Gabrielle Brinsmead Blog Website
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 […]
My husband has a new (used) car and the kids have one holiday weekend left before school resumes, so we decide to take a day-trip that is not too far from home. Warburton sounds ideal, not only because of its proximity to Melbourne, but also because my grandparents met in its Seventh-day Adventist church in […]
The heatwave has abated, our children are in school, my husband flies back to Pakistan on the weekend and we have been overly-preoccupied with schedules and cleaning, so on Wednesday morning we throw routine to the wind. Fortified with coffee from Axil Coffee Roasters, we head to Yarra Bend, Melbourne’s largest bushland park. We don’t […]
After planning our move from Karachi, Pakistan to Melbourne, Australia for more than a year, we arrive on Thursday, January 3, at 11 pm. While our first week is exciting, moving in turns out to be even more difficult than we anticipated, with each small win accompanied by a seemingly larger drawback. Back in November, […]
I was raised in a Christian family by very devout parents. My father was a minister while my mother, a classically trained musician, was an organist. For a number of reasons, we all drifted away, but no matter what other pleasures and distractions I eagerly pursued, nothing could fill the giant God-shaped hole in my […]
Our cat Zizi left us yesterday, and it was so hard to say goodbye. For weeks we have known that her last day was approaching, but we kept hoping that she would stay with us a little longer. Her hips collapsed two weeks ago. I found her behind the couch, legs splayed out sideways, unable […]
I was born into a Seventh-day Adventist family who regarded health and holiness as the twin goals of existence. It is thus no surprise that I am devoted to feeling and being well, and am assisted by a growing list of habits.Turmeric and ginger water in the morning, before coffee. A good skin-care routine. Organic […]
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 […]
Oil and enamel on canvas. 48 by 72 inches. The house is in chaos, and so is my mind. After twelve years in Pakistan, we are moving back to Australia. Blocks of orange, yellow and pink paint represent excitement, anxiety and fear of the unknown. Blue soothes, a reminder that God, our guides and our […]
An old, unfinished canvas gets updated with a brand-new look. Over two days, I layer cadmium, scarlet, crimson, magenta and rose, then surround it with a contrast of lamp black, olive green and mid-yellow. I add splotches in the same green-black tones, beginning gently and slowly and rapidly increasing in force, until I am breathless […]
