Gavin Brooks

Gavin Brooks Biography

For oil painter Gavin Brooks, painting is a life-long journey, A fascination with the American landscape gained momentum during her years at the Schuler School of Fine Art. The European style atelier in Baltimore, Maryland is well known for preserving and teaching the fundamentals of drawing, sculpture and painting in the tradition of the old masters.

Gavin’s commitment to constant study and full-time painting follow the oldest traditions of plein air painting which emphasize the gathering of knowledge and understanding of nature through study and experience outdoors.  Her plein air excursions began in early childhood painting along the coast of Maine with her mother. It was a childhood that paired the interests of art and writing with an intense relationship to the outdoors.  Her time spent kayaking rivers, hiking mountains, surfing coastal breaks and exploring wilderness bring relevance and an uncommon understanding of nature to her works. Decades of observations she now brings to her studio paintings in her home state of Maryland and her regular cross country travels to study and paint with nationally recognized plein air painters.

Classic portraits, still life and figurative works are important elements in her fine art education, however, the landscape remains her passion. “Light and atmosphere in nature will always be magical to me. I will always find a way to be outdoors.”
 

Gavin is a Signature Member of the National Academy of Plein Air Painters and enjoys membership in The Oil Painters of America, The Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters , The Laguna Plein Air Painters and is active in juried plein air competitons throughout The United States. 
She has exhibited at the Oil Painter of America National Exhibition in Taos and at Richmond Va,  Paint Annapolis,  Plein Air Easton, The National Arts Club and a number of fine art gallery solo shows throughout the country.  Gavin and her works are featured in Plein Air Magazine’s August 2005 issue.

Recent awards include:

Second Place - Academy Art Museum Award, Plein Air Easton 2009
Best Use of Light, Plein Air Easton 2009
Grand Prize Winner, Plein Air Easton 2005

McBride Gallery is pleased to present the work of this talented artist.