Heartfelt Play

“We move what we are learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands.”

Brené Brown

Hi!

My Name is Gabrielle and I am a long-time professional artist and the founder of Heartfelt Play Studio.

My Philosophy

Heartfelt Play Studio was founded in 2015 to provide a safe and non-judgmental environment to explore the transformative experience of playing with paint and other art materials.

I believe that through process-oriented play, individuals can recognize their innate worth as individuals as well as the value they bring to their communities. 

Heartfelt Play currently functions as a professional artist studio, a coaching space for both individuals and small groups, and a space for highly customized creativity-based team building events.

Heartfelt Play also serves as the base for our Community-Based Collaborative Projects.

Latest Project

I recently designed and led a community paint-by-number mural in partnership with the grand opening of the Newport Harbor Farmers’ Market. The mural was created as an interactive, family-friendly art experience that invited children and other community members to help bring the piece to life during opening day.

I designed the mural specifically for public participation, planning the composition so that the most accessible and color-rich sections were lower on the wall, where children could easily reach them. I mixed and numbered all of the paint colors in advance, and on the day of the event I set up the painting station with aprons, drop cloths, and everything needed for people to comfortably participate.

Over several hours, both kids and adults selected colors and painted different sections of the mural together. After the event, I returned to refine and touch up the piece so it would have a cohesive, finished look.

The mural now remains on the church property where the farmers’ market takes place each week, serving as a lasting reflection of community creativity and collaboration.

The intention was to create something more than a mural—to create a moment of participation, connection, and play.

If you’re curious what something like this could look like in your space, I’d love to chat with you about the specifics and the possibilities.