The Catalina Island Museum presents the exhibition Gayle Garner Roski: Journey to the Titanic, featuring the first public display of 33 watercolor paintings by the late Los Angeles artist Gayle Garner Roski, which document her journey through the North Atlantic Ocean to visit the haunting remains of the RMS Titanic.

“We are excited to showcase these watercolor paintings for the first time and share this extraordinary journey with our members, residents, and guests,” said Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director of the Catalina Island Museum. “Through Roski’s watercolors, photographs, and film of her exploration below the surface, viewers are invited to experience the legacy of the Titanic and her wreck site from an entirely different perspective.”

A plein-air watercolorist and avid world traveler, Roski explored some of the most remote parts of the globe, always with paints and a sketchbook in hand.  In 2000, Roski boarded the MIR I submersible to explore 12,500 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean to view and paint the remains of the Titanic from the ocean floor. Roski was the first artist to paint the notorious ship from life.

Journey to the Titanic is the first public display of the watercolors that document her journey to the bottom of the sea, poignantly revealing the power that the Ship of Dreams still holds today. Through the pages of her sketchbook diary, Roski’s descent into the depths brings the thrill of adventure and the humanity of Titanic back to the surface for viewers to experience.

The exhibition presents an additional opportunity for viewers to explore the drama of the RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage and complements the museum’s feature exhibition, Titanic: Real Artifacts, Real People, Real Stories, which premiered virtually during the Museum Benefit on October 17. Titanic is a one-of-a-kind exhibition assembled specifically by the museum bringing unique items from private collectors together for the first time since 1912. The exhibition follows twelve passengers onboard and tells their stories through extant artifacts, images, and personal belongings many never having been publicly exhibited before.

Exhibition: Gayle Garner Roski: Journey to the Titanic

Exhibition Dates: November 14, 2020, to October 24, 2021

Location: Catalina Island Museum
217 Metropole Ave.
Avalon, CA 90704