by Gabriela | Thursday, June 18, 2020 | inspiration
How can you make the most of your walls and work out the best layout for your pictures, photographs and other art? Here are some basic tips I thought might help: 1: Large wall, large picture You can’t go wrong with a big picture centred on a big wall. This...
by Gabriela | Monday, April 6, 2020 | inspiration, tutorials
Once upon a time when I was at art school, drawing from life was a regular activity. After that, I slowly fell out of practice, apart from quick sketches to work things out. Occassionally I would try to pick it up again and find it frustrating, as drawing isn’t...
by Gabriela | Thursday, March 26, 2020 | inspiration
As we are all stuck at home at the moment, I wanted to share a few collage-making ideas with you. The wonderful thing about this technique is that we all have the materials at home – in fact, a lot of them end up in the bin, so it’s a good way of recycling as well as...
by Gabriela | Monday, January 6, 2020 | inspiration
As some of you know, I live and work in Camberwell, where I’m very lucky to be based in a complex of live-work units which is home to a diverse range of artists and makers. My own studio is a large double-height space that allows me to work and teach on the spacious...
by Gabriela | Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | events
The Camberwell Open Studios Weekend on 7-8 December is the perfect Christmas shopping opportunity to purchase art and beautifully made objects direct from local artists and designers. Whether you’re looking to explore behind the scenes of workshops that are not...
by Gabriela | Monday, September 2, 2019 | inspiration
My previous post was about learning to make cyanotype prints in a day; this time I want to tell you about something that took me a while longer to learn. I had been intrigued by Verre Églomisé (the technique of gilding onto glass to produce a mirror finish) for a...
by Gabriela | Wednesday, July 31, 2019 | inspiration, new work
This Summer I have had the opportunity to learn some things that had been on my wish list for a long time: the first one of these was creating cyanotype prints in the company of four other eager learners and under the guidance of artist Helen Dixon at Bainbridge Print...
by Gabriela | Sunday, May 26, 2019 | events
This year is the 25th anniversary of the Camberwell Arts Festival, and the Open Studios Weekend is part of this celebration! On Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June several collective studios and artists’ houses in Camberwell will be throwing their doors open to welcome art...
by Gabriela | Friday, February 15, 2019 | inspiration
You’ve probably heard of ‘The Green Book’ by now, even if you haven’t seen it yet – no idea how or why it managed to bag the Oscar for best picture, particularly given the calibre of its contenders, but I won’t get into that...
by Gabriela | Friday, February 8, 2019 | inspiration
My work and the collection of vintage imagery that inspires it are featured in Ephemera, volume 5 of the gorgeous Uppercase Encyclopaedia of Inspiration. Found images combined with vibrant colour and pattern are at the core of my creative work, and I have a growing...
by Gabriela | Wednesday, August 15, 2018 | inspiration
I spent a Friday in Hastings a couple of weeks ago and was intending to write a post about the whole visit when I realised that the highlight of the day, apart from a very good lunch at St Clement’s Restaurant, was yet another visit to A.G. Hendy’s Home...
by Gabriela | Wednesday, April 4, 2018 | events
Over 100 artists, designers and makers will be welcoming visitors during Dulwich Open House weekend, Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 May between 11 am and 6 pm. Come and see a curated selling exhibition by four very different artists at 49 Peckarmans Wood, SE26 6RZ Once...
by Gabriela | Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | events, inspiration, reviews
The current Jewish Museum Exhibition “Designs on Britain” (on until 15 April 2018, admission £8.50) features the work of several pioneering Jewish émigré designers who arrived in this country from continental Europe in the first half of the twentieth...
by Gabriela | Monday, December 18, 2017 | inspiration, tutorials
I recently discovered the iconic collages of graphic designer Dorrit Dekk, whose work features in the current Jewish Museum Exhibition “Designs on Britain” (on until 15 April 2018, admission £8.50). Her work is charming and humorous as well as deceptively...
by Gabriela | Tuesday, November 14, 2017 | events
On Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December several collective studios and artists’ houses in West Camberwell will be opening their doors to to art lovers, collectors and gift seekers. Here at 6 Empress Mews, my studio and home since 2015, I’ll be showing my new...
by Gabriela | Friday, August 25, 2017 | decoupage, inspiration
Last month I had the pleasure of hosting a lovely hen party at the studio. I had been approached by two friends of the bride who wanted to do something really special for her, and after meeting for a chat I offered them a tailored glass decoupage workshop to create a...
by Gabriela | Monday, May 8, 2017 | inspiration, reviews
I must confess that I knew nothing about American artist Fred Tomaselli before I stepped down to the imposing space that is the basement of the Mayfair branch of White Cube gallery. My interest in him was because he was billed as a mixed-media artist, and I’m...
by Gabriela | Saturday, April 29, 2017 | inspiration, reviews
This is the third and last post on my recent visit to Casa Azul, the building in Coyoacán that was Frida Kalho’s home from birth till death, and is now a museum devoted to her life and art. Two weeks ago I wrote about Frida’s studio and last time I showed you part of...
by Gabriela | Thursday, April 20, 2017 | inspiration
This is the second post of a short series on my recent visit to Casa Azul, the building in Coyoacán that was Frida Kalho’s home from birth till death. Last week I wrote about Frida’s studio; this time I want to show you some of her ex-votos. The term...
by Gabriela | Wednesday, April 12, 2017 | inspiration, reviews
One of the main highlights of my recent visit to Mexico city was spending a whole afternoon wandering round Casa Azul, the building in Coyoacán where Frida Kalho was born and and lived until her death at 47. Frida’s extraordinary life is captured within the...
by Gabriela | Wednesday, March 29, 2017 | inspiration
This is a mostly visual post, where I just want to share some images with you. I recently spent a few days in a very beautiful country house, and was captivated by some of the objects found in and around different rooms, as I felt these reflected the stillness of the...
by Gabriela | Wednesday, February 15, 2017 | inspiration, reviews
On a grey February day, the unabashed colours and energetic shapes that characterise Josef Frank’s patterns provided a welcome contrast with the outside, and it was a pleasure to walk into the Fashion and Textile Museum to visit this compact showcase of...
by Gabriela | Thursday, February 9, 2017 | inspiration
One of my intentions for the year is to gain more exposure for my work, so I was very pleased that before January was even over I had been featured by a lovely independent blog that offers resources for independent shops, small businesses and artists. You can read my...
by Gabriela | Tuesday, January 31, 2017 | decoupage, inspiration, tutorials
In this post I will show you how to transform a plain pair of shoes into your own unique creation using just paint, paper and glue. Shoe decoupage is an advanced technique and this project will take you 4-6 hours. Tools and materials: An old pair of shoes: leather or...
