July, 2025 CAVARTS Spotlight Feature: Gabriel Fernandez
U.S. Navy Veteran Gabriel Fernandez, has carried a sketchpad with him through much of life’s journey—from drawing superheroes as a child in the Bronx to sketching scenes while sailing the Pacific.
Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico and shaped by travel, service, and years of creative practice, Gabriel continues to find meaning through art. Today, he lives in Johns Creek, Georgia with his wife Sharon, painting, drawing, and letting the world around him inspire each new piece. 🎨
Name:
Gabriel Fernandez
Branch of service:
United States Navy
About:
I was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico and grew up in the Bronx. In grade school, I used to draw Batman, Superman and Spiderman on loose-leaf paper to sell to my classmates for a nickel so I could buy baseball cards.
After graduating from the High School of Art & Design in New York City, I played baseball, and majored in partying at Worcester State College in Massachusetts before dropping out and joining the Navy. During my time in the Navy, I visited 15 different countries, and was stationed in Japan and the Philippines. While sailing in the Pacific, I carried my sketch pad with me all the time. One of the officers on my ship called me the Toulouse Lautrec of Olongapo.
After retiring from the military, I worked as an employment specialist for various non-profit social services agencies, helping over 1,000 people find jobs. Still, I continued to create art at night and on the weekends, eventually going back to school to earn a Bachelors’ Degree in Painting and Printmaking from San Diego State University.
I now live in Johns Creek, GA, with my wife Sharon, who was my classmate in high school. I now work as a homeless Veterans housing coordinator, and spend my free time reading, hiking, painting and drawing.
Website:
https://gabrielfernandezart.wixsite.com/gabrielfernandezart
Title of Piece:
The Lovers in the Park
Medium of Piece:
Oil on Linen
Piece:
Meaning behind piece:
While I was creating this plein-air painting of San Diego's Balboa Park, my goal was to juxtapose the
permanence of the buildings and trees by capturing the motion of the people, the shadows following the path of the sun, and the energy of the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees.
What inspires you to create art?:
I can't remember not making art. I see things, I read things, I feel things, and I use art to express what I can not say with words. I had a chaotic childhood, so perhaps art is a way to re-arrange the world and maintain a semblance of control. A lot of thought, planning and execution goes into my art. But the longer I work at it, the more I realize I need to let go.
What part of your life has benefited the most from your creative pursuits?:
My sense of self. Art’s given me an identity, and has helped me maintain my mental health.
Is it important for you to challenge yourself in your art? Tell us why or why not!:
I believe so. I feel that you need to challenge yourself in order to grow as an artist. When I left New York City to go to college in Massachusetts, I didn’t know how to draw trees, so I bought a sketchpad, and filled it up by doing two to three drawings of trees each day.
What is your process or ritual to get your creativity flowing?:
An art teacher once told me that “art is a verb,” and Thomas Edison once said “Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.” What that means to me is if I work on my art every day, even if I work for a living, the creativity will take care of itself. But when I’m actually creating, I find that listening to music, binging on Double-Stuff Oreos and Dr. Pepper goes a long way towards keeping my adrenaline going.
What does CAVARTS mean to you?:
CAVARTS is a wonderful place to be an artist, to share your work and a way to connect with supportive Veterans who are as passionate about art as you. I enjoy seeing and commenting on everyone's art, and the hosts do a great job of connecting our Veterans to different outlets for expressing their creativity.
Our monthly theme for July is Change, but Gabriel submitted this last June, when our theme was The Great Outdoors. Here’s what Gabriel had planned for the month:
In June I will be celebrating the Great Outdoors by continuing to hike, sketch or paint what I see, like I do every month of the year. I live less than two miles from the Chattahoochee River in a very green area of North Fulton, Georgia. The scenery there is inspiring, and the sound of the river and the birds singing in the trees is meditative and Zen-like
What words of inspiration do you have for your fellow CAVARTists?:
Keep making art. Get lost in the process, and don't be afraid to make mistakes.
