Gillian Probert
The Style, Art & Life of…
Walking through the lush foliage into Duncan McClellan Gallery, you’re likely to be greeted by both Gillian Probert and several of her vibrant glassworks. These colorful vessels carved with images of flora and fauna speak to a love of nature and a passion for the art. Working with Duncan McClellan Gallery is the latest step taken in her artistic journey, but it is far from the first. From illustration to large scale installations, Gillian has explored a variety of mediums during her career – and she’s only getting started.
Originally hailing from San Diego, California, Gillian’s passion for the arts developed at a young age, when she first began to explore painting and illustration. Moving into her teenage years, she began to take the early steps in developing her career; by age fifteen, she was working as a professional henna artist. It was at this point that Gillian began to turn her attention to large-scale projects, having been commissioned to paint several murals throughout southern California. This undertaking is a testament to her unflinching approach to new art forms, as it involved extensive research and advanced techniques such as sanding and priming concrete. Creating these works which rely on interaction with both the environment and community would end up laying the foundation for future installations.
After graduating high school, an opportunity to study at Eckerd College brought Gillian across the country to Saint Petersburg, where she earned dual degrees in Visual Arts and Business Management.
“I liked that it was a smaller school; that I could get more attention from the teachers, and… really get the quality of the education that I wanted.”
Although her background was primarily in the field of 2D art, she happened to take a class on sculpture during which she was granted studio access. The act of working with her hands and utilizing different materials to bring her works to life sparked a new passion within her. A quote from Gillian’s website states: “Ceramics are calm and slow; they keep [me] anchored in the present moment, reminding [me] that art can be both an act of making and an act of being.”
This formative time would inspire further exploration of sculpture and ceramics as artistic mediums throughout the next steps of her career. Going beyond simply taking classes, Gillian also founded Artists for Impact, a student-led mentorship organization. Through this program, she helped to organize community art events and fundraisers for St. Petersburg non-profit groups. Artists for Impact continues to carry out its mission at Eckerd College today, getting students involved and helping them grow their careers in different ways.
One of the requirements for completing a degree in Business Management was the accumulation of volunteer hours, which led Gillian to establish her relationship with Duncan McClellan Gallery. When she first began volunteering with the gallery in 2019, the work primarily involved helping with events, selling wine glasses, and educating visitors about the pieces on display as she learned more about them. Post-graduation, while managing her art studio at The Factory, a desire to stay connected with local arts organizations often brought her back to the gallery to volunteer or just say hello. In 2023, she was officially brought on to the team as a Gallerist, which allowed her to delve into her study of glasswork under the mentorship of Duncan McClellan.
During the steamy Florida summer, the gallery’s hot shop takes a pause. But once the weather begins to cool down, it comes alive once again. Gillian takes that opportunity to create as much as she can – hand-carving images from nature onto existing vessels (known as “cold working”) as well as learning new glass-blowing techniques. Her carved vessels meditate on human interaction with the natural world, as well as using symbolism to convey emotional depth or social commentary.
“I’ve always felt, like, a very deep connection with animals…had a very grand respect for them from a young age.” Gillian said, regarding her inspiration.
“With these vessels, a lot of them are going to be animal faces looking right at you, and I want that confrontation. They’re looking back at you and interacting with you, the same way you’re looking at them.”
As a multimedia artist, she stays busy year-round, with her focus shifting to ceramic and resin work during the hotter parts of the year. SWARM, a large-scale installation started in 2022, began with Gillian collecting bees she discovered on the ground after they had died. A desire to preserve these animals led to her discovery of a technique to encase the bees in resin, so that they would last forever. The ongoing project now contains nearly 400 bees and has been shown in six exhibitions, including The Factory, FL CraftArt, Drew Marc Studios, and the Neilsen Center for Visual Arts. The piece forces viewers to confront the reality of environmental changes that are taking place all around them, as hundreds of bees hang suspended from delicate wire – showcasing both the insects’ fragility as well as the dedication many still have to protecting them.
It’s safe to say that Gillian Probert is unafraid of trying something new, and actively refuses to put herself in a box. When she isn’t wearing one of her many creative hats, she might be found sailing or rock climbing. And with lots of new projects in the works, she is certainly an up-and-coming St. Petersburg artist to keep an eye on. •
