Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Klerian.
Hi Gabriela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey as an artist started with a more classical art background, where I learned composition, perspective, color, and technique. That foundation is still very important to me, but eventually I felt the need to break away from doing things the “right” way and start exploring what felt more natural to me.
A big part of that change came from spending time in different cities and really paying attention to what was around me. I became very interested in graffiti, street art, old buildings, painted walls, signs, textures, and all those little things you can find walking through a city. I love how a wall can have so many layers — something painted, then painted over, then scratched, marked, or covered again. Nothing is perfect, but somehow it becomes beautiful.
That started influencing the way I paint. I began bringing some of that urban energy into my work, using layers, marks, lines, drips, textures, and graffiti-inspired elements. I don’t try to simply copy what I see on the street. Instead, I take those visual experiences and translate them into my own abstract language.
That is really where STUDIOKLERIAN has grown from. My work is a mix of my classical training and this much more spontaneous, imperfect, urban influence. I like having both sides present.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Coming from a classical art background, I was very used to thinking about technique, proportion, composition, and making things look correct. When I started moving toward abstraction, I had to almost retrain myself. There were moments when I would look at a painting and think, Is this really finished? Should I fix this?
Learning to stop doing that was difficult.
I also think there is a challenge in developing your own identity as an artist. There are so many talented artists and so much art everywhere, especially now with social media, it can be very easy to start comparing yourself or wondering if what you’re doing is different enough.
For me, the answer has been to keep looking at what genuinely interests me. The graffiti, the streets, the imperfections, the layers, the energy of cities. Those things keep coming back into my work. I have learned that I don’t need to force my art to fit into a particular category; I just need to keep developing my own visual language.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work is contemporary abstract painting, but I think a lot of the inspiration comes from places that people may not immediately associate with traditional fine art.
I’m very inspired by the streets. Graffiti and street art have had a big influence on me, especially the way artists use walls as a place to express themselves. I love the lines, the movement, the bold colors, the imperfections, and the way different images and marks exist on top of each other.
When I paint, I like to build those same kinds of layers. Sometimes I start with something very controlled and then I completely change it. I add paint, remove paint, scratch into the surface, add lines or marks, and let some of the earlier layers remain visible.
That’s probably one of the things I enjoy most; when you can see a little bit of the history of the painting in the final piece.
My paintings aren’t really about telling the viewer exactly what to see. I want people to bring their own experience to them. Maybe someone sees a city, someone else sees movement, or maybe they just connect with a color or a feeling. I like that the meaning can change depending on the person looking at it.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like most about The Woodlands is the environment. I love the trees, the nature, the trails, and how peaceful it can feel. There is a very different energy here compared to the cities that inspire a lot of my work.
And maybe that contrast is actually good for me as an artist. I can live in a place that feels calm and surrounded by nature, while my mind is still very attracted to the energy of cities, graffiti, architecture, and street art. Sometimes I miss that urban energy. I miss walking around a city and finding something unexpected. The Woodlands is very polished and planned. As an artist, I’m sometimes drawn to places that are a little more imperfect.
In a way, I think both influences find their way into my work: the calm and the chaos, the controlled and the spontaneous, the clean surface and all the layers underneath.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.studioklerian.com
- Instagram: @STUDIOKLERIAN
