The Gallery ABQ
Albuquerque Contemporary Fine Art
Gail Ranshaw
Artist Statement
My passion for painting extends beyond the canvas, brushes and paints, where I capture moments in time. Through my art, I aim to replicate the soft images, color and presence, in my snapshots, my life experiences and ethereal images.
My work is a blend of realism capturing moments of time with elegant brushstrokes, reflecting my love for nature and the world around me. Whether it’s a detailed landscape or an abstract design, my goal is to evoke emotion and inspire others to feel that connection. I enjoy the freedom and fluidity of watercolor and the challenge of brushstrokes using oil from corner to corner.
Artist Bio
Gail, now a New Mexican, was born and raised in the lower peninsula of Michigan. She moved to New Mexico in pursuit of a teaching career in the early eighties. Although her passion for design and art was present in her day-to-day teaching career, she looked forward to the day for her own art.
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In 2009, she enjoyed her first art workshop traveling to England for a "painting holiday' joining a dozen other artist to explore watercolor with Bettina Schroder. Upon retiring, Gail has taken several classes at the Art League with a variety of local artists, exploring watercolor, oil painting and an introduction to painting miniatures.
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Despite the difference in mediums, she enjoys painting with both oil and watercolor. Oils allow her to control the detail in her paintings while watercolors display a translucence of color that is spontaneous, a gift of sorts.
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Gail is inspired by design everywhere capturing numerous photos of landscapes and interesting things. Her photography is testimony to years of working with composition. She uses many photographs as inspiration for ther paintings. Her admiration of the beauty in nature drives her passion to paint. Nature is everyone's paintbrush.
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Gail is new to the art community in New Mexico, having spent most of her life in a classroom with teenagers teaching Graphic Arts with a focus on art and design. She is in awe when captivated by her favorite things; flowers, butterflies, birds and dragonflies. She is especially fond of light and shadow as well as prisms casting color. Gail has many orchids, cares for a backyard pond and enjoys painting both miniature and standard sized paintings.