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A note from Gayle-
From my first Crayola drawing of Bambi, I must have known I was an artist, for every time I was asked what I wanted to be, the word art was somewhere in the description. Born in Ironwood, Michigan in 1950, I sold my first painting at the age of 13 and haven't stopped since. My formal education was at Michigan State University, and my real life education began in Tucson, Arizona, when I first joined a local not for profit arts organization, WomanKraft, in 1978.
As a member, I learned the actual business of being an artist, working along side of established artists and art instructors. I've been the Director of Exhibits at WomanKraft since 1986 and founded the WomanKraft School of the Arts in 1994.
The School offers art workshops at affordable fees, to all people who are interested in exploring their creativity.
Over the years we've outfitted two classrooms with supplies, furnishings, tools, and instructional aids. Exploration and growth are two dynamic concepts we nurture at WomanKraft. Many adults often find themselves setting aside their creativity in the serious pursuits of career, home, family, and creature comforts. I don't believe I can adequately describe the joy I feel when I see someone finding the time.... giving themselves permission to find the time....to open the doorway and step into the endless rooms of their own creativity.
I love making art, teaching art, and providing community venues by which others can exhibit their work and explore new aspects of their creativity. Currently my favorite mediums for transforming my creative ideas into art reality are handmade paper collage, coffee art, oilsticks, scratch art, and watercolors ammended with a variety of water soluable pencils (inktenses, graphitints, etc.)
I also enjoy experimenting with different supports for my works, ranging from recycled elephant dung paper, Yupo ( a 100% synthetic washable paper), my own post recycled handmade paper, as well as the traditional. Being a selling artist for over 40 years, my works are in homes and businesses around the world, and I pride myself in keeping my art affordable to all, a policy that has served me very well indeed. Unlike many artists today, I store virtually no art work, but have the deep and abiding pleasure of knowing they have sold and are now returning a lifetime of pleasure to the buyer.
In Love and Gratitude, Gayle
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