Gabrielle Graessle - PIff Paff Puff

Gabrielle Graessle was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1956 and has been fascinated by painting and drawing since she was a child. She attended Zurich Art School for 5 years, where she completed a degree in graphic design. Her first exhibitions took place while she was still a student. During this time, she made mainly black and white charcoal drawings spontaneously depicting her personal imagery. For 15 years, she was represented by various galleries in Switzerland. Many of her charcoal drawings hang in private and public collections. Her studio is located in a group of old cottages out in nowhereland. There are no distractions, and she can fully concentrate on her work in a secluded setting in nature. There she works on several canvases at the same time, creating multiple series of paintings. At the same time, drawings are still an important part of her work. These are spontaneous expressions of her thoughts and stories. They are often the starting point for her paintings. In 2020, she restarted to present her art at art fairs in Barcelona and Madrid, and participated in group shows in Germany and France.

Learn more about gabrielle graessle

“I paint all what surrounds me, what I see. My work is intuitive and inspired by all what takes my interest. All becomes form, enters into my drawings and paintings: animals, nature, fashion, films, books, news, also feelings, music, images from childhood up to now, without restrictions. I love large paintings, I like to be surrounded by my imagery, to immerse completely in my world of images. I work normally on 4-6 paintings at the same time and switch between drawings and paintings, which frees me again and again and also leads to new topics. I draw and paint without thinking, pin the drawings on the wall and don’t look longer at them. The drawings are not looking for a result. I live and work in a group of old cottages in the south of Spain where I have several studios to paint and to draw. I hate routine and I always listen to music when I work. I turn the music on and then I let it happen.”

In her artistic practice, Graessle deals with a wide range of themes, some of which have accompanied her since her childhood and repeatedly appear in her works. Such recurring motifs include her own body awareness and the female identity captured in movies or Vogue issues. Inspired by the seclusion and nature in Andalusia, Graessle is drawn to her studio every single day. She combines different artistic techniques within her work. In her paintings, the mostly large size of the canvases forms a significant contrast to the reduced representation. For her drawings, she uses homemade charcoal sticks and paper from a vast trove she had collected over the years from a wide variety of places. The choice of paper, partly checkered or perforated, is additionally incorporated into the composition.

The uninfluenced, pure way of freely expressing oneself creatively has always fascinated Graessle. The idea is to return to the innocence with which a child sees and captures the world. But she was discouraged to use this approach, for fear that it might be considered too quick and seen as unfinished. Supported by her long-standing experience in her current practice, she has found a unique path to lightness and ease in her painting style. The exhibition Gabrielle Graessle – piff paff puff features the most recent paintings and drawings by the Andalusia-based artist. After numerous exhibitions and art fair participations in Spain and the US, Graessle’s works are being shown in a solo exhibition in Germany for the first time.