Gail Werner
Oil Paintings and Works on Paper
Long Beach, California

My work reflects the landscape and cultural imagery related to my Native American background. My tribal affiliation is with the Cupeño, Luiseño, and Diegeño tribes located in Southern California.  Some sources used in my work are gathered while hiking the desert and mountain areas of Southern California. The colors and mysterious quality of the pictographs and petroglyphs (rock art) and plant and animal life, as well as pottery vessels and basketry designs, all make their way into my work.

Though the landscape influences my work, the landscape space is often non-realistic in style: some images within the space are only loose outlines while others are more fully rendered. Paint is applied fluidly and expressively as the imagery emerges and becomes more defined. Images appear to float, or their scale might be exaggerated. Much like the creation stories and traditional songs of the “birdsingers” that have also influenced me, my work reflects a dreamlike, evolving world.