“I paint to nourish the human soul”.

Gail McFarland is a contemporary expressionist artist whose mixed media artwork incorporates paper, pastels, oil, acrylic, wax and spray paint. Her choice of materials is dictated by the effects she wants to achieve. Gail’s subjects range from figurative works to abstract landscapes.
Her work focuses on exploring womanhood, celebrating female strength and wisdom. Many of her women have some type of headdress that casts a shadow over their eyes. The headdress symbolizes the challenges of life. Even obstacles that interfere with life goals, when viewed retrospectively, are part of the beauty of life. The shadows of the eyes reflect the darkness and despair created by challenges, and the vibrant colors of the headdresses reflect the strength gained when looking back on the challenges. The birds and other animals in her work illustrate the freedom that is achieved after going through life struggles.
Gail was a child of a military father; she was born in Germany and spent her first six years there. Every opportunity her family explored the castles, museums, landscapes, and forests of Germany. Gail’s favorite outings were those to art museums. She remembers always getting in trouble for being fixated on a work of art and not keeping up with the rest of the family as they moved from painting to painting. She loved studying the brushstrokes, use of colors, and the way artists used values in their paintings. As an adult she still studies works of art with the same enthusiasm and sense of awe she had as a child, and her art reflects that continued enthusiasm and sense of awe.
Gail received her BA in art at the University of Colorado and M.Ed from University of Phoenix. She recently retired as a high school art teacher after 25 years education.