Meet JDP senior poet Gabi. She has a poet’s soul, a dancer’s grace and a child like joy to embrace life for all its promises of hope that makes every room she enters a warmer place to be.
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Gabi is a senior at Garrison Forest where you’ll most likely find her in the theatre department investing countless hours in tech crew. While she loves the leg work of prepping the set, sound and lighting, she’s also been pulled into several productions. She perfected a British accent for last fall’s production of Clue. She’s currently gearing up for a cast role in this fall’s play, All the Way Time Flies.
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The transition from backstage to on stage happened as she realized she had to choose between her love of dance and theatre. Keeping up with both wasn’t possible so she followed her heart to theatre. Since she was no longer performing on stage in dance, she began to accept roles on stage in her school’s theatrical productions.
In creating portraits, I am always intrigued by the notion that we can capture the multi-faceted expressions of emotions. I set the stage and work the client through the process to make the viewer feel. I want the viewer to resonate with emotions beyond the simplicity of happy. Aren’t we all sooo much more complex than that?
Art gives expression to the emotions that boil, overflow, simmer, rage and spill forth from our lives in the secret and in the open. Gabi knows this all too well for the peace that’s offered to her in giving expression to all this in her writing.
Gabi’s mom was struck by the portrait above. Gabi lost a dear friend Rebecca last year to colon cancer and was asked to read one of Rebecca’s poems at her funeral. Dealing with loss is never easy, but especially in what should be the invincible teen years. Our poetic words offer a balm to hearts that are breaking, allowing full expression of the grief necessary in the journey towards healing.
My stylist Jill felt compelled to place butterflies in Gabi’s hair for part of her fine art segment…not knowing how much Rebecca loved butterflies. She’s never done that before, but felt compelled to do so in the midst of the styling…
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Gabi’s an an award winning poet, inspired by her favorite poet, Amanda Gorman. She won silver in the National Scholastic Art and Writing competition with her poem, “Stepping Through Life.” All the art that radiates from Gabi has at least partially been passed on from her incredibly creative mother Nichole. Nichole has a creative workshop and boutique small business Keppel and Kismet which specializes in small batch manufacturing.
Writing offers Gabi a chance to step into other worlds, it’s almost an out of body experience for her but not in a scary way. She’s present writing, but feels like she’s somewhere else.
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Gabi’s artist soul is not limited to writing, dancing, and acting…nope, she’s also a photographer! If she’s not in the theatre, then check the dark room at Garrison Forest! She loves photographing to inspire her poetry and vice versa. Her camera and tripod accompany her throughout life.
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Gabi has understood intimately what Marc Riboud shared, “taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
Gabi started dancing when she was just 4 years old. While Gabi has packed up her time in dance lessons, she certainly has not packed up herself as a dancer. She values the stress relief and freedom of expression dance offers.
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Gabi loves fluidity of movement and figuring out where her dance is going as she moves through her own choreography. Free style dancing in an open space offers her a chance to transport into other worlds, just like her writing.
This world she steps into is a world filled with grace, joy and an emptying of oneself in a way that needs no explaining to dancers.
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Gabi your artist soul was such a delight to create for! Your joy and enthusiasm for the process was inspiring and invigorating! I wish you all the best as you continue to soar and explore this big world in front of you! You embody the words of Montana Dennis, “With creating, we are literally bringing something into existence that didn’t exist before.” Always keep creating!
This is truly amazing! I love the way you captured the full essence of my baby sister❤️!! With every line and every image you were able to peel back another layer of who she is! This collection is Awe-Some! You and your team are amazing!! 🙌🏾
Wow! Thank you, Jen! You created a beautiful, welcoming, warm environment that transported Gabi (and her mom) to a fairytale place. Thank you for your kindness and the wrap around service you and your team provides.
Nichole
(Proud momma)
This is absolutely beautiful, I see the talent and beauty in Gabi, in all of the pictures. I can’t wait to see the plans GOD has for her.
Joyce Bates
(Aunt Joyce)
Absolutely stunning, I loved each photo such beauty and grace.