‘Roots and all…’ is inspired by professional studio lighting and gives an intricate insight of cacti suspended in air. Viewers of Gabrielle’s work will find the humble cactus has been a fascination of hers since schooling; a repeated subject often dotted throughout her paintings or sometimes as the main focus. These structurally beautiful and almost ‘sculpture-like’ plants stand-alone throughout rural areas, often embedded in the most barren and isolated places. Bold and striking plants, they rarely need attention and thrive in their stark, usually parched environment, not unlike the farmers who work the earth all over the EP. The farmer/cactus works hard in tough conditions, pouring themselves into the soil beneath them to maintain existence, to survive. There are fifteen portraits in the collection, with each piece capturing the nature of the plant, its spikes, the grit, the dirt, its roots and all. The artist draws a connection conceptually rather than visually to engage her viewer, she remarks ‘You may see a cactus, I see a battler.’