Know The Exquisite

Know The Exquisite

The Art of Brandy Gale

Opening Saturday, July 8, 2023

“Know The Exquisite” is the new exhibit featuring the works of synesthete artist Brandy Gale. The exhibit is set to open at the Dolphin Gallery in Gualala on Saturday, July 8, with a reception from 2 pm to 4 pm.

Brandy Gale presents her new body of work which continues her focus on the marine intertidal zone as part of her quest to convey connectedness to nature. “Observing the vibrance and life cycles of the beautiful California coast is a potent geographical cure for the loneliness many of us experienced during the pandemic lockdowns. I invite you to observe and celebrate the wonders of this dazzling, complex environment with me. 

I crawl, climb, wade, freedive and swim through this coastal region to gather inspiration. Initial sketches, Plein air paintings, photographs, and copious journal notes are made at the shore. More significantly sized works are started at field sites and completed later in my studio. I make plankton net tows of deep, cold seawater, racing back to my laboratory to view them under various microscopes and then create images of them in paintings.” 

Gale’s subjects include sea star arrays, kelp forests, sea anemones, reefs, shells, seabirds, sponges, crustaceans, jellyfish, insects, lichens, mussels, chitons, fish, cephalopods, phytoplankton and other micro marine fauna. These life forms are well-adapted to live here; it is home. They are the evolved survivors of what we may see as a harsh, challenging habitat and reveal an exquisite balance of life and death as the tide ebbs and flows. 

Brandy Gale is no one-dimensional artist. “I look at: The LIGHT. Night, day, end of the day, twilight, reflections, long shadows on and underwater, nocturnal glow/luminescence, the WEATHER, rain, sun, wind, fog, water flow, moon phases controlling tides, salinity. Colours. Textures. Movement. Stillness. Marine communities and ecosystems. Recent scholarly pursuits guide my ecological point of view. During Covid, I returned to college (online and outdoors in the field) to study marine sciences and ecology. I aim to learn more about my subject matter from a scientific perspective.” 

Recording her synesthetic reactions remains crucial to her creative process. “You may sometimes see words peeking out from the background, documenting my sensory experiences of the scene.”

The exhibit continues through Sunday, August 6, 2023 at the Dolphin Gallery, 39140 Highway One, Gualala.