We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabriella Pino Moreno a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gabriella, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I think I’ve always known I love art and wanted to be an artist, since childhood. Art and all of it’s different forms were my favorite childhood pass times: drawing, painting, crocheting, weaving, etc. I have always loved murals and graffiti, being exposed at a young age to vibrant street art in Brooklyn and Richmond. Art was always my favorite subject in school, as it felt like a safe space to express myself where I also excelled. However, I always assumed it was an unserious profession. Growing up, my Puerto Rican household was very focused on staying out of generational poverty. This meant many things, including the expectation that I peruse a “serious” career, something lucrative and respected.

It was not until middle school photography class that my teacher pulled me aside and told me to apply for the visual and performing arts specialty high school in my city. Up until that point I had figured art was just a fun hobby to have, at least that’s what my family had taught me. I didn’t even realize I had a level of talent. It was the visual arts specialty center program at Thomas Dale High School that pushed my skills and confidence to new levels while exposing me to professional artists and their practices from all over the world. We took frequent trips to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond for exhibitions and it soon became obvious to me that there was a huge creative economy. I wanted in.

During this time I was also exposed to VCUarts. At the time, VCUarts was the #1 art school on the East Coast. I was accepted into their arts program (though I only enrolled for 1 semester before dropping out). It was my first true exposure as an artist in the art economy. Even after I dropped out I continued to paint murals, do small exhibitions, building my network, and even began selling art! Since then I’ve only grown more in my practice, business, and brand. It’s been a journey all these years to get to a point of being a professional artist, and I am forever grateful for all my art teachers that pushed me to be here. Who saw the things I couldn’t see in myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Gabriella Pino Moreno is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary artist based in Richmond, Virginia. She has been practicing art since childhood and has a mixture of academic-level and self-taught skills. Her Grandpa first introduced her to oil painting when she was in the 3rd grade after she begged him to teach her as he was a skilled landscape painter, primarily focusing on pictures of their island – Puerto Rico. Her Mother introduced her to crochet around the same time as well, as she crocheted Gabriella and her family a variety of clothes, blankets, and accessories as gifts. Additionally, her mother also took on sewing, thus exposing Gabriella to textile arts.

Gabriella focuses primarily on visual arts through oil painting. Her preferred stylistic techniques range from Contemporary, Abstract, and Realism styles. The lens of this work in particular strikes a balance between a variety of socio-cultural themes and experiences as a Caribbean Latina. She strives to use her art as a tool of representation that explores the context within the intersections of cultural identity, socioeconomic class, and geopolitical history.

She also experiments in textile/fiber arts and styling. Growing up, Gabriella experienced something many girls face: unaccessible new clothing, clothing that does not fit properly, and wearing hand-me-downs from older family members. Inspired by childhood shopping trips to Goodwill with her Father, she has a strong desire to create sustainable fashion by reusing existing garments found in thrift stores. She is commissioned to “thrift flip” custom pieces for people as well as crochet accessories. Additionally, she loves to accompany people in finding their personal style and self expression through garments.

Lastly, Gabriella is a creative director. She has worked alongside various local DMV artists on vision and creative output for their music albums. Additionally, she has also consulted with local businesses to develop their brand visuals and merchandise.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is making people happy and inspiring people with the art I create. Whether it’s a painting that makes someone think critically, or a garment that gives someone more confidence, or developing scenes in a music video that perfectly symbolize the lyrics, etc. I love the feeling I get when I see someone standing in front of my paintings, looking at all the details, trying to understand while also being in awe of it. The huge grin of someone trying on a garment I altered for them – it’s truly irreplaceable. I want my art to inspire people, to bring them joy in a world of chaos. And I want it to inspire them to express themselves – to take a stand, to let their voice be heard.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2021, my Father passed away from COVID. The following year, my Grandfather passed away as well. This knocked me down to my rock bottom – the two people who not only inspired my art journey but were also my biggest fans – were now gone. It hurt so bad, doing art was so emotionally painful. At this point I was only doing minimal visual art such as paintings and commissions. I got behind on commissions, I was not developing my personal portfolio, I felt like I was falling so far behind. Worst of all, I began to doubt myself: my skills, my vision, my ability to really make a business out of my passion. I took a pause from my art business and traveled the world to escape but also to look for inspiration. My heart needed rest. I went to places like Barcelona, Paris, London, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and came to the realization that life is too short. If I want something, I have to go for it.

Around 2023 is when I started putting new work out into the world. Not just paintings – I decided to expand into prints, clothes/styling, and creative direction. I built a website. I started showing my work in different places. I started networking in new spaces and collaborating with types of artists I never had before. I stepping into creative direction and had amazing experiences helping other artists bring their visions to life. I started approaching my practice from an entrepreneurial perspective, diving into educational resources on entrepreneurship and branding. Now in present day I have expanded my art practice so much farther than I could have ever imagined, and I have dreams of how far I can go. I honor my Father and Grandpa with my art, and I know they are guiding me forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.galeriagabriella.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbrlla_