ARTIST STATEMENT
In 2019, while on vacation, I attended – by chance or cosmic design? – an alcohol ink workshop taught by Korinne Carpino. I fell in love with alcohol inks and have been painting with them ever since. Yes, I do a few watercolors and take all kinds of other art classes, as they arise. However, my passion is for alcohol ink because of its fluidity, vibrancy, and unexpectedness. I’ve used alcohol ink to make two-dimensional art, illustrate children’s books, and re-invigorate recyclable materials. My most recent joy has come from adding painted frames and/or mats to finalize the paintings.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
When I came out in 1975, I was thinking more about how to merge feminism and intuition than about art. While I worked at my professional practice of astrology and tarot, I countered the mores of the day by writing Choice Centered Tarot (1980, Red Wheel Weiser), scandalizing some by using female pronouns and shifting the interpretations of the court cards from specific people (e.g., dark haired woman) to characteristics (e.g., maturity and strength in practical matters or security). This book was followed by Choice Centered Astrology (1990, Red Wheel Weiser) and Choice Centered Relating and the Tarot (2000, Red Wheel Weiser). Thus, it was no surprise that, when I retired from my then day job (staff development at Indiana University), discovered a passion for art, and adopted my pandemic dog . . . my first project was to write a book. This time, it was a children’s book: The MOSTLY True Stories of Roly Poly’s Great Lake Adventures (Gail Fairfield LLC, 2022). I illustrated it with alcohol ink paintings – into which I merged images of my real dog. It’s available in English and in Spanish (Amazon and Barnes & Noble). Since then, I’ve dived deeper into art-making, mostly using alcohol ink on yupo paper. In 2023-24, my art work has been exhibited in numerous local/regional group shows and in a solo gallery show (June – September, 2024, The Vault Gallery) in Bloomington, IN.
© Gail Fairfield