Feature Artist - Gayle Yanch

When watercolour specialist Gayle Yanch entered her painting Northern Shoreline into 'Twas The Art Before Christmas, the annual art show of the St. Thomas-Elgin Artists' Guild.....

She couldn't have guessed that she would win a Judge's Choice Award for her beguiling piece.

But award-winning artist & professional art juror Cathy Groulx.....

Who drove down from her Woodstock home to adjudicate the show.....

Cathy Groulx

Surely could have guessed it.

Groulx was quite taken with Northern Shoreline, as was evidenced by her juror's notes which accompanied her award:

"Good use of mediums.  Lovely composition.  Draws the eye into the picture & holds it there."

Even to the casual observer, it is evident that a painting of this calibre isn't just slapdashed together.  It doesn't just happen.

So what thought processes went into the creation of this fine work? 

Yanch explains:

"When I first took a photo of this tree hanging over the shoreline, it was as if it was reaching out for something, or trying to be noticed by its special shape. 

As an artist I have always been amazed at the many shapes and forms trees take in the wild.  A tree amazes me - whether it's alive or just an old dead tree that has fallen over, or is about to fall over.

The curve and bend of the tree, along with the curve and flow of the shoreline, is what attracted me to paint this image. Every time I look back at the painting I feel the branches of the tree trying to reach down as if to take a drink of the water along the shoreline.

When deciding on how I was going to paint this image I knew right away that pen & ink was a must.  All the trees in the scene,  & especially the main one leaning over,  fit perfectly with my style of pen & ink. To finish the painting and make it complete,  I added a little bit of color into the trees and into the water.   This gave the picture a sense of balance that was missing when it was just black & white.  Adding just a touch of color to the rocky shoreline seemed to finish it.  The shoreline was now balanced with the sky."

The result is a red-ribbon wonderwork that is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Lambeth.  Congratulations, Gayle!

PhiLiP s. SchMidT

Resident Artist • Art Gallery of Lambeth