Gabrielle Lord exhibiting in Lewes

Gabrielle is originally from Lincoln but has lived in Lewes for the past 27 years: “I have been leaning more towards making figurative paintings for the last few years – which makes sense as I am regularly drawing the figure in life drawing sessions. When I paint, I am drawn to working in acrylic, which dries quickly and suits my method of layering. I like to work quite quickly to try and capture the energy of the subject and not get too caught up in detail. I often take my reference material back to black and white so that I can observe the light source.

“Capturing movement has been a theme for a series of paintings of skaters and dancers, then circus performers. So the burlesque theme for this show feels like really a natural progression. There is so much there for me in terms of substance – performers, fire eaters, aerialists, fabulous costumes, an exciting and charged environment. Both sensory and sensual. I try to leave some ambiguity in the meaning of my paintings. I expect people will come away feeling differently about them. But I hope that, like me, they find pleasure in the energy, feel an admiration for the performers, rejoice in their diversity and perhaps feel a little curiosity for who they are. I started out as an art therapist, having trained at Herts College of Art & Design in St Albans. I worked in the Brighton NHS mental health services for eight years. This included having three years of analytic psychotherapy myself, which was fascinating and helped me feel I had something to say! Art therapy training definitely gave me permission to be more messy and expressive with paint and to work with more ephemeral things like dreams and memories in a more abstract way. I came back to life drawing once my three kids were school age. I started out at Paddock Studios with Tom Benjamin and subsequently joined Star Life Drawing Group. I have been a member of Chalk Gallery, a co-operative of artists on North Street in Lewes for about four years. I also show with Salt Edge Arts.”