Art During Quarantine

Hello all. While in quarantine, I thought I would provide an updated introduction to go along with my updated working environment.

My name is Gayla Dowdy Seale. I’m living in and working as an artist in Knoxville, Tennessee. I grew up about 100 miles northeast of Knoxville in Bristol, Tennessee. I have lived in several of the larger cities in the southeast including Memphis, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Atlanta.

I have a brother and a sister. My mom is still with us, but I lost my dad 11 years ago. I am married to David, and I have 3 children who have been successfully launched from the nest.

I attended East Tennessee State University where I studied Medical Technology and then later received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

I did not formally study art, but I have drawn or painted in one form or another for as long as I can remember. I had several family influences. My mother and grandmother were very creative in fabric art such as quilting, doll-making, embroidery, and knitting. My grandmother tatted lace and embroidered sheets. She was a gifted lady. My mother still puts together quilts. My brother also was a talented artist, but he chose to express his talent in the area of architecture. I chose painting as my creative outlet. My sister, whose talents lean more towards outdoor adventures, is one of my most avid supporters.

Throughout my adult life and while raising children, I managed to study art by way of workshops, seminars, private lessons, and self-study.

During the span of years when my children were in college, I returned to full time laboratory work. The lab where I worked did large volume viral testing similar to the type used to test for COVID-19. I worked there 6 years. After my youngest graduated college, I decided that it was time to pursue my art full-time. With a bit of fortuitous timing, I was able to secure a studio space at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.

I have dabbled in various forms of artistic expression. Still-life work, florals, landscapes and portraiture have all made their appearance in my portfolio. In recent years I have been more interested in cityscape work which includes perspective drawing, architectural detail, and the unique signage that gives charm to a city or town. I am also interested in patterns which frequently occur in architecture and in nature.

A few years ago, I discovered the art of Zentangle®, which promotes relaxation and creativity through pattern drawing. I attended the training seminar in Providence, Rhode Island and became a Certified Zentangle Teacher. I now host and co-teach Zentangle classes with Amy Broady (CZT) in my studio.

My working artist studio has been up and running for a year now. I have been thrilled to be able to go there and paint and create new art on a daily basis. Then came the little demon called Coronavirus, and the Emporium Center closed to the public. Although I can still access my studio if needed, I took all of my most used art supplies and re-established my home art studio. I am thankful to have an alternative space from which to work. A long mid-day walk around the neighborhood helps break up the day.

Good luck to everyone out there trying to adjust and adapt to the “Stay At Home” restrictions. Extra doses of patience, kindness, and understanding are in order for all of us.

I am grateful for all of the support I have received since my studio opened, and I look forward to producing new art every year.

Best Laid Plans

(An Unexpected Finish to the first year in my new Studio)

The plan was to celebrate the completion of my first year in my new studio at the Emporium Center during April’s First Friday Event. As we all know, everyone’s plans have rapidly changed due to this global Coronavirus pandemic. Most everyone’s life has had to be altered in some way or another. As for me, I had to cancel several studio classes and I was scheduled to do a show at the Knoxville Museum of Art Gift Shop for the month of April, which will not happen for now.

In order to maintain my painting schedule, I took some commonly used art supplies back to my home and resurrected my home studio. I have an art table set up in a front room of the house and my little dog, which will be 18 years old this year, keeps me company.

I would like to say that I haven’t skipped a beat and have continued to paint as I usually do, but admittedly, I’ve had an artistic slump and have been somewhat less motivated. I have done other things like binge some shows ( I'm an Outlander Fan and I just finished 3 seasons of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.) I've also worked on some home cleaning and renovation projects. The slump I contribute to the lack of certainty of events already planned and the general disappointment surrounding the pandemic.

I do manage to paint some every day. I would feel completely unproductive if I did not. A few things keep me going. I am preparing new art for another market season. I am making the optimistic assumption that the quarantine period will be over by May and the beginning of the Market Square Farmer’s Market 2020 season. Additionally, I was planning to roll out my new logo design for my Where Squares and am trying to fill a wall in my studio with these 12 x 12 inch location painting. My new logo roll-out will have to wait until another month. I also am taking the opportunity to try some different techniques, painting surfaces and subject matter during this time of quarantine.

I hope that this unsettling time of isolation and unpleasant news will be over soon. I thank all of the health care workers for their sacrifices, including my daughter, Laura, who is a nurse at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, my nephew Tanner Blevins, who has been deployed as a paramedic with the Tennessee National Guard and is doing testing for COVID-19. Also, to my other dear friends who work in labs, and hospitals. I wish them all safety and comfort.

Thank you for continued support in my artistic endeavors.

Springtime in Knoxville, Tennessee means Dogwood blossoms aplenty. These are blooms from my new Dogwood tree in my front yard. I'm thankful for the natural beauty found outdoors in the springtime.

An Artist Studio in the Making

On March 29th, my full time employment with CSL Plasma in Knoxville, Tennessee came to a close. I gave a 2 month notice, my replacement was chosen and I worked until that Friday morning. I had worked 6 years with a great group of folks and it was a mix of happiness and sadness when I turned in my badge and left my night shift crew for the last time.

On April 1st, I took possession of Studio Space 110 at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville. I had been on the waiting list for a bit of time and was so pleased to get the call in mid-February that a space had become available. I jumped at the chance to become involved in an active community of artists at a popular downtown venue.

Name on the door means it is OFFICIAL

Now, I am busy trying to go through twenty plus years of art supplies, paintings, frames, and the evidence of my ongoing artist life that has been strewn in every corner of my houses. I threw out much, but was sanctioned by my 25 year old daughter, Amanda not to throw away all of the old stuff.

Paintings from 20 years ago seem awful now. Maybe, in 20 more years my art will really be top notch, because I have seen some improvement in my eye for color and design. There is still so much to learn.

The moving van came yesterday and took all that I had packed to my new space. I have ordered some new furniture pieces for storage and decor from Bliss Home in Knoxville.

Moving: A work in progress

I have decided to do a mural on the far wall to echo the old exposed brick that is part of this historic building. The faux brick finish will serve as an excellent backdrop for showcasing my urban landscape designs which often have some varied appearance of russet color, which is my personal favorite.

According to its website: Built in 1898 as the original home of a prestigious furniture company, the Emporium Building housed a wholesale goods distributor and later became a textile manufacturing facility that fulfilled military contracts. The two adjacent buildings and the vacant lot were the location of the “Parthenon of Country Music,” which served as the home of the WNOX Mid-day Merry-Go-Round

A click on the rendering of the building will give a preview of all the vibrancy of this old and new space in the 100 block of Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.

The Emporium Building

My next blog posts will be featuring the progress of the mural in my studio.