We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gail Delger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gail thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I took my two young sons to NorthPark Center in the early 1990’s and came across the Southwestern Watercolor Society Show on display in the middle of the mall. I was blown away by these phenomenal watercolors. There were bright colors and photo realistic paintings that I never knew could be done so beautifully in watercolors. After seeing that show, I decided that I wanted to learn watercolors. I knew I just needed a lesson to get me started and then I would be able to paint on my own. I took a 6 week watercolor class at the Garret Art Gallery in McKinney and I was hooked. I have been painting almost daily since then. I joined the Southwestern Watercolor Society and started entering their competitions and slowly started getting into the juried shows and then after that started winning some awards. I never dreamed of getting Best of Show in the Southwestern Watercolor Society, but I did in 2003 and then again in 2015.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I started painting in watercolors I leaned towards traditional style paintings on paper. I would paint old barns and rusted metal from my photos. After several years of painting from my barn photos, etc. I started moving into my other photos which were more about shapes and color. Through the years I have moved on to acrylics on canvas and the subject matter is from my head, not photos. With made up subjects from my head, I’m hoping that I am showing the viewer something that they haven’t seen before. My subjects are usually whimsical and hopefully put a smile on the viewers face.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It is very rewarding to know that people appreciate my work. By selling paintings and winning awards I feel like I have arrived in the art world. Also, all the artists that I have met in the Southwestern Watercolor Society and other societies have been fun to be with and amazing to get to know. I have found that artists are more carefree and seem happier that most people. We all enjoy watching paint dry.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I first started painting, I would take workshops and buy books and DVDs to learn more about painting. Now, the internet has how-to videos and painting demonstrations and anyone can access the information so much easier, which is great.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gaildelger.com
• Instagram: @gaildelger
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birddoblog