Pat Gabriel paints landscapes in oils, with a focus on the sky.
I like using the distinct lighting created by clouds and nightfall to portray the ordinary as extraordinary.
Some of my work is scenic, but I also feature trees, and man-made structures in a portrait like manner.
Even though my work is realist in style, many of the places I portray are imaginary. Through selectively merging and editing my reference I create scenes with added symbolic and personal significance.
Pat Gabriel began drawing and sculpting as a child but became much more serious about producing art during his teenage years. At age fourteen, he met Yan Macs, a Latvian-born painter, and established his inspirational compass. He began working with acrylic paints and producing highly detailed paintings. After he graduated, Gabriel immediately began working as a commercial artist and started moving his way up in the advertising field. Although the commitments of his daily life limit his time, the direction and quality of Gabriel’s work matured over time and he later began working with oils and studying mainly European artists.
Gabriel is greatly inspired by clouds and what they do to light; he often paints the transformation of light and color frequently seen in the Texas landscape. In addition, he draws inspiration from plant life and keeps an elaborate garden. Working slowly, Gabriel spends quite a bit of time considering what to paint and says that many of his paintings are symbolic or perhaps allegorical. Highlighting the collision of nature and man-made elements, he creates figurative painting through landscape imagery.
In most cases, Gabriel begins with small idea sketches, working on many ideas at once. He photographs subjects of interest and then edits the images to create a final painting reference. His greatest aspiration is to make the viewer experience the same feelings he had while he was painting. Bringing the awe he experienced when he noticed the shifts of light in the morning sky to his pieces, Gabriel conveys ideas that are personal to him but are universal to his audiences.