Gabe Drueke
Smithton, Illinois, USA
ARTIST STATEMENT
In a crowded visual environment, there’s a lot of work competing for your attention. I don’t want to waste your time. Art, when done right, should snare you in its web. Bright colors, high contrast, bold lines and an impeccable attention to craftsmanship are what you can expect from my work. I want my paintings to be the first thing you see when you walk in and the last thing you think about when you walk out. When I do it right is when you love it and you don’t even know why.
BIO
Gabe Drueke is an artist of many disciplines working in Southwestern Illinois just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. A University of Illinois trained graphic designer, Gabe has proven to be so much more over his past 25 years as an artist. While colorful murals and hand-painted signs are mainstays from recent years, a paradigm shift has launched Gabe into an unexpected exploration of abstract acrylic canvases. Utilizing tools that are familiar to his hand – lettering and pin-striping brushes – Gabe’s subjective works reveal a unique visual flavor. Combined with a laser sharp focus on craft, which extends to his expertly handmade frames, it is no surprise the work is quickly garnering attention.
Adept at any artistic discipline he attempts, Gabe received regional notoriety in 2006 when he created 120(+) relief-carved, cast-stone plaques for the St. Louis Cardinals which are installed in the brickwork of Busch Stadium. From the entryways to the towers and even the field wall behind home plate, Gabe’s work is spread generously throughout the facility and is enjoyed by millions of baseball fans each year.
Gabe currently resides in Smithton, IL, with his Graphic Designer/Art History major wife, Artemis, and their daughters, Pella and Tessa. He is constantly challenging himself and always on the lookout for that “next level” of achievement as an artist. With the reality of having an “empty nest” quickly approaching, Gabe and Artemis are beginning to lay the ground work for new adventures, travel, and of course, art!
