Gabriella Lewenz Artist | Gallery
Auckland
American New Zealand Artist based on Waiheke Island. New Zealand
Message
Lewenz is a Greek-born American–New Zealand painter who has been based on Waiheke Island since 1997, following her move from Greenwich, Connecticut, to New Zealand.
Raised in the diplomatic community, her childhood was shaped by a rich and diverse cultural upbringing, having lived in Greece, Pakistan, and the United States. These formative experiences fostered an early appreciation for the arts and a lifelong curiosity about culture, place, and connections.
Lewenz studied Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston. She studied under the renowned abstract painter Friedel Dzubas in New York City and has exhibited in New York, Boston, Connecticut, Italy, and Auckland.
Her mixed-media oil paintings are held in private collections throughout Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Since relocating to New Zealand, she has worked exclusively from her purpose-built studio and Gallery on Waiheke Island, where she has developed a loyal international clientele.
Her gallery has also been recognised by Tourism New Zealand and Auckland Tourism as a premium destination for hosting many of the country's VIP guests, international media, and public relations delegations. Her work, studio, and the distinctive island setting have also been featured in numerous international magazine publications.
Statement
"My paintings combine blended mediums of oil, washes, ash, wax, marble dust, and ground stone. My process engages a fluid and intuitive approach, weaving textural imagery and colour evoking the lyricism of the natural world and my deep connection with the landscape."
The physical beauty of her island surrounds is one of the foundation of Lewenz's works and continues themes she has explored over the last twenty years. The rhythms of nature and the four elements - air earth, fire and water - that are so dominant in her landscape recur throughout her works and reflect her deep connection to the natural environment.
Yet, it is the fifth element, etheric or quintessence that underpins her practice. The fluid, intuitive, ethereal and the spiritual are conveyed through her artistic process which involves combining and layering works using a selection of materials. This organic approach to art making evokes the lyricism of the natural world whilst acknowledging the role of the random, haphazard and chaotic'
With each new work Lewenz explores new ideas and techniques to explore ways to capture the beauty and power of the island's landscape surrounds. She approaches her craft and practice alchemically, aiming to convey the metaphysical.*
*Greek meta ta physika ("after the things of nature"); referring to an idea, doctrine, or posited reality outside of human sense perception. As such, it is concerned with explaining the features of reality that exist beyond the physical world and our immediate senses."