Statement from the Artist

"Romare Bearden once told me that an artist is someone who has seen the world of art and still has something to say. I have been a writer, artist, critic who has published numerous books and articles related to the inter-action of art, the environment and social justice. More recently I have turned my attention to making art, because I still have much to say. Having received numerous grants, I have had opportunities to photograph in places such as Cuba and Nepal, Greece, Japan and Australia, as well as Santa Barbara, Woodstock and the Berkshires. I have been exhibited and am in collections in NY, NJ, CT, MA, CO, CA as well as Greece, Australia and India. It all has shown me the need to find the need for a balance between inner peace and creative involvement. 

My art seeks to engage the viewer/ participant; to see that we are the Persona of the world, the Essence of the Sublime, the Face in the Cascade. We are the river, the trees, and the sea or a ferocious waterfall. We are the land, the rocks, the stream and it is us. In each drop of water is the secret of life. We are all connected, like the roots of trees, the stream of water, we grow together, we live together and die together. We must see it all as one to believe it, to appreciate it, to discover it and to nourish it. My art layers the trees and waterfalls, streams and sunlight with the human spirit and form, so that we might appreciate this inter-connectedness. We are the healers, warriors and destroyers. We need to seek balance and unity with mother earth. 

My process is as layered as my concept. Using archival digital photographs, encaustic paints, sometimes on molded fabric, my work seeks to visualize and remind us that we are our environment. My images are of humanity and nature as one, and they become relief sculptures, hanging scrolls, or life sized fully three-dimensional figures. All of the images are encased in wax; forever preserved or mummified. The wax sometimes explodes to echo the power of nature or can fade the image itself into a face or a bodily form. A waterfall becomes an altar to the power of nature. Intrigued by these forces of nature and in turn, natural disasters, I seek to reveal them as terrifying, sorrowful, as well as hauntingly beautiful, majestic, and sublime. They unveil the power of nature and humble us, as we bow to our own fragility.

Links to more information below:

Artist CV

“The Artist’s Koan”.  Feature article in Ink CT. by Laurencia Cipras  https://inkct.com/2017/12/gail-gelburd/     

“Gail Gelburd” Feature article in The Artful Mind by Harryet Candee https://issuu.com/theartfulmindartzine/docs/the_artful_mind_april_2022_96b8a1bf756218     

“Solo Creatives: Gail Gelburd” Episode 6, CTSB television https://www.willinet.org/show/solo-creatives-of-the-berkshires-episode-6-gail-gelburd/     

“Unbound Presence: A Public Art Installation by Gail Gelburd” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8WPGKNHR-s

My art business has been designated as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.