Botanical Study #2, by Gail Spaien

For Gail Spaien, painting is a matter of intuition. The Kittery Point-based artist has exhibited widely in galleries and museums across the country, and is known for her lovely watercolor and mixed media collage works that reference the botanical illustrations of the 18th century, featuring vibrant flowers and exotic birds. Most recently, Gail has shown at the Portland Museum of Art and the George Marshall Store Gallery works that that reference the botanical illustrations of the 18th century with installation. This new direction in her art has come about much like the rest of her painting career: through old-fashioned serendipity.

Gail became serious about pursuing art in the 11th grade, and enrolled in the University of Maine with the intention of becoming an art therapist. But, after a trip to the Whitney in New York City, Gail felt that painting was her true passion. She went on to earn a MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and then she moved back to Maine to raise a family, paint, garden, and teach at the Maine College of Art.

Gail's artwork has always been rooted in her appreciation for the natural world. But her recent works are different from the narrative paintings she did in the past. On a whim, she took a botanical watercolor class and became enamored of both the subject and the medium. "It's [artmaking] an intuitive process," she explains. "One thing led to another."

Untitled, by Gail Spaien

"I was interested to work with watercolor," Gail says. "It's a fragile medium, good for drawing…I found watercolor to be better suited to what I wanted to express." Indeed, the lightness and translucency of watercolor makes the petals and feathers of her subjects come alive.

Looking for Food, Singing Together #1, by Gail Spaien

Watercolor lends itself to the calm worlds she creates. Gail explains that her spare, contemplative renderings are a response to the complications of life. "There needs to be painting that reminds us that the world has wonder and vitality," she says. "Accessible, uncomplicated, thought-provoking cultural experiences that comment on the human condition - on a human scale - are essential today. This is what motivates me and informs the directions that I take in the studio."

Gail relishes the opportunity to allow people to become absorbed in nature. Her current project, Garden Archive, raises questions and puts forth ideas related to the visual representation of and human interaction with the natural world. She feels that our relationship to nature gives meaning to the flux of life and allows us to think differently, and to break out of cultivated patterns and glimpse forces beyond us that may comfort, provoke, or inspire us.

The Botanical Room Project #2, by Gail Spaien

The flowers in her installations are tangible elements that help bring her paintings to life. The heady scent of decay hangs in the air as you study her paintings; the "notebook pages" # mixed media collages that seem to have been ripped from a naturalist's field journal # especially create a feeling of someone at work. "Both in creation and presentation, I am striving to produce an imagined setting where the presence of a naturalist in the act of collecting, documenting, arranging, and preserving is felt," Gail explains. She also mentions that these installations have gotten a very interesting response. "People are not quite sure what the installation is. They wonder, 'Is this real?' It's the blurring of art and life that makes a big impact."

Notebook Page 5, by Gail Spaien

Ultimately, Gail wants to create intelligent, accessible art. "Making somebody stop at look at something is important," she says. "I don't want my work to be so complicated that someone can't access it." It is that openness that has helped Gail become so successful. Being a part of Maine's dynamic art scene has also garnered her much attention, and helped her creative process as well. "I just think I live in a great place and it inspires me. I'm very happy here. I'm happy to be involved."

* Images from William Scott Gallery and Miller Block Gallery