Contact Gabriela Pickett at info@missingpeaceart.org

 

Gabriela is a native of Mexico City. Coming from a long line of artists, she studied art at Wright State University in the United States. Her life is full of experiences that have allowed her to develop her talent as an artist. Being born in Mexico nurtured a fondness for what most people would label as morbid images. Mexican art is a mixture of pre-Hispanic metaphors blended with graphic, and sometimes even terrifying, images of a bleeding and battered Jesus. The horrendous realities of war and political instability that Mexicans endured from 1810 to the late1930’s inspired many great artists. Some wanted to use their artistic abilities to attest to the brutal living conditions of every day life in Mexico. Others used their art to express their political opinions. When Gabriela paints or creates sculptures she uses a fusion of influences from her native country. Jose Maria Velasco and his landscapes, Posada and his morbid sense of humor, Diego Rivera and his desire to show us the harsh reality of life experienced by the Mexican peasants oppressed by corrupt governments, and Frida Kahlo, who painted from the heart communicating a sense of physical and psychological anguish. Gabriela aims at raising awareness regarding the living conditions of the Mexican indigenous people who have been marginalized by economic realities and social discrimination. As an activist, Gabriela uses her art as a venue for social commentary in the hope that indigenous people are not forgotten. In an era where Zapatistas have put down their guns and use words as a weapon against tyranny, she uses her art to compliment the messages of peace and respect for human rights emanating from the jungles of Mexico. Her landscapes are memories of her childhood recorded for posterity. As urbanization takes over the Mexican landscape, Gabriela wants to show the world the beauty of Mexico’s countryside before it fades away.

Due to many twists and turns encountered in her life, she only started to take her personal art work seriously in the last five years. She says: "I have to thank my best friend and husband Will for encouraging me to develop myself as an artists. He believed in me and saw something in me I did not believe I could achieve. I am also greatful to have a father whose artistic talent fostered,in me, a passion for art. Likewise, I have been influenced by exposure to the beautiful and pain-filled paintings of my younger brother Jorge and the beautiful glass artwork of my sister Laura".