About
Watercolor, according to Gayle Garner Roski (1941 – 2020), is a “medium of magic.” With watercolor you never know exactly how it will come out, as you cannot rework what you have already done, she explained.
“I love watercolors because they have a way of being unpredictable, and yet they can transform us by taking an instant of time and holding it still, so that we may reflect on it and be moved by it.”
A native of Los Angeles, Roski studied fine arts at the University of Southern California. Her vibrant watercolors have been exhibited extensively in museums and galleries from Southern California to Scotland. Roski bridged her fine art career with her civic dedication. She was a commissioner with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and headed public art projects throughout the city, including A Community of Angels, which placed larger-than-life angel statues throughout the Southland. Roski also served on the executive board of the Los Angeles Cathedral, the California Art Club, and the University of Southern California’s School of Art and Design, which bears her name.
A plein-air watercolorist and avid world traveler, Roski explored some of the most remote parts of the globe, always with paints and sketchbook in hand. She dove in the uncharted waters off New Guinea and climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. “One of the great joys of travel is seeing how creativity is expressed throughout the world: connecting to the arts and artisans of different cultures is a profound inspiration.”
She created several series of paintings from objects found in her travels around the world: calligraphy brushes from Beijing, Italian pottery from Tuscany and Umbria, and snuff bottles from China. In 2014, she created a Zulu basket painting that won the Jesse Arms Botke Award at California Art Club’s 104th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition.
Roski illustrated several books, including Luscious, the University of Southern California’s cookbook; Thomas the T. Rex: The Journey of a Young Dinosaur to Los Angeles, written by Michael Smith; Mei Ling in China City and Mystery of the Giant Masks of Sanxingdui, both written by Icy Smith; and Endeavour’s Long Journey, written by astronaut John D. Olivas.
