Gabriella Trznadel

Ashley Reservoir

Charcoal on paper

14″ x 11”

2023

Why is a bejeweled top hat named for one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century? According to legend, Giacometti’s brother Diego would stop the artist from compulsively carving sculpture so thin that it would snap. As I added multiple layers of jewelry, I kept thinking about my tendency for maximalism. This top hat was made with every piece of costume jewelry that I collected over the years. It was satisfying to begin an unconventional collaboration between myself and my compulsion to collect, giving a “hat tip” to the Giacometti brothers for their influence into this artistic journey.

@trznadelart

Gabriella Trznadel

Girl in Bread

linocut print, ink on newsprint paper

5” x 7”

2023

This print was created in a series of prints based on the story “Fitcher’s Bird,” that were later put into an artist book.

@trznadelart

Gabriella Trznadel

College of the Holy Cross, 2024, Studio Art, Chemistry

Then and Now

charcoal on paper

30” x 44”

2023

I wanted to draw myself into childhood photographs, especially when it comes to photos that show how my Babcia and Dziadziu encouraged my love of art starting at such a young age. It is a drawing of appreciation, reflection, and connection to the loved ones and past selves that make us who we are today and continue to shape us. It is also an acknowledgment that while some people are not physically present, we can still feel them in our everyday lives.

@Trznadelart

Gabriella Trznadel

College of the Holy Cross, 2024, Studio Art, Chemistry

Hallway

charcoal drawing on paper

18″ x 24″

2020

This drawing is of my childhood bedroom, which I would attend my online classes in freshman year. As I was drawing the room, I recalled the memory of seeing a figure in the hallway, walking in and out of the doorway while I was in bed. I wanted to recreate the figure but depict the room as it was in the present, playing with the idea that spaces hold memories too. It also offered reflection on how the room and I both may have changed, but there was still a part of me that was the same scared child.

Gabriella Trznadel

College of the Holy Cross, 2024, Studio Art, Chemistry

Birds

charcoal drawing on paper

22″ x 30″

2022

Here I was experimenting with narrative self portraiture. I wanted to evoke a feeling of playfulness through the expression and movement of the birds, but also the idea of being poked and and prodded. With the messy hair and the action of the bird in flight, it reminds me of the feeling of being stuck in a rut and having to be pulled out of it. The facial expressions depict stubbornness and how silly making a good change can seem to someone who’s stuck.