Certain objects reveal opportunities the more I look at them. Their shape, structure, texture, or color communicates the possibility, when combined with other elements, of having both a material and a poetic presence. As the idea for the paintings grows, I visualize the composition and color palette, often making drawings to help clarify my approach. Grounded in direct observation, the formal choices are also influenced by an interest in tension between decorative and plastic space, asymmetrical balance, and color interaction that can produce a particular kind of light, mood, or feeling. Basic geometric forms of the circle, square, rectangle, and triangle make regular appearances, as well as intricacies within a basic form such as the texture of lace in a pile or the roadways printed on a paper map. The natural world, when included, is often in the form of flowers, or through allusions and references to landscape, stars, and various natural elements. Additional sources of inspiration include literature, art history, place, season, and found objects.

born: 1979

education:

University of California Davis, MFA, 2007
University of Oregon, BFA, 2002

selected awards/honors

Millay Colony for the Arts, One Month Residency, 2010
Ucross Foundation, Three Week Residency, 2009
Hambidge Center for the Arts, Three Week Residency, 2008
Vermont Studio Center, Partial Scholorship and One Month Residency, 2008

selected publications

Studio Visit Magazine, Volume #10, 2010
Studio Visit Magazine, Volume #7, 2009

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Lux Center for the Arts East Gallery, "Gabriella Soraci: New Paintings," Lincon, NE, 2011
Chemeketa Community College Art Gallery, "Early One Morning; Jodie Raborn and Gabriella Soraci," Salem, OR, 2010
Red Mountain Gallery at Truckee Meadows Community College, "That Thinking Feeling; Paintings by Gabriella Soraci," Reno, NV, 2009

selected group shows

Bowery Gallery, National Competition (Juror Rackstraw Downes), New York, NY, 2010
Manifest Gallery, "Pause: Contemporary Still Life," Cincinnati, OH, 2009
Florida State University Museum of Fine Art, "The Tallahassee International," Tallahassee, FL, 2008   
Gallery RFD, "Classicism, Modernism and Beyond," Swainsboro, GA, 2008