Gail Siptak Animal Exhibit 2023
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.”
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"
$450 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"
$450 sold
winter squirrel

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450 sold
wet

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
brother bear

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450 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"
$450 sold
bush bird

gouache on bristol paper
9" x 12"
$450
dizzy cat

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450 sold
mantis

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450
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"
$750 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"
$450 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"
$850 sold
piggy

gouache paint on handmade paper
10.5" x 14"
$650
red pony dream

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 18"
$650
owl

gouache paint on handmade paper
16" x 9.5"
$850
raccoon

gouache on bristol paper
18" x 12"
$750
sir hare

gouache on bristol paper
18" x 12"
$750
ollie

gouache on bristol paper
12" x 9"
$450 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"
$450 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
blue eye

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