Reflection on Provincetown & Artist Palette Show
Dear Friends,
As we begin 2026, I find myself reflecting on Provincetown and what it means to stay—to remain rooted in a place you love as it changes around you.
I came here as a young creative in the 1970s. I am now an old creative in the 2020s.
My business remains defiantly local, a holdout against the corporate wave that keeps rolling in. I am part of a wonderful, creative photography group that thrives under the umbrella of The Commons. My friends are old-time fishermen whose families worked these waters for centuries, builders who shaped this town board by board, washashores who chose this place as I did, and the newly arrived who are writing the next chapter.
A roof is over my head. There is food on the table. Provincetown is still beautiful and safe.
Yes, everything is changing. It always has been. But gratitude still anchors us here. We adapt. We create. We hold fast to what matters while letting go of what we cannot control.
What else can one do but stay, bear witness, and keep making art?
These are dark times. But my work reminds me—and I hope it reminds you—that there is still good in this world. There is still beauty. In the wild places I photograph, in the animals I document, in the landscapes that hold them, life persists with extraordinary grace.
I invite you to see my latest exhibition on Artist's Palette at Provincetown.com. The images from my Kenya travels capture golden savannas, green riverine forests, and wildlife, both magnificent and vulnerable. These photographs are my way of bearing witness to what we must protect, and my expression of gratitude for what still remains.
Thank you for being part of this journey with me.
With gratitude,
Elizabeth Gabriel Brooke
From the Provincetown.com exhibit:
A reflection on living in Provincetown
I first came to Provincetown on a whim during graduate school in 1974 for New Year's weekend — a wild and crazy trip that included a Grace Jones concert. Provincetown spoke to me then as it continues to do every day. I returned that summer and have never left except to travel.
Over the decades, I've worn many entrepreneurial hats: kite store owner, printmaker, website and design firm owner, restaurateur, photo studio owner, press photographer, advertising marketing director, innkeeper, educator, nonprofit founder, therapy dog trainer, and boat captain. Since 1979, I've owned Gabriel's, a luxury hotel in the center of Provincetown. My wife, also named Elizabeth, now runs the business, which has freed me to return to my first love—fine art photography.
My work centers on wildlife and environmental conservation. Through my images, I hope to bring attention to the animals around us and inspire others to help protect them. My intention is to create connections—sharing beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Kenya: A Journey of Discovery
During my recent travels to Kenya with a group of gifted photographers, I experienced the extraordinary diversity of the country's landscapes—golden savannas, green jungles, and wildlife both great and small. Our journeys took us to the Sheldrick Trust for rescued elephants, Ithumba Hill Camp in Tsavo, Elephant Bedroom Camp in Samburu, the Reteti Elephant Reserve, Jambo Murata Camp for Ol Pejeta Reserve, Soroi Migration Camp in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, and Lentore Camp in the Mara.
Wildlife touches my heart like no other. Photographing these animals—many in danger and in need of protection—allows me to share the profound beauty I find in each of them, from the greatest to the least. If these images move you, please consider supporting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya's Laikipia County. I hope this work inspires you to help protect this threatened and endangered African wildlife.
Adding my work to your collection creates connection and a dialogue about how precious these creatures are.
