About the Artist
As a pupil of Hitchin Girls' Grammar School until July 1966 Gabrielle's teacher was keen that she should aim for a career in the sciences, developing new ideas for chemical industries that were then growing around Cambridge University.
However, Gabrielle wanted to create objects of beauty, so with no grounding in the Arts she chose instead to leave school to study Art full time at Hitchin College where she enjoyed long hours experimenting and learning new skills in the Art Department.
Gabrielle quickly progressed to the St Albans School of Art and thereafter to Exeter College of Art. She found it difficult at the end of the first of the three year course at Exeter to decide which area to specialise in, as concentrating on either painting, drawing, printmaking or ceramics seemed to lack complexity, and how to combine these skills eluded her.
The answer seemed simple - to experiment at home for a year and consider her options. Her plan was foiled when she met and married a farmer in 1971 and by 1975 had had three children! Determined to achieve success in the world of art and satisfying her need to create, she added yet another string to her bow by attending evening classes in wood carving. Gabrielle then found part-time employment with a local craftsman carving the backs and arms of reproduction chairs.
From the fields of Hertfordshire, Gabrielle moved to the greener fields of Wales in 1975 and launched her own furniture company working from home, satisfying customer orders in between ploughing and washing nappies. But having once achieved a perfect, hand-made tenon joint there seemed nothing more to strive towards, so she began exploring further afield.
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She was drawn to the exciting possibilities of mosaics, where drawing, the colour separation skills of printmaking, and clay work came into play. Instead of using broken pieces, she could make her own tesserae from ceramic, producing a surface suitable for the home. To regain her drawing skills, Gabrielle joined life drawing classes, alongside her daughter who also wanted to build a portfolio of work.
In 1991 Gabrielle applied to Carmarthen College of Art and Design entering the Higher National Diploma ceramics course. With no teacher in mosaics, Gabrielle identified, adapted and learned the required techniques from books. She did this alongside the two year ceramics course working long into the evenings until the caretaker insisted on locking up. At the end of the course, her work was impressive but lacking in visual composition and there was a need to investigate why.
Gabrielle's painting skills had been neglected for more than 20 years and when the Carmarthen College appointed her as Assistant to the Ceramics Technician, this was exactly the life-line she needed. She spent her week-ends painting and the working week was devoted to helping students solve their problems. The position was funded by Training for Work and once more she was able to combine all her skills and learn new ones, including the fundamentals of running a successful studio, care of machinery, optimisation of raw materials and their reclaim together with the importance of Health and Safety at Work. Gabrielle will always be grateful to the College for the unique opportunity they gave her.
In order to purchase all the equipment necessary to run a hand-made tile business, Gabrielle spent three years working at home taking commissions from clients and showing exhibition pieces in London, Carmarthen, Cardigan and Llanelli. When she formally launched her own business in 2000, the first commission was a mosaic fireplace surround, shortly followed by an entire bathroom in hand-made tiles.
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Gabrielle now undertakes a variety of commissions in a wide range of styles tailored to suit individual taste and the architectural needs of a living space. Her studio and showroom are in Crymant, Brongest, Nr Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion, SA38 9EX.