ARTIST STATEMENT
I see the overuse of binaries as the source of much unhappiness in our world. Employed as a worldview, it authorizes the placement of people as well as nature into the category of “other.” Such a paradigm enables treating these “outsiders” with less respect/dignity/care/love than we do those in our own group. In my work, I challenge this model. I strive to find unity in seemingly divergent poles, using imagery from nature as my inspiration.
To do this, I harmonize multiple visual elements and styles. Drips, water marks, and other chance-driven effects underlie controlled line drawings. Light-hearted comic book shapes balance with “scientific” symbols. No single style or point-of-view dominates.
In addition, I employ continuum as an alternative to dualism. The multiple styles used in my work represent various points along a spectrum of abstraction, ranging from realistic drawings to stylized patterns, ending finally in graphic symbols.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gail Wagner has explored a variety of media over the years while maintaining a consistent interest in the natural world. She began in abstract painting, then ventured into sculpture and installation, experimenting with many different materials and approaches until she developed her own style of large-scale fiber sculptures. These abstract, colorful soft sculptures have been displayed in numerous exhibits, including solo shows at the Arvada Center for the Arts and the Longmont Museum in Colorado.
She has now returned to painting with a combination of abstraction and realism. She is still taking inspiration from nature and a study of the natural world. Her paintings have been displayed in multiple states across the United States, including California, New York, Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, and Colorado. She was recently an Artist in Residence at La Maison de Beaumont in the south of France.
Gail Wagner has both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology.
© Gail Wagner