Lake Winnipeg is Gayle’s first love; her watercolours of this freshwater ocean are in collections across North America. As painting large is also a favourite challenge for Gayle, she gleefully splashes acrylics across canvas as well. When neither media represents a subject that dominates her mind’s eye, she turns to clay and squishes out shapes that play on her theme.
In 2010, Gayle rehabbed a derelict building in Winnipeg Beach to become Studio 410. Typically a messy hive of creativity, she tidies for The WAVE Studio Tour, appointments and to host workshops and events.
How did you start your creative practice? Were there any key experiences that influenced the direction of your work?
In a school outreach program of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, I was awarded free art classes on Saturdays which began a lifelong desire to always be engaged in something creative. The WAG was a key influence in my life, I returned often for shows and inspiration. Once the press for career and economics subsided in my fifth decade, I traded desk and pen for pigment and brush. That thirst to express visually needed quenching!
My lifelong love affair with Lake Winnipeg began playing onshore as a small child, drifted into summer liveaboard boating, and then settled into beachside living year-round over three decades ago so I turned to Lake Winnipeg as my muse. I sponged up every workshop and book I could, including Creative Manitoba’s The Art of Managing Your Career– a second key influence. After which, we renovated a derelict building in Winnipeg Beach to become my standalone studio! I began splashing pigment with wild abandon- no longer constrained by the dining room table- inspired and challenged by what I had learned and set as goals in AMYC.
Robert Genn, a Canadian artist, fed my soul with weekly letters, inspiring talks, and works that spoke of his muse. I joined the WAVE Artists of Manitoba and other arts organizations, and I ride that wave of growth and creativity to this day.
What is your creative process? What does an average day look like?
Studio 410, my creative space, calls to me almost daily. Typically, I have to get organized before I begin- tidying, filing, putting away and setting up are rituals that open the gateway to my process. If it’s a watercolour day, I gather my references and plan out a composition that allows the flowing pigments to show their best. Choosing a value pattern is an important step on the path. The excitement begins when I spray my palette to create juicy colours! I lose track of time and only the movement of daylight through the windows signals me to pause.
Acrylics, on the other hand, is a completely different process. I pause often, step back and try to be less methodical. It’s a tricky business to balance the formality of watercolour and the looseness of acrylics because it is completely the opposite of what one might think. Watercolour is a very fluid medium, while acrylic is stiffer. Yet, my process is loose acrylic and tighter watercolour. Within both mediums, I like to reflect and give the work some distance before finishing. I enjoy turning a piece with its back facing the door, then returning the next day: Key in the door, shoes kicked off, a slow walk around to face the painting, and…. omg, for better or worse, there it is!
“I love the interaction with people about my work;
it is mostly joyful and always unforgettable.”
– Gayle Halliwell
Watercolour and acrylic artwork by Gayle Halliwell
How has your artistic practice evolved over time?
In the early days, I was quantity-oriented- working to get that 10,000 hours of mastery under my belt. Now, I hate to be rushed and choose to concentrate more on the message and the ways in which I can contrast the beauty of my subject with its vulnerability. For several years I took every workshop or program that I could fit onto a calendar. Now I am more choosy but still looking for more ways to give voice to my themes. At this stage, I thirst for intensive and longer learning experiences, often creating my own with books and ideas. But yet, it is still less experimenting and more intentional. That’s a balance I know that I must strike but am not there just yet.
What artistic or career goals have you set for yourself?
I am now just emerging from a long period of loss and grief; this was a pause in my artistic practice. Although I continued to create and participate, I did not experience the same flow that I had previously. I have recently set some goals, the first is to create concentric circles of learning so that I may resume my growth as an artist. I began by restarting First Fridays at the Beach– a monthly event at my Studio started a few years before COVID-19, with hopes for other venues to form a critical mass of events in the Beaches area. Success on May’s First Friday- a life-drawing session- has created a group of individuals who want to continue monthly (although not on First Friday) and will share the cost of the life model.
The second was to challenge myself. I have joined the Artists of the Lake, led by Sharon Cory, and am participating in themed shows of works by this loosely connected group. The challenge is to produce new works and transform current works to meet the theme. I have transformed works for two shows, but the next show will require new pieces (a challenge!).
Thirdly, and maybe most importantly, I have a goal to reduce the volunteer time I spend on management functions for arts groups. I think that this gives me too much left-brained exercise and not enough right-brained creativity. The last one will definitely be the hardest!
How has Creative Manitoba been able to support your career?
I first encountered Creative Manitoba as a support for artists when I participated in The Art of Managing Your Career held in Gimli. It was a transformative experience. I have since taken several focused workshops, attended interesting and inspiring events, and been able to advocate and/or help organize programs in Gimli for local artists and groups. My First Fridays at the Beach project came from a goal-setting exercise in a Creative Manitoba program. Interestingly, the creative aspect of my practice has grown exponentially each time that I have engaged in one of the learning or support activities of Creative Manitoba- a lovely, unexpected benefit! I am a firmly committed fan of Creative Manitoba and the role that this organization plays in the development of artists.
What aspect of your work brings you the most joy?
Getting feedback from a neutral third party, a patron, or a viewer is absolutely the most gratifying and confirming part of displaying and selling my works. I love the interaction with people about my work; it is mostly joyful and always unforgettable.
The other aspect that brings me joy is the crawling out of the dark. When creating, I am always excited and have to consciously slow down. Then, at a point nearing completion, I fall into a black hole of self-doubt, self-criticism and imposterism. It takes real effort, hard thinking, and unblocking to begin to claw my way up into the light again. When I do, I can relax and reflect on the finished work.
What are you working on now or do you have any upcoming events?
This is the busy season! The WAVE Artist’s Studio Tour is coming up, the Artists of the Lake are showing ‘Water World’ in late August, followed by Culture Days, and then ‘Between the Lakes’- a show of WAVE artists’ works at Manitoba Arts Network in October-November. In the meantime, I have First Fridays at my studio for September and October to finish planning and promoting. Fortunately, many of these will allow me to bring Lake Winnipeg- my muse- to the forefront and stay in that flow for the rest of summer.
Creative Manitoba encourages you to visit Gayle and check out the WAVE Interlake Artists’ Studio Tour August 31 – September 1, 2024! To get connected, visit her via the links below: