Born in Argentina, Gabriela Firehammer grew up next door to a famous stone sculptor. She remembers being five years old and running over to his place to watch him work, often being put in a trance by the sound of the chisel repeatedly connecting with the stone. Though it sparked a deep inspiration in her, she didn’t end up becoming a sculptor –– at least not right away.
Gabriela’s career in art began in the fashion industry making one-of-a-kind pieces for the music industry. She parlayed her creativity into working with glass for many years, before switching to making jewelry. For 15 years, she sculpted wood and stone with her husband, Jeremy Firehammer. At some point, she said she decided it was time to paint.
Currently Gabriela works in gouache and encaustic creating abstract landscapes. Her paintings, often inspired by vivid dreams, are ethereal, meditative and almost dreamlike.
“Once people enter my space, they take a deep breath,” Gabriela said. “My paintings are meant to be a relaxing place for the viewer to be, so they may escape the rat race of life that we have in the outer world and take it inward.”
That ability to transport a person through art is one of Gabriela’s driving forces to create. She likens the same joy viewers get from her art to the enjoyment she experiences during the curation.
“The only unique thing about ourselves is our voice,” she said. “The expression of that voice in as authentic a manner as you can dig through your soul to get to is the gift you get from art.”
Another experience she treasures is her time at the Celebration of Fine Art. Attuned to the people and art that surrounds her, Gabriela said she feeds off the energy of the show.
“There’s synchronicity and coincidences,” she said. “There’s passion here. If you come to the show, bring your seatbelts. You’re going to need it.”
See more of Gabriela’s story below: