About The Artist

Gabrielle Benot was born in Latvia, and grew up in Denmark. From an early age Gabrielle started sketching, drawing and produced impressionistic sculptures, working with her grandfather who was a self taught painter. Influenced by Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, Joan Brown, Willem De Kooning, Jean Paul Riopelle and others she takes an interest in partial figurative representation, reducing the subject matter to simplistic elements in her works. Many of her paintings spring from a variety of sources including books, magazines, private snapshots, and incorporate the use of liquid paint and Jackson Pollock's " drip technique", including the use of dry brushes palette knives, and a heavy texture made up from anything that inspires that. Benot has created many experimental works in the search for the " pure art". Henri De Toulouse Lautrec influenced Gabrielle to incorporate mixed media into her creations. Experimenting with abstract and figurative styles and bringing them together by taking strong references to the real world and synthesizing with departures from reality helped her in creating her signature style. Her works are powerful and speak to the viewer, having energy and movement. Watching her paint is like a performance, reflecting her passion, as abstract forms evolve into the universe as she sees it—a world on canvas, a living art. Gabrielle graduated from the Royal Fashion Academy ( Margrethe Skolen) in Copenhagen, where she studied fashion design. She is a resident of San Diego, California.