Gail Richards Art

Gail L. Richards is a writer and artist living in Seward - a small coastal community in southcentral Alaska.  She is a member of EBSQ, an online community of artists.  A portfolio of her work may be viewed there at:  http://glrichards.ebsqart.com. 

A resident of the state for nearly 20 years, Richards says its natural beauty and unique characters inspire her, although her work has a more global theme. 

“I’m fascinated by various cultures worldwide,” Richards says. “Few things move me more than seeing people or animals interact within their own unique environments.  So, often, these become the subjects of my stories and art." 

Having written for numerous regional publications, Richards was once introduced in the Alaska Press Club newsletter as a writer who produces ‘clean copy’.  Her articles have appeared in Alaska magazine, We Alaskans, Anchorage Daily News, Homer News, and the Seward Phoenix LOG, where she was a full-time staff writer/photographer for two years.

Currently, she is a part-time contract writer for the LOG. 

Gail sells her work worldwide online through Ebay auctions and this website.  In state, her artwork has been shown at Resurrect Art and Coffee House, The Ranting Raven, and The Edgewater Hotel.  Her work was featured at Homer's Picture Alaska Art Gallery in October, 2007, and she is scheduled there as the First Friday artist for September, 2008. 

Richards completed a series of five original drawings of historic airplanes on aviation maps for the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum at Anchorage in 2006, and several for other small aircraft enthusiasts. 

She has also sold her work to individuals through The Seward Christmas Arts & Crafts Fair and a local artist co-op that operated for two years -  Seward In A Shop. 

Richards is an active member of the Seward Mural Society, and contributes to other community art projects through teaching or donation of skills and time.  She recently made a presentation of her craft to April McDonald's 4th-grade class at Seward Elementary School, in connection with the Kenai Fjords National Park week art contest: 'Remembering Exit Glacier'.                                                                

Lowell Point is a popular beach near Seward that kayakers and boaters often use to access Resurrection Bay.  Locals and visitors alike may be found scouring the sand for sea treasures at low tide, or basking in the alpenglow that radiates off surrounding mountains at sunset.

Who I Am

I am a woman who long ago traded in my silk stockings and heels for the oportunity to live where, on any given day, I can:

• watch eagles battle over an old salmon carcass
• study the long-legged moose that wander into my yard for lunch
• am surprised by a black bear in the brush -- or maybe just a burley black Lab! 

Mostly, I'm in Alaska because it's wild and open like no place else I've been.  People tend to give one another plenty of room to be the exceptional characters that they are, and I respect that.

My favorite nonfiction writing projects are feature articles about the colorful characters that live in this great state.   But, because I'm inspired by so many whose lives I'm unable to write about, I started writing fiction a couple years ago and hope to publish in that field.

In my work, I strive to express the bit of untamed heart that rattles my soul and pushes me to create.