Gail Siptak Animal Exhibit
Artist Statement
Through the old and honorable tradition of narration, Gail Siptak conjures stories of life overseen and overheard through her whimsical gouache-layered paintings. In her ninth exhibition with koelsch gallery, Siptak continues to convert life experiences of the self and natural world into a whimsical visual narrative. As a child, Siptak aspired to become a professional entomologist. Growing up in San Fransisco and Palo Alto, California, in the 1960s and 70s, Siptak was surrounded by a multitude of water and terrain. Here, she explored the grandeur of the natural world and found her church in its actuality. Since 1964, Siptak has been painting the world around her and the experiences that come with it. During the pandemic, Siptak veered away from oil paintings and took on the restorative process of gouache paint. With handmade paper and gouache, Siptak can densely layer her opaque, chalky paint and closely imitate “body color” or “egg tempura.” Before the invention of oil paint, body color was among the most common painting mediums during the Middles Ages. It consisted of pigments and egg yolk to illuminate manuscripts. With gouache, Siptak creates rich, flat patterns and thick strokes of colors that possess a solid visual summoning. Siptak creates a clear channel between the observer and the observed with her work. “I paint what I see of the human condition – animal or object. The glimmer of humor, pathos, and spirit in what I see is the basis of what I paint.”
firebird
gouache on bristol
30" x 20"
$900
overload
gouache on bristol paper
30" x 22"
sold
swamp frog
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
$900
rainforest
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
sold
blue heron
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
sold
fruit wolf
gouache on bristol
30" x 20"
$900
constellations
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
sold
muskrat love
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
sold
elemental fish
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
$1350
bush birds
gouache on bristol paper
30" x 22"
$1350
stork and fish
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
$1350
totem
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
$1350
forest blackbird
gouache on bristol
30" x 20"
sold
orange bear
gouache on bristol
30" x 22"
$1350
viewpoint
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
bitchina
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
big boy
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
elder crane
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
guinea in the garden
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
little (irritated) owl
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
shoebill crane
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
tillie on the work table
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
little owl (big feet)
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
winter squirrel
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
wet
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
brother bear
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
sitting pelican
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
blowfish
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
new life (cicada)
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
some sort of chicken
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
blue cat
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
sold
bush bird
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
dizzy cat
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
mantis
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
jumping spider
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
little faun
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
mother eye
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
night bird
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
turkey lurkey
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
alligator
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
russet dragon
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
night dragon
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
snail
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
diamond snake
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 24"
sold
big cat/ rain cat
gouache on bristol paper
24" x 18"
$550
fish spawn
gouache on bristol paper
24" x 18"
$450
green eyed goat
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
gingham rabbit
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
ferdinand
gouache on bristol paper
18" x 12"
$650
little tiger
gouache on bristol paper
17" x 12"
$650
horse
gouache paint on handmade paper
14" x 11.5"
sold
piggy
gouache paint on handmade paper
10.5" x 14"
$650
red pony dream
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 18"
$550
owl
gouache paint on handmade paper
16" x 9.5"
sold
raccoon
gouache on bristol paper
18" x 12"
$750
sir hare
gouache on bristol paper
18" x 12"
sold
ollie
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
sold
duck duck
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
lake moose
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
capybara
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
capybara in the pool
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
sold
argyle serpents
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
three fish and anemones
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
firebird fish looking back
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
pleased toad
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
big red
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
goldfish with water bugs
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
trigger fish of the deep
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
shoehorn crane #2
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
green eyed red bird with seeds
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
big little blue bird
gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
gator
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 12"
$450
seaborn
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
brown horse
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
exotic night stalker bird
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
small weary lion
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
muskrat love
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
little mouse
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
small frog
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
chicken in the pot
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
mixed
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
polywog
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
dandy lion
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
lavender seal
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
jay
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
pink flowers
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
little chick
gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450