Gabriela Zapien

Hours spent drawing as a child gave way to a formal education and career in graphic design. Now Gabriela’s passion is reflected in her striking portrait paintings.

The series: In January 2002 Gabriela created the first illustration in what would become her signature "Lifeline" series: portraits characterized by closeups of faces, bright colors and heavy lines following the most prominent features.

Evolution: The heavy lines have been a constant in her portraits, but in the beginning the paintings were extremely colorful using bright, contrasting colors, with the lines almost secondary. The series has evolved to a monochrome palette with the lines in white or a contrasting color. Originally working with colored pencils, Gabriela experimented with inks, watercolors, mixed media and oils, until finally settling on acrylics about 10 years ago. She loves visible brushstrokes and the unique texture created by the palette knife.

Process: First beginning with pencil sketches -- often two or more for a face -- Gabriela then combines the most interesting lines, painting them onto the canvas. She discards all details and focuses on the few lines that make recognizable the character, expression or mood.

Inspiration: The artist’s s...