Gabrielle England
-
My work explores the emotional resonance of landscapes, memory, and atmosphere through encaustic, acrylic, and pastel. Each medium offers a different path into the process: encaustics allow me to build rich, layered surfaces with wax and pigment, evoking depth and mystery. Acrylics bring freedom for loose, expressive mark-making; and pastels offer a softness and immediacy that often reflects moments from my travels.
I paint intuitively, responding to color, texture, and gesture rather than a fixed plan. My encaustic pieces often begin without a clear outcome, evolving through layers of heat, scraping, and fusing, much like memory itself. Whether depicting the friskiness of a horse, wide coastal skies or the quiet mood of a distant horizon, my work is rooted in feeling and place, real or remembered. -
Gabrielle England is a Pacific Northwest artist known for her expressive equine and landscape paintings in pastel, acrylic, and encaustic. Born in England and raised in Olympia, Washington, her lifelong connection to horses began early, her first word was “horse,” and by age seven she had her first pony. This deep bond continues to shape her art today.
Gabrielle studied for a time at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where she began exploring abstraction alongside realism. Over time, her style evolved to blend gesture with suggestion, allowing intuitive mark-making, simplified form, and layered texture to convey energy and emotion. Her early success with abstract equine line drawings led to national distribution as decals and inspired a deeper dive into acrylic and mixed media techniques.
Her pastel work, once strictly representational, now leans toward a more abstract interpretation of light and movement. In encaustic, she uses molten wax, shellac, and flame to create richly layered works that feel both ancient and alive.Her encaustic equine paintings were featured on Seattle’s ArtZone with Nancy Guppy, where she discussed her process and creative journey.
Gabrielle’s work invites the viewer to feel rather than simply observe, capturing the power, stillness, and beauty that exist in both animals and the natural world.
Selected Exhibitions
Exhibitions & Events (Reformatted)
2006 – Olympia Arts Walk, Spring
2006 – Olympia Arts Walk, Fall
2006 – Emerald Downs Equestrian Art Show
2006 – Northwest Dressage Expo, Woodinville, WA
2006 – Dressage at Devonwood, Sherwood, OR
2007 – Emerald Downs Equestrian Art Show
2007 – Dressage at Devonwood, Sherwood, OR
2007 – Gallery Contempo, Oneness, Olympia, WA – Group Show (June)
2007 – Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Olympia, WA – Solo Exhibit
2008 – Two Vault Gallery, Tacoma, WA – Featured Artist (April–May)
2008 – Hacienda de las Rosas Winery, San Diego, CA – Solo Exhibit (July–August)
2008 – Emerald Downs Equestrian Art Show, Auburn, WA (July)
2008 – Olympia Art & Frame, Olympia, WA – Solo Exhibit (July)
2008 – Reflections Gallery, Olympia, WA – Featured Artist (September)
2008 – Reflections Gallery, Olympia ArtsWalk (October)
2008 – Washington International Horse Show, Gaithersburg, MD – Donation (October)
2009 – Batdorf & Bronson Coffeehouse, Olympia, WA – Solo Exhibit (December)
2009 – Devon Wood Equestrian Center, Sherwood, OR
2010 – HITS‑on‑the‑Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition & Charity Auction,
Saugerties, New York
2012 – Olympia ArtsWalk – Breathe Studio
2013 – Olympia ArtsWalk – Love • Peace • Raw
2014 – International Equine Artist – Signature Member Status
2014 – Mud Bay Coffee Co, West Olympia – Solo Exhibit (Jan–June)
2014 – Tsuga Fine Art Gallery, Bothell, WA (Feb–Mar)
2014 – Art Zone with Nancy Guppy Interview, Seattle TV (March) Gabrielle’s segment
2014 – HITS Official Summer Program Cover Artwork, Saugerties, NY http://hitsshows.com/saugerties/
2014 – WA Department of Ecology, Lacey, WA – Solo Exhibit (Sept–Oct)
2014 – Donida Farm Equestrian Center Art & Gift Expo, Auburn, WA (Dec 6–7)
2024 – South Sound Studio Tours, Olympia, WA – Open Studio (April 20–21)
2025 – Valley Athletic Club, Tumwater, WA – Ongoing
2025 – Ballard Art Walk, Aluel Cellars (April 12)
2025 – Olympia Arts Walk, Olympia Community Center – Olympia Art League (April 25–26)
2025 – Ballard Art Walk, Aluel Cellars (May 10)
2025 – South Sound Studio Tours, Olympia, WA – Open Studio (May 17–18)
2025 – Ghost Gallery, Seattle, WA – How to Draw a Horse Exhibit (July–August)
2025 – Juried Equine Art Show, Emerald Downs, Auburn, WA (July 17–20)
“The Horse and a Whole Lot More”
Encaustic painting Blue Burst II – 1st Place, Mixed Media
2026 – March 5 – April 26 - Washington Performing Arts Center, Olympia, WA – Go Figure Exhibit
2026 –April 24–25 - Spring Arts Walk, Washington Performing Arts Center, Olympia, WA
2026 – April 20–25 - Spring Arts Walk, Olympia Art League – Juried Art Show
2026 – May 7 – June 13 - Copper Wolf Gallery – South Sound Studio Tours First Stop Exhibition, Tumwater, WA
2026 – May 30–31 - South Sound Studio Tours – Open Studio, Olympia, WA
Education
Self Taught
South Puget Sound Community College
Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle WA
Studied under Simon Kogan, Larry Freemantle
Gage Academy of Arts, Seattle, WA Encaustic Intensive Workshop
Pratt Fine art Center, Seattle WA Modern Approach to Encaustics
Memberships
NW Pastel Society
International Encaustic Artists - IEA
Olympia Art League
Select Publications
Flying Changes Magazine ~ Featured Artist February 2019
HITS on the Hudson - Cover Artist - July 2014
Horse Sport Magazine ~ Canada ~ Featured Artist October 2008
Horses Incorporated ~ Artist Issue October 2008
California Riding Magazine ~ Artist Issue 2005, 2006, 2007
American Art Collector ~ 2/2011, 3/2011
Horses In Art ~ Spring 2011
Western Art Collector ~ June 6/2011