Gabrielle Brinsmead Blog Website
Art
Lord, Show Me the Way.
Oil on Canvas. 40 by 48 Inches. In a dark place, I once again seem to have lost my way, paint-wise. Frantic, worried, sad, agitated. Green and pink, black and white, a dash of red. I get too excited, make too much mess and go through too much paper, cleaning it up.At the end, I’m […]
Art
Pink Tulips.
Oil on Paper. 42 by 60 centimeters. They are not on my list or in the budget. But on a Friday evening, after a long week during which I have truly struggled and suffered, the color and their spirit of these hot pink tulips represent all the joy that I feel in the coming weekend. […]
Art
Imperfect Copy.
Oil on paper. 12 by 16.5 inches. Not one of my copies is a perfect representation. The lilies I paint are not as beautiful as the ones I buy from the fruit shop. The yoga postures I do are not as good as the ones I see on Instagram. My abstracts are not as exciting […]
Art
From Heaven to Earth.
Oil on canvas. 12 by 16.5 inches. The highlight of each week, for me, is Mass on Saturday. Behind the altar stands a wooden lattice that catches light pouring in through stained glass windows. A sea of liquid gold, and when it mingles with songs of praise my heart leaps up, so full and bright, […]
Art
Cooking and Cleaning.
Oil on paper. 12 by 16.5 inches. After a dissatisfying weekend of mainly cooking and cleaning, this is what appears on Monday’s canvas. Not perfect, but better than the rest of the house, that’s for sure.
Art
Eat or Paint.
Oil on paper. 12 by 16.5 inches. I buy three pears from the providore on Whitehorse Road: one each for my daughter and my son, and one for my lunch mid-way through painting class. But my pear, freshly in season, looks so beautiful and quite seductive, that I decide to paint it instead (and, inadvertently, […]
Art
Root to Rise.
Oil on paper. 12 by 16.5 inches. I am Australian, as were my ancestors. After being away for twelve years I am back here, my feet grounded in the soil of my present. I am grateful for the support and nourishment of this sacred earth. I dig in, hands and feet, praying to this mother […]
Art
Sands of Time.
Oil on paper. 12 by 16.5 inches. My first completed painting in Melbourne is a triumph over adversity. Since we have moved to a tiny townhouse, I have to paint in my garage. It is very dusty, the light is poor, it is too hot or too cold, there is a car in the middle […]
Art
A Gift From The Melbourne Botanicals..
Oil On canvas. 24 by 30 inches. Driving into the center of Melbourne, I am dazzled by the clouds, the light, the gardens and the trees. Am I remembering scenes and impressions from my childhood, or is it a shared memory that transports me? As children we only visited Melbourne every second year, but two […]