Gail Stirling Robertson
Gail has always been a fan of unusual and imaginative art. As a child she discovered the paintings of Rodney Matthews and Roger Dean on album covers and posters, and admired their ability to create a whimsical version of ordinary things. At school, Salvador Dali was an artistic influence, and she was lucky enough to get up close to several of his paintings in the MoMA in New York.
As a huge music fan, Gail briefly studied sound engineering after deciding she did not want to go to Art school (despite preparing a portfolio). However, she continued to paint while working and raising her two children, and decided to become a self-employed artist in 2011. Her time is now split between producing gallery and commissioned pieces, photography and studying for a Forensic Psychology degree.
Work practices:
For artworks where specific locations are featured, Gail uses photographs to help with initial building placement, but will manipulate and change the structures to provide the most pleasing composition. This manipulation is not only helpful when hiding some of the less attractive features of a scene, but allows her to enhance features which might normally be overlooked.
Painting on either stretched canvas or canvas board, Gail will usually cover the whole area with a theme colour which dictates the overall mood of the finished piece. She will then sketch in the main features of the painting using pastel pencil, moving the lines with a wet paintbrush until the desired positioning is achieved. The painting is built up from there.
