Meet Gabrielle Mouton | Artist | AMFT | Art Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabrielle Mouton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabrielle, what are you inspired by?
As much of an introvert as I am, I’m really inspired by people and how they experience their bodies, identity, mental health, relationships, healing, etc. I reference queer, plus size, and disabled bodies of color in my personal illustrations because they are very much tied to my own experiences. Often if there is something I’m internally struggling with, I end up creating some kind of imagery that helps me process and find meaning. I’m also very into plants and I almost always find a way to include some kind of botanical detail in my work. Other inspirations include anime, art therapy, bugs, folklore and anything spooky!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always pursued some kind of creative outlet. As a kid I was doodling and trying to copy cartoon characters, trying to draw manga and then jumping into film photography. In college I decided to become an art major after a year of trying to do a Kinesiology degree. I did my art concentration in photography but I was also in love with fibers, art history and figure drawing. I had very broad interests and wasn’t clear about what I wanted to do with my life, which honestly is totally fine for a 2o year old in hindsight. I was trying to figure out so much about myself while also trying to please everyone around me. My family worried that I couldn’t really be successful as an artist and I definitely internalized that. So I graduated from Colorado State University in 2016 with a BFA and immediately moved back to Los Angeles to get a Master’s in Marital and Family Art Therapy at LMU.

I created more personal art during my grad school program than ever before. While I was learning about family systems and clinical lenses I was reflecting on my own experiences. I was basically creating therapeutic artwork in and out of class while learning to be an art therapist. My notes and projects are COVERED in art, based on my classes and internal battles about identity. Becoming a therapist means you have to acknowledge, deconstruct and analyze yourself before you can support someone else in that process. So I did that in my art and I still do, it’s a never ending process. I’ve learned that it’s vital to keep growing and learning in art and in life, the moment you believe you’re done is when there’s a problem.

I had a moment where I felt like I had to choose between making the art that’s meaningful to me and being a clinician. In reality, life isn’t always “this or that” so I’m working on balancing my art and my clinical work. I started doing portrait commissions for friends during grad school and then jumped into some larger projects after graduating. I’m fairly proud of the album covers I’ve worked on during the pandemic, portrait photography and my personal illustration work. I work in Procreate, Photoshop and Lightroom right now but I try to play with watercolor and gouache when I have time. Almost all of my personal illustrations combine femme bodies and botanical imagery. My current commission project is illustrating a children’s book which feels like a huge step in the right direction for me. Much of my client work is in styles very different from the one developed in my personal art. I stay as flexible as possible in client work which has been interesting and challenging. At some point in the near future I’d like my commission work to blend with my personal style and reflect my voice as a queer woman of color.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite part of growing up in LA was trying different types of food all over the city. Downtown Culver City is home to my favorite Argentinian restaurant Grand Casino and I think everyone needs to experience their pastries and empanadas. Right down the street you can spend hours in The Ripped Bodice, finding top notch romance novels or take a walk to The Museum of Jurassic Technology. For comic books and figurines head over to Pulp Fiction, grab coffee next door at Tanner’s and then eat a massive bowl of pho at Pho Sho across the street. Spend hours in any Mitsuwa which house a Japanese grocery, mochi shop, stationary store and a variety of comfort food restaurants. Or head to Sawtelle to take your pick of Japanese restaurants, dessert shops and karaoke bars. For Italian food I always go to C&O Cucina to eat endless garlic knots and for brunch try Pann’s, Dinah’s, Good Stuff, Uncle Bill’s or J. Nichols (You can’t really go wrong with any of them). For a quick beach experience hang out in Santa Monica or Venice but for a day trip I love driving to Paradise Cove. Check out art at The Getty, LACMA or anywhere in the Downtown Art District.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I moved back to Los Angeles in 2016 I felt very stuck and unsure about what I wanted in life. My friends and family kept telling me to get out of my own head and try something new so I joined a group at my local woman owned comic book store, Pulp Fiction. It was terrifying initially but I found a sense of community that I hadn’t felt in a while. We sit around once a month and eat an insane amount of candy and home baked treats, have a drink together and talk about everything under the sun until we realize it’s 2am. Some of us draw or craft while we hang out and give each other feedback and words of encouragement. Having a diverse, supportive and inclusive group of people rooting for me has definitely motivated me to pursue my art career with a little more fervor.

Website: https://gbrlvisuals.squarespace.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbrl_mtn/