PAANANEN, Gab

Gabrielle Paananen is an artist whose deep affinity with nature informs her work.

Gab is a sculptor, creature designer, taxidermist and natural history illustrator. She has formally studied production/concept art, animal behaviour, illustration and has trained in ornithological creature design, welded sculpture, puppetry and special effects for film. Gab has also spent many seasons rescuing and rehabilitating injured wildlife on the NSW Central Coast. The movement, behaviour and anatomy of birds of prey as well as patterns in nature are key influences on her developing work.

Over the past few years Gab has worked as a concept artist, maker and have toured internationally on productions including ‘Arc’, ’Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium’, Vivid Festival’s ‘The Liminal Hour’ and various productions at Belvoir St Theatre, Terrapin Puppet Theatre and Born in a Taxi. She has illustrated several scientific papers as well as a book that has been published internationally, preserved endangered specimens for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, has produced a series of illustrations of critically endangered species for Zoos Victoria and was recently awarded the Cat Palace Emerging Sculptor prize for her work in the recent minitures show at Defiance Gallery.