that you can please someone else through your art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gabrieladomville.com
• Instagram: gabrieladomvilleart

Image Credits
Alexandra Borbolla ( headshot)