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Gail Chase-Bien
A Conversation with an Artist
by Kathleen Iudice
Her path wasn’t without its challenges. Early on, a Hungarian curator recognizing Gail’s talent and sensing she had impedi- ments advised: “A serious painter is like dog with bone. Someone tries to remove bone, dog bites hand o . [You should] Only have friends who understand this.”
“ e main thing that pulls me now is nd- ing the time to do my work. One painting is the fruit for another one to follow, and this is where that snarky word ‘accomplishment’ gets mixed up with product rather than process.” For Gail, accomplishment is about conviction. “ e pursuit of art as a career is a daunting one. e pursuit of art without the constraints of the marketplace is true freedom. And yet art requires the support of the public, like a marriage, the private painter and the public should respect and sustain each other.”
Letting go also requires conviction. Gail had this revelation when she was con icted about selling a favorite piece and someone counseled: “If you think you have painted a masterpiece, get rid of it immediately, or you will never do something better. Keep it
around, constantly admire it, and you will know what I’m talking about.”
She’s now very able to let go and make space for new work and ex- periences. “I love the play of life,” she says. “If you can’t laugh at your own idiosyncrasies, you will never appreciate someone else’s. Nothing thrills me more than hearing a good belly laugh coming from a fellow humanoid.”
Merced 1, 64”x70”, oil on canvas, 2010
Gail continues to paint, teach, sing and laugh in Napa Valley. You can see her work in San Francisco at the Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery, and online atgailchasebien.com.
Painting is additive and reductive. You have an impulse. It drives you to act, and the rst stage is a thin veneer of self. As the work moves forward, so does the deepening of your inves- tigation and daily histories. I use landscape as a signi er for the human spirit. It can hold you in the light, or send you packing into dense foliage. But In my emotional life, I seek for the honesty of a one way ticket, with no guarantees, and a few great journeys. — Gail Chase-Bien
Gail Chase-Bien’s life has been dedicated to weaving the fabric of her destiny: art. Masterful art that is mystical, transcendent, bodacious and downright mag- ni cent. Like watching a great lm, viewers surrender to the stories within her canvas.
age and all its forms is transformative, and is like having a real conversation with your inner self. is includes the darkness and the light. Make room for both and, bingo, you’ve understood how they can produce an evocative chemistry in your work and life.”
Teaching is a source of inspiration for her. “My students show up with their individual styles and I just encourage them to defend their choices.” With each, she endeavors to enter into their personal space and aware-
Trained at the Boston Museum
School, Gail received her bach-
elor’s and master’s degrees from
the California College of Arts
and Crafts in Oakland. She works in oil and pastel, and is fearless when it comes to applying colors, textures and overlays. Her career as a painter has been proli c and suc- cessful—selling to public and private collec- tions, and displaying in numerous galleries on the east and west coasts.
But there’s so much more to Gail than her painting. In 1994, she co-founded River School with her friend T Beller as Napa’s rst charter school (and one of the rst hun- dred charter schools formed in California) with a curriculum designed to help students develop a strong sense of self-reliance, lead- ership and civic/global compassion. She’s also served as a board member of the di Rosa museum, is a highly sought-after teacher, and, just for fun, she took up singing.
She believes everyone should make time for their creative expression. “Art at any
Ghost Ryder, 30” x 60”, oil on canvas, 2015
ness. “I am so conscious of a shift in energy that pulls me into a student’s force eld. ey let me in and, as a teacher, I feel an immense responsibility to nourish and chal- lenge them at the same time.” e diver- sity in these group relationships o ers her a cross pollination of ideas that feeds her work, as well. “Often, I leave the studio thinking ‘ at was a bold move that she/he took,’ and I go into my studio feeling juiced by their actions.”
When asked what she thinks her nest ac- complishment is, without hesitation, she credits her son, Alexei. It was he who rst perceived his mother’s singing talent, spur- ring her on to take voice classes that ulti- mately led her to the stage as both an en- semble player and a soloist. She still aspires to perform a few more good torch songs, and wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to play Mrs. Higgins in Pygmalion.
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