Gabriell

One should not paint to be socially recognized, one should paint to know oneself... - GABRIELL

Born on March 22, 1956 in Témiscouata (Quebec, Canada), Gabriell Lavoie, Certified Professional Artist by the International Academy of Fine Arts of Quebec, is a self-taught artist. With such a predestined name and a visionary approach, Gabriell is without a doubt a new reference in the world of symbolic painting. From one canvas to another, his paintings reflect his path. For him, everything he paints expresses what he is. He uses painting to manifest and communicate the Light that is in each of us.

Living simply and humbly in Quebec, Gabriell grew up in the Lanaudière region. From a very young age, his drawing talents surprise by the quality of his work which seems to come naturally to him. Later, his love for drawing earned him, in the 1980s, his first letters of nobility in the art of portraiture. In spite of this recognition, he feels a great emptiness within him and several personal changes trigger a profound awareness of the meaning of his existence.

During this phase, he questions not only his need for performance and recognition, but also, at the same time, his talent. This was the turning point in his artistic career: a new path opened up for him and a new creativity emerged. Guided by a greater confidence in his talent and a more present spirituality, he sketches some landscapes inspired by fairy tales that reflect his new aspirations. This experience lasted a few months and proved to be very revealing. Oil painting and acrylics became his new means of expression. The symbiosis between his personal research and painting gives birth to works of great depth and allows him to express his immense potential.

Art allows the human being to make manifest the qualities of his Soul...

In retrospect, he also understands through symbolic analysis how his evening job as a school janitor helped solidify his spiritual will. In order to devote his days to the development of his artistic talent and at the same time ensure the monetary resources necessary to live materially, Gabriell worked for several years as a janitor in a private educational institution. His duties included cleaning several rooms on all four floors of the school, including the washrooms and hallways.

During all these years, I was not aware of the impact that this work would have on my future. It was when I began to study symbolic language that I realized that all those evenings spent doing my cleaning routine with my broom and my cart full of cleaning products were meant to simultaneously clean up my inner self, my inner school, my own potential as a student and teacher. At first, my ego was put to the test, especially since some of the teachers at this school were former classmates. I learned humility and detachment from the eyes and opinions of others. I integrated active meditation into my work as well as analysis and deep reflection. Every night I talked with God about my life and my future. This intensive communication with Him shaped my spiritual will. I wanted with all my being to express who I really was. It was my dream, my dearest wish. Then, one day, an unexpected change occurred in my life. A new association gave me access to the art world and allowed me to leave my job as a janitor.

This new partnership is short-lived, but serves as a springboard for his future career as a teacher and professional painter. Gabriell perceives this synchronicity as a wonderful gift from Heaven, an unhoped-for chance that he has been waiting for for a long time. This new motivation generates a magical inspiration that was unknown to him until now, and that will have a direct impact on his life and his art. After eight years of learning and deep cleaning, Gabriell is now committed to a new program. Fate has decided that he will now share the gift he received from Heaven and his dream will come true...

Today, Gabriell continues his journey in his studio in Terrebonne where he transposes his talent and creative inspiration not only in his magnificent paintings, but especially in the enthusiasm with which he teaches intuitive painting.

Subsequently, a new partnership was formed with UCM Publishing, a publishing and distribution house. Thanks to this new association, the distribution of Gabriell's works expanded. Indeed, he creates works that are found on a collection of CDs and on the cover of several books, including many international best-sellers. This same publishing house is involved in many joint projects with the artist. To date, the artist has created a series of 65 greeting card designs, 8 poster designs, 3 calendars, a series of 24 laminates as well as the illustrations for a children's story, while several other projects are currently underway. Each year, intuitive painting workshops are organized in Quebec and in Europe.

Intuitive painting has completely transformed my vision of Art and Life.

His work travels the world and inspires the souls of new generations to discover inner beauty through painting. Always determined to elevate his art to the highest level, Gabriell continually reinvents it while inspiring other artists to do the same. His multiple artistic experiences open up the paths of renewal. In fact, many say that something timeless emanates from his work.

I know that all this transformation to which I aspire through my paintings will also have a direct impact on the people who will look at my paintings. It is therefore very important for an artist to recognize the immense responsibility that comes with exhibiting their work.

These last months mark a new stage for the artist, he receives prestigious awards at many symposiums, with great recognition from the artistic community. He has been recognized by his peers of the International Academy of Fine Arts of Quebec as an Academician Professional Artist. In addition, several opportunities are being negotiated in terms of art galleries.

Gabriell recognizes the privilege associated with the exceptional gift he has received, and it is important to him to honor that talent. The artist has also made it his mission to make art accessible to all. Thanks to his open-mindedness, he offers tools such as... respect for others and the right to make mistakes... tools that he himself has integrated into his art. His painting courses and workshops are often associated with a new form of expression: intuitive art. According to Gabriell, exchanges are essential to the success of the training he gives.

Through his symbolic and spiritual approach, his style became a new reference in the world of painting. From one canvas to another, his paintings reflect his journey. His quest for the absolute and his responsibility to his own conscience allow him to continually seek to embody qualities and virtues. To be in Gabriell's company is sometimes more philosophizing than painting, his students say.

Thanks to my meditation work and the deep study of my dreams, I now understand that we become what we think. So I paint to become what I paint...

It is often when he succeeds in abandoning himself totally to the impulses of his inner self that new elements arise in his work. The tendency to want to control disappears and is replaced by receptivity. Time seems to stand still, the potential within him is activated and his confidence is renewed. It is a phenomenon filled with magic, as if the canvas is covered with colors and movements that take shape without his knowledge.

At certain moments, I have the impression that the painting already contains, in the invisible, the imprint of its destiny, in other words that it is already painted at a higher level of consciousness. The message of the work seems to me then determined in advance and guided by a Force... A Force greater than me...

The symbiosis between his inner research and painting gives birth to works of great depth.

Each symbol represented takes on a meaning that is unique to each person. When looking at and analyzing the different works, people talk about my paintings with images that are their own and that reflect their respective vision... Intuitive painting has completely transformed my vision of art and life. The freedom of expression and the detachment from the material result are essential in what I experience with my canvas. I am learning to let go and to open my heart to inspiration, the infinite potential that lies within each of us...