Meet Gail. During her two-month Liquitex Residency, painter and sculptor Gail-Marie Boykewich continued her exploration into the natural world with a focus on magical, color-rich portraits of imaginary people, fauna and animals.

Gail has evolved her practice from painting almost exclusively on patterned fabrics, to painting mostly on wood and creating her own patterns. She now works in multi-dimension. In her residency she focused on larger pieces “painted on wood panel that I cut out with my jigsaw to accomplish a 3D, staged look”, and mostly used Soft Body Acrylic. “I always use acrylic paint as I love the way it dries quickly, and when I paint, I do lots of thin layers. I love Soft Body’s consistency; the pigment is really great and the color variety.”

For inspiration, the artist spends time in parks and botanical gardens, as well as poring over reference books and encyclopedias on birds and flora. “The way I clear my head before I go into the studio: I always prep everything beforehand. I put all the colors together, clean my palette. And having my dog Margot here helps too as she gives me little breaks. ”Her advice for artists just starting out? “Celebrate the successes, even if they are little. Artists can be really hardon themselves; I think it’s really valuable to take time to appreciate how far you’ve come.”

See more of Gail’s work at gailmboykewich.com/ Instagram @gmboykev