Gabriela Kramer
Gabriela Kramer found refuge through art after a tumultuous childhood. Venturing from home, she thrived in Tel Aviv's vibrant atmosphere, shaping her artistic style and identity with the city's diverse energy and influences. Settling in Brooklyn, New York, in 2022, she fully embraced her passion for painting, using mediums like crayons, oil pastels, and colored pencils to blend childhood chaos with adult boundaries. Drawing influence from her upbringing marked by pop culture, television, and navigating life with a single mother, Kramer's art reflects her experiences. The names of her paintings evoke a sense of connection, inviting viewers to share in her journey and find resonance with their own stories. Through her abstract expressionist works, Kramer aims to convey a journey from innocence to womanhood, allowing viewers to explore vulnerability and navigate their own emotional landscapes within her art.
Collect Bean: What role does color play in your practice?
Gabriela Kramer: I love color, lots of it – especially bright hues. Color and color pairing are a big part of my practice. It is the essence of each of my paintings. The color is meant to evoke intense or subtle emotion. I like to play and use many different mediums to create different textures and hues of color within each shade. Currently, my favorite color is pink.
Collect Bean: If you could be in a show with any artist, who would it be and why?
Gabriela Kramer: I think it would have to be the late Gaetano Pesce, the Italian architect, designer, and artist. His use of colors, mediums, and scale evokes a lot of passion within me. He responded to the world and created sculptures and designs based on the direct influence of society that he was directly affected by. It would have been a dream to have been able to have a show side-by-side with him in an alternate universe.
Collect Bean: What does an ideal day in your studio look like?
Gabriela Kramer: First things first I get up and make food to take with me into the studio as some days I will be there till late. Normally, Buckwheat pancakes are my choice. I stop in to my favorite coffee house Red Hook Coffee Shop - get my coffee extra strong, no milk and no sugar. I get to the studio and put on 101.1 FM. I either start to prime one of my raw canvases or work on one already primed. Sometimes, I sketch for a few hours before working on styles and color pairing. And that's pretty much what happens for hours. Sometimes, I have sweet studio visits that bring me much joy.
Collect Bean: How does where you grew up influence your work?
Gabriela Kramer: I think it is more about how I grew up and the fact that I moved out of the country to Tel Aviv at 18. Growing up in San Diego, I had always felt less inspired; things felt very sleepy for me. Removing myself from what I always knew and putting myself at a young age on my own in a new city and a new country gave me a lot of imagination and endless possibilities of who I wanted to be and how I wanted to create. My childhood and familial life in San Diego are motifs that are recurring in my works – as can be seen in some of the titles of my works, i.e. Where's Reba, When Sheldon Goes Bananas, or 9376 Caminito Del Vida, a smaller work which I am showing in The June Collection.
Collect Bean: What does growth mean to you?
Gabriela Kramer: Growth means constantly evolving and constantly challenging yourself to be better. This can be in both the emotional and physical realms. For me, growth is constantly making sure I am moving forward and creating a better version of myself so I can show up stronger, and better in other aspects of my life.
Collect Bean: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Gabriela Kramer: Enjoy the journey.
