Gabriele Bitter wants people to know that women with alopecia, a thinning of the hair, are beautiful, empowered, talented, and capable.
As a featured artist during The Finer Arts Gallery’s Jan. 17 “Art Affaire,” she will exhibit her recent work that is part of her “Women Series.” The event takes place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the gallery, which is located inside the historic Treehouse building, 6137 E. Cave Creek Rd., in Cave Creek. Admission is free.
A passion for painting in the moment
As a child growing up in Germany, Gabriele Bitter loved to draw. Music, dance, and visual arts were always part of her life, but it wasn’t until she moved to the United States in 1998 that she began to explore and obtain a formal education in the arts.
Over the years, her style has evolved from realism to abstract.
“My works have a distinctive look with many strong colors and textures. Many of my compositions are anchored in geometric shapes and lines, creating both balance and tension,” Bitter said.
Each painting reflects something she is feeling or has experienced.
She started her “Women Series” a long time ago when her hair began thinning. In the United States, an estimated 700,000 people currently have some form of alopecia.
“I know how important hair is to women, and I wanted to make people aware of it,” she said.
When high-profile celebrities, such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Naomi Campbell and Viola Davis, began speaking out about it, Bitter saw an opportunity to educate the public through her art.
“I thought, ‘What else can I do?’ I wanted to make the women in my paintings powerful, so I began painting red hair and blue hair and began having fun with color,” she said.
She enjoys the challenge of painting a woman’s form, but she never overthinks it.
“I love drawing hands, and I am interested in where the arm goes,” she said, adding that she is spontaneous and happiest when she is painting in the moment.
“I get lost in it, just like people do when they garden. I don’t like to be distracted, so I don’t have my cell phone with me. I listen to a range of music from classical to Adele,” she said.
While her painting sizes vary, she loves to paint on large canvases. “I love to move my body with my work so that it’s not just my hand moving the brush,” she said.
She also enjoys taking risks, experimenting, and playing while she is painting.
“I try to harmonize my color palette, and sometimes I will spend a lot of time layering. People don’t realize how difficult it is to communicate through abstract art. Color speaks in different languages, and while I may have an idea in mind, sometimes the painting tells me what it wants.”
A Wickenburg resident, Bitter also enjoys creating prints with modern and old printmaking techniques and encaustic painting.
“My painting journey has taught me that life cannot be controlled but experienced,” she said. “Life can be so complicated, but art can open your heart and touch your soul.”
Visitors to The Finer Arts Gallery will find diverse paintings, drawings, sculpture, mixed media, photography, glass, wood, fiber, ceramics, jewelry, and other original work. For details, call 480-488-2923 or visit thefinerartsgallery.com.
