Gualala Arts Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961
Brandy Gale, who will exhibit at the Dolphin Gallery in October, is a contemporary artist who specializes in intertidal photography and plein air painting. Her current subject matter includes various intertidal areas along the West Coast of North America, the Hawaiian Islands, and the South Pacific. Gale’s work is informed greatly by her profound, full-spectrum synaesthesia. She experiences an involuntary joining or crossing of the senses – between ALL the senses: hearing, vision, taste, touch, smell and movement.
Gale states, “Growing up with this gift, I thought everyone had it. But it turns out that it is not so common, and it took the school psychologist to figure out why the letter “A” was always yellow to me, or why the fresh cut grass on the way to school triggered a melody in my head, or why I thought certain shapes had personalities, or why a sunset always smelled like vanilla cookies.”
Gale prefers to paint on location rather than from photographs. By exploring the fascinating sensory panorama of each locale in person, she attempts to capture, select, and transmit these personal synesthetic experiences into her paintings.
“I recently learned that there are 54 kinds of synesthetic sense crossover variables. And I have them all! So that kind of makes me a sort of poster girl for synesthesia. Like many synesthetes, I can use my sensory crossovers to assist me when I am creating. If a mountain peak seems red, I will paint it so. If the sounds of the wind in the trees are golden flashes, or the calls of a bird are blue dashes, I will add this to my landscape in progress.”
The opening reception for Gale’s exhibit “Marine Transformations” at the Dolphin Gallery is Saturday, October 7, 5 pm to 7 pm. She will be showing with local jewelry designer Deborah Threlkel.
