About Gay Waldman Originals
About me
I’ve been an art maker since 1980. My B.A. in art with an emphasis in design kept me busy painting canvas until 1985. Eventually my jobs didn't leave much time for painting, so I pursued photography. I built a portfolio and successfully applied to galleries and festivals.
Wherever I lived, I assembled a bathroom-darkroom and unintentionally became a photographer or as I say “faux-tographer”. Exhibit commitments sparked my development of photo-collage and color-pencil enhancements.
In 1986 I gained employment as a professional picture framer, which led to managing a custom framing retail gallery and supporting my art career for 16 years. I raised a wonderful daughter with my husband and we are active gardeners, travelers, PNW explorers, and live an artful life.
Since 1988 I’ve actively sold my artwork and built a clientele with permanent collections and public art installations. The darkroom is retired and I exclusively manipulate digitally. My photo-art is not finished when the shutter is pressed; it is accomplished after hours of exploration. I make original digital art and occasionally enhance prints with pencil, pastel, and acrylic. I combine a variety of subjects and push my distinctive images to appear dimensional.
I built my 30+ year art studio business to include a full custom frame shop, photo-editing, restoration, art consultation, and welcome art commissions. I have fulfilled speaking invitations at Spokane Falls Community College, North Idaho College Photo Department, and Gonzaga Art Department. My artwork is exceptionally enlightening, innovative, and expresses a colorful interpretation of my world.
Artist Statement 2024
Gay Waldman has worked in her studio professionally since 1988 and participates in art festivals, juried shows, and galleries throughout the Northwest. Gay’s photographs are the starting point for her artwork and then her intuitively enhanced images become her artistic expressions. Her garden as well as travel provides a plethora of images; including flora, landscape, seasons, water, and frequent introduction of geometric shapes. Her work relies on a multitude of photographs rich with color, translucent qualities, layering, and overlapping. Gay draws with a stylus pen directly on screen using Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter with FX extension effects. She occasionally paints with acrylic or pastel to create backgrounds on paper or canvas and then photographs them to use as integral components of her finished work.
She presents her images on traditional photographic papers or satin aluminum and she occasionally bends curves into the aluminum prints to add a sculptural effect. Her studio also provides digital editing, professional custom picture framing, design, on-site consultation, artwork on fabric, and permanent public art installations. Her art work is particularly intriguing with the way images overlap, hide behind one another then peak out and encourage the viewer to look carefully and think. Gay’s photo-art reaches beyond the impact of traditional photography. In a significant way, her work expands how the viewer perceives, considers, and interprets photographic media as art.
VIEW "What I Do" HERE!
