My latest art opening was incredible!! 🎨 Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us across both galleries!
Huge thank you to my amazing family & friends for always showing up 💖, and to the wonderful @sfsuzie of @creativeiqsf, as well as @eyeandhandsociety, for bringing us all together!
Didn't make it to the opening? No worries—the show runs through January 18th, so there's still plenty of time to check it out!
I've been working on new pieces inspired by a recent trip through Italy and Portugal! Here's a sneak peek—I'll be showing some of this work and more at my next art opening November 15th, 6-8pm at CIQ Gallery! (3423 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA)
Wandering through narrow cobblestone streets, soaking in the soft Mediterranean light, experiencing all the vibrant colors of the coast and the cities—it was pure magic.
Everywhere I turned, I was surrounded by art—centuries-old frescoes, ornate tile work, sculptures tucked into quiet piazzas, opulent palazzos—all of it reminding me why I paint.
The light there is unlike anywhere else, and I found myself constantly trying to capture the feeling of those sun-drenched afternoons in sketches and photos.
The new paintings weave together fragments from the trip: terracotta rooftops against azure skies, the golden glow of late afternoon sun on ancient stone, bursts of bougainvillea and geraniums spilling over walls, and the deep blues of the sea meeting the horizon. Each piece holds a memory, a moment, a feeling I wanted to hold onto.
For those of you who have been asking, I'm excited to share that I'll soon be offering prints on my website. I can't wait to make these pieces more accessible so they can find their way into your homes.
I'm excited to share that I'll have a handful of paintings up at CIQ Gallery in San Francisco for the next few months! The opening party is Saturday, November 15th from 6-8pm — come celebrate!
I used to live in Japan for a few years teaching English, and somehow time got away from me and I hadn’t been back in decades. Well, I finally made it back, and besides having the best time, I also found creative inspiration everywhere!
Above photos: Kyoto’s Kiyomizu Dera, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Osaka Castle, Hakone Open Air Museum, Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Mt Fuji by shinkansen, giant rainbow cotton candy, Kamakura Daibutsu, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Tokyo architecture, Owakudani, onsen time in Hakone, Enoshima sea caves, delicious food, Osaka, samurai armor.
Japan is full of artful touches and design inspiration in every nook and cranny. It was fun to get lost and wander, and observe all the little details everywhere. I especially loved the intricate woodwork in the temples and all the colorful shrines. From cutting edge architecture, gorgeous interior design, and amazing textiles to artful food—I was just soaking it all up! Even the manhole covers were fancy! I carried my sketchbook everywhere to capture all my favorite things.
Below: acrylic marker sketch of Enoshima, pen and colored pencil sketches of a takoyaki shop in Osaka, a Kyoto temple, and a dumpling mannequin in Yokohama’s Chinatown.
I’m back in the studio now full of fresh inspiration, and painting more than I can keep up with sharing online. (The story of the last several years, really). Below is a small glimpse of some of my Japan inspired pieces. Can’t wait to share the full collection with you!
Wishing you all colorful days and lots of coziness as we head into the holiday season!
Hello Friends! In support of our public schools, I’ve donated an original acrylic painting on paper “Gold Dust,” framed in a golden frame! 100% of the proceeds will go to Lafayette Elementary School. There are 8 bids so far, and 11 hours left before the auction closes. This painting & so many more great items are available here!
Gayle Midnight’s Solo Show “Chasing Rainbows” Opening Night Highlights
Opening night was a blast!!! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate! A big thank you to my awesome family & friends for all your support 💖, and to Suzie of CIQ Gallery for this wonderful opportunity!! If you missed the opening, my paintings will be up until Nov 12th!
My solo show "Chasing Rainbows" is up and the opening party is tomorrow!
Come by to see 20 of my latest original paintings out in the wild at CIQ Gallery / 3423 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA!
Excited to announce I‘ll be exhibiting a colorful collection of around 20 original paintings at CIQ Gallery in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond district!
The show runs from October 5-November 12, 2023, and if you’re in the Bay Area, join me for the opening party on Friday October 13th, 6-8pm!
CreativeIQ Gallery / 3423 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA, 94121
San Francisco artists at Four Chicken Gallery
The opening reception was absolutely bustling! Quite the turn out for this show, complete with eccentric outfits, a wacky car with animatronic bowling pins embedded in the door, and so much artwork to peruse!
The premise of the show, ‘Salon des Refusés’ is a rebellious but playful response to the de Young Museum’s rejection of over 6,000 artworks from its open-call exhibition.
Art is up for another week @fourchickengallery, with a closing reception happening on 9/2 from 4-6pm. Pop in to say hi if you are in San Francisco!
🗓Art on display through Sept. 2
🕐Closing Reception: Sept. 2, 4-6 p.m.
📍Four Chicken Gallery | 432 Cortland Ave., SF
Opening Night at Four Chicken Gallery
“For more than 200 years, the Paris Salon was the only exhibition that mattered in the Western world.
Then in 1863, a group of Salon rejects—including future masters such as Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne and Camille Pissarro—revolted. The result was a show that challenged the standards of the day and changed the course of contemporary art.
Even now, a “Salon des Refusés,” or “exhibition of rejects,” remains a term of pride, signifying independence and boundary-pushing among artists whose work hasn’t been accepted by the establishment.
San Francisco artists and galleries are embracing this rebellious tradition by mounting their own Salons des Refusés in response to the de Young Museum’s rejection of some 6,000 artworks from its 2023 open-call exhibition, the “de Young Open.””
Pop up art show opening tonight at Four Chicken Gallery in Bernal Heights, San Francisco! Come by and see my new painting!
The artist reception is tonight from 6-9pm, and the art will be up all week, ending with a closing reception on 9/2 from 4-6pm.
Four Chicken Gallery: 432 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA
Live painting at Lululemon this weekend was so much fun! A BIG thank you to everyone at Lululemon for this wonderful opportunity to do such a cool art collaboration!
And a warm thank you to all those who stopped by, as well as those who couldn’t make it in person, but are always super supportive of my art journey! Especially @tyson.midnight, who worked so hard picking up all the slack when I got super busy with all the art shows this year! 😘
This was my first time doing a live painting session, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect—but it was a blast and I even managed to complete 4 paintings from scratch!
Live Painting
I wasn’t sure how distracting it would be to paint in public...but I didn’t find it hard to concentrate at all. It was just like being in a shared studio space, or sketching at a crowded museum—even though people come up and talk to you, the art takes over and you get into the flow and do your thing.
In a few ways, I actually found it to be less distracting than it can get sometimes in my home studio when one of my kids needs something urgently and I’m trying to manipulate fluid inks and high-flow acrylics that I know just aren’t going to be in the same state by the time I get back!
For those of you in San Francisco, or visiting soon, I still have a bunch of pieces up at Lululemon (on Fillmore Street) until November 10th, so pop in and check it out if you are in the area!
“Just like being in a shared studio space, or sketching at a crowded museum—even though people come up and talk to you, the art takes over and you get into the flow and do your thing.”
