Gloria Speed is originally from Columbia and has lived in East London for thirty-four years. Gloria is drawn to abstract art because she likes to see and interpret what images come from her mind, rather than copying physical sights in front of her. Sometimes she thinks about music, such as salsa, when she is painting and feels how the presence of music affects how she uses her paintbrush. Her work frequently contains yellows, oranges and terracotta; Gloria chooses these colours because they make her feel strong.