Gillian Fink
Inspiration comes when you least expect it. For Gillian, a young woman with intellectual disabilities, it all started a little over ten years ago when she was working on a giant jigsaw puzzle of brightly colored tropical fish. As she worked the puzzle she thought she would like to make a painting of the parts that she liked. Her first painting of the jigsaw puzzle turned out as she had hoped. And so her journey began. She starts with finding paintings of her favorite artists. Picasso’s Cubist period tops her list. Georgia O’Keefe’s orchid paintings, van Gogh, DeChirico, the Impressionists. Other sources of inspiration are books and Disney animation. Her boundless curiosity keeps her searching for new images, resulting in ongoing composites that become the narratives in her paintings. The process is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Outlining in black first for her overall layout, she is then able to add the bright colors of her palette. Bold and vivid colors of familiar images in surreal landscapes can resemble stained glass. Her passion and joy of painting is evident.
In addition to her painting, she is a fearless athlete. She also enjoys creating dance routines to some of her favorite musicals and movies.
Check out the Gallery Showings tab for recent and upcoming showings of her work. And on her Blog page, there are some more comments and images about her artwork goings on about town.