Gabrielle Valent
Jewelry Designer
Nobody smokes anymore. I just LoVE this picture!!
Where were you raised? Has the landscape of that place influenced your work in any way?
I’m a native New Yorker. I grew up in the village. I also spent a lot of time in eastern Long Island; I had family that lived there .
I feel both landscapes influence my work. The diverse, eccentric people I would see just walking to school shaped my aesthetic. My mother was a very chic, had a special style and eye that influenced me very much. I spent weekends with my dad at the natural history museum. My favorite was the hall of gems. I always collected rocks and minerals. We also spent a lot of time at the metropolitan museum of art. I loved the Temple of Dendur and all the Egyptian jewels. The botanical gardens too! All the colors! The first place I got to explore alone as a kid was the beach. I was always collecting specimens. I love nature.
How do you re-charge your creative battery?
Traveling, stacks of European fashion magazines from the 80s, earth science books, seeing art and movies. Music is a huge part of charging my creatively. Seeing shows, listening to my husband compose music while I’m working, endless inspiration
What book are you reading?
Dolphins, ETs & Angels by Timothy Wyllie.
What was the last thing that you fell in love with?
The Tarot Garden in Tuscany . Niki De Saint Phalle designed and built it In the late seventies. She made huge, incredibly beautiful sculptures of the 22 major arcana of the tarot. It looks insane, clearly she was possessed by something and working a lot of stuff out.
Dolphins
Conway the Machine
What do you love most about yourself?
My resilience
What do you think is the most important quality in a human?
Genuine kindness and a good sense of humor.
Do you have a spiritual practice?
Yes, yin yoga, baths, alters, gratitude everyday
Who are your role models?
My mom, all feminists in the 60s
All female pioneers , especially the ones that didn’t realize they were.
If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be? Is there a individual or an organization doing work in this area that you want us to know about?
I think prison reform is very important. There are a lot of race and class issues wrapped up in that that run deep in this country.
Before I die I want to…
I want to visit The Tarot Garden in Tuscany .
All photos courtesy of Gabrielle Valenti and Jen Davis
