Gayle’s Art
Gayle once told me that she would have loved to have studied art and possibly been an artist instead of a musician. Completely self-taught, she was very gifted in whatever medium she tried.
Oils:
The closest Gayle ever came to having instruction in painting was watching Bob Ross on TV! I know she did other paintings, but these are the only ones that I’ve found photos of.
Acrylics:
Yet another medium that she experimented with without any formal training.
Cartoons:
Gayle’s cartoon drawings were full of whimsy and her characters had a very distinctive style. There was never any doubt who drew them! The first four were done when she was much younger and her style was still evolving. The ones at the end are drawings she made for my animations – in a few cases you have the original sketches as well as the finished versions.
Nose Picking Series:
For some reason, Gayle seemed to be captivated by drawing cartoons of nose-picking! She did many of these, but these are the only ones that were immortalized in photos.
Sketches:
Portraits:
Most of these were drawn when Gayle was either still in school or as a young adult. However, she returned to doing this type of drawing in the later years of her life. The last two items are photos she took of someone interesting looking she saw on TV several years ago, and the sketch she drew of him.
Whimsical Creations:
Gayle always enjoyed making little “things” – little sculptures or other creations. She said that it came naturally to her because of her experience with using small tools and materials and attention to detail from her oboe reed-making days. From her telephone wire orchestra to her pipe-cleaner menagerie, from Sculpey clay to Friendly Plastics modeling strips, she was always creating fun little items. She even gave new meaning to the expression “playing with your food.” Here is just a sampling from over the years.
Photography:
During the latter 1970s and into the early ’80s, Gayle was very interested in photography. She enjoyed taking photos of people (especially in action in sports), animals, buildings, nature – anything that caught her eye. Much of it no longer exists and many of the photos, negatives and slides that remain have faded or are discolored with age. I’ve selected a few of my favorites to share.
Bottle Lamps:
One time when we were doing a show selling Gayle’s jewelry, she saw several other vendors who were selling bottle lamps and of course thought “I can do that.” And so she did. She learned how to drill holes in the glass without shattering the bottles and was always on the lookout for interesting decorating materials. She would actually buy bottles of wine and other liquor based not on the contents, but how interesting she thought the bottle was! We sold her bottle lamps at some shows, but I know she enjoyed making them to give away more.
Sculpey Figurines:
Gayle enjoyed making little dioramas of people for their birthdays and other special occasions such as anniversaries. They always contained a pretty good likeness of the individual along with items that represented their interests and hobbies and sometimes their profession. The recipients were always thrilled that Gayle not only made little “thems” but that she put forth time and effort to personalize it with their own particular interests. The photos below show you just a few of her creations. The last photo is of one that I made for Gayle; not nearly as good, but I felt it only fair that she should receive one also.
