Interview
Gianna Erica McGrath
Gianna is the artist behind GEMmade Designs. She is a Guelph, Ontario born artist that creates landscapes made entirely from wool. She frames her pieces in a unique way by restoring and repurposing antique window frames collected from across Ontario. As a professional Classical violinist, she studied both music and fine art at Western University and graduated from the Artist and Community Education Program at Queens University, focusing on the impact the arts have on communities and education. She uses her musical background to help inspire her artwork and create sentimental yearning within each piece. Gianna’s artistic goal is to create a style of artwork full of colour, texture and movement that can add life to any room. She believes a handcrafted piece of art can transform any space into feeling more inviting and special because it brings a high level of craftsmanship and most importantly, a story.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“The roots of my journey as an artist began with my nonno, my beloved grandfather. Nonno was an inspiring model of creativity, from his love of the earth which was in full expression through his impressive vegetable and flower gardens, fruit trees and beautifully manicured lawn to his fondness for drawing simple pictures just for the joy of it. It's the treasured memories of my time in the garden and countless blissful hours spent sitting at the kitchen table with nonno encouraging me and giving me some drawing instruction that the first seeds of my love of the arts were planted. I've been an avid illustrator ever since those early years. Music has played a significant role in the art I create today, as foundational as drawing. As an accomplished violinist mastering the skill of transferring the emotion of a piece to my audience, my vision of art helped me 'colour' my notes. I consistently found myself going back to my childhood and using my love of art as the vehicle (vision) to highlight the feeling in my playing. I studied art in university and shortly afterwards I discovered wool painting. While creating 3D animals is popular in this medium, I was drawn to rekindling those beautiful early years and the joy, the peace and absolute delight I felt in nonno's gardens and drawing at the kitchen table with him by my side. Then came that 'aha' moment, the moment that resonates with you when you've suddenly discovered something about life or yourself or both that causes that important shift. When I hear and play music I see colours. This is known as Synesthesia. Through my artwork I bring life to these colours meaning everything I saw when I was 'colouring' my notes in music, I found myself now wanting to express through wool art. When I started to create, what I call wool paintings, I realized all those visions in my mind that I was using to colour my music in order to communicate to my audience I was now expressing through my nature-themed paintings.”
What inspires you?
“I am inspired from nature and music- experimenting and getting lost in the process, the textures, the colours, the movement, the rhythm - the flow of creating.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“My artistic vision is to consistently inspire sentimental yearning.”
“Music has played a significant role in the art I create today, as foundational as drawing.”
How would you describe your work?
“When I hear and play music I see colours, known as Synesthesia. Through my artwork I bring life to these colours through what I call wool paintings. My work is comprised of the visions in my mind that colour music and the nature all around me.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Being Canadian, I am inspired and influenced by Canadian landscape painters such as Tom Thomson, Emily Carr and the Group of Seven.”
What is your creative process like?
“The first step in my process is finding antique window frames from across Ontario with unique stories and character. I then spend time sketching in nature to find perspective and inspiration for the piece. With my classical music background, I listen to pieces from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras that evoke the feeling(s) of the scene I wish to create. These pieces bring me the colours I use within the art piece.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists have a unique role to play in society as we have the ability to express what we see in the world through our work. We can bring people together, create a sense of identity, innovate, touch on difficult political, social and environmental issues, foster deeper thinking, preserve cultural heritage and so much more. I think as the world evolves, so do the ways in which artists create based on what they feel inspired to communicate.”
