Narrative Painting and Discovering Your Artistic Voice, with Gabriela Dellosso

I’ve heard from many of my fellow artists about the struggle to find their artistic voice. Have you struggled with finding yours? What has helped you in your pursuit? My guest is narrative painter, Gabriela Dellosso known for her homage portraits, she paints historical representations of women artists using herself as a model. In our conversation, Gabriela shares how she found her artistic voice, her evolution from freelance illustration work to painting full time, stories about her mom posing as her model, stories of women artists that she has painted, and so much more. I can’t wait for you to get to know Gabriela and her wonderful journey as an artist! Finding your artistic voice. It’s a given that at some point, an artist will struggle with finding their voice or articulating it in a way that other people can understand. What is your story? Did it come easy for you early on or did you struggle to find your voice for some time? Gabriela Dellosso, like many of us, struggled with finding her artistic voice for quite a while. She looks back on that process as vital to shaping who she would become as an artist. Gabriela's advice for those who are struggling to find their voice is to go with what they are passionate about and meditate on ways to communicate that passion and concept to a wider audience. Gabriela has a wonderful way of talking about this topic and I hope that those of you who are currently struggling to find your artistic voice and find some encouragement! The challenges and distractions of social media. What is your relationship with social media like, as an artist? Do you find it useful and encouraging or do you find it supremely distracting and frustrating? My guest, Gabriela Dellosso and I talked about the role of social media and how it impacts artists in our conversation. While we both find it can be incredibly distracting and lead us down the path of comparing ourselves to other artists, we do note it’s helpful aspects. Have you found a helpful balance between using social media and taking the time to step away for a break? Do you have any helpful tips or best practices when it comes to this topic? A parent’s love and support. Who was it that nurtured and encouraged your growth as an artist? Was it a family member, a close friend or a mentor? What was it about their encouragement and support that helped you locate your artistic voice and passion? In our conversation, Gabriela Dellosso opened up about the impact that her mother had on her growth as an artist. She was kind enough to share with me some heartwarming stories about her mother serving as her model for many projects, one which led to her creating a whole series on clowns. I hope you can get the sense of love and support that Gabriela enjoyed in the early stages of her career from her mother. Finding the right inspiration. What is it that really moves you and fuels your inspiration for your artwork? How did you find it? What do you do to incorporate into your creations? My guest, Gabriela Dellosso has found her inspiration in the women artists who have gone before her. As Gabriela studies and learns about the incredible women who had to fight for a place at the table and still were able to produce stunning works of art, she feels compelled to lift them up and celebrate them in her own work. How can Gabriela's amazing work and beautiful inspirations inspire you and your creative expression? Make sure to check out images of Gabriela's work at the end of this post! Outline of This Episode [1:45] I introduce my guest, Gabriela Dellosso. [3:30] How did Gabriela get started as an artist? [14:30] Gabriela talks about branching out and finding her voice. [19:00] Advice for artists trying to find their voice. [26:00] The challenges and distractions of social media for the artist. [31:30] What is Gabriela currently working on? [33:00] Learning from women artists. [49:00] How Gabriela chooses artists to research and draw inspiration from. [53:30] What is Gabriela's process and approach in her current series? [58:00] Where do we get our influences as artists? Other artists mentioned on this episode Rembrandt Adélaïde Labille-Guiard Giovanna Garzoni Rachel Ruysch Sofonisba Anguissola Michelangelo Holly Lane Resources Mentioned on this episode Gabriela Dellosso Americas Other Audubon Connect With Antrese On Facebook On Pinterest On Instagram On Twitter