Chesapeake Bay Landscapes - Artwork, Design, Lanscapes

Besides being my chosen vocation, art is my passion. I alternate between Impressionist-style landscapes and abstract works in mixed media, finding that the landscapes challenge me to focus on detail while the abstract work fuels my creativity. This process allows me to constantly learn and change, seeing things in different ways.

Having grown up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay I have always been inspired by it, and my landscape painting allows me to share the sense of calm and wonder I feel whenever I'm around the water. Each piece of art that I create is a celebration of what I have seen. My palette reflects both the subtle tones of nature and its intense colors. The brilliant golds and reds of autumn, the purple cast of a shadow and the deep blues and greens of the water are all elements I try to capture.

My landscapes are created using pastels, sometimes in combination with acrylic paint, colored pencils or inks. I work from photographs I have taken during my travels, and my work reflects the landscape of the Chesapeake Bay region, mainly in Virginia and Maryland.

For my abstriacts I prefer working on canvas or panel in collage fashion, using acrylic paint combined with elements including torn paper, sand, leaves, and other natural objects. I have been called a colorist and specialize in creating site-specific work for both residential and corporate clients keying on the colors used in each individual setting.

If you would like to commission work, please CONTACT ME.

Gayle N. Mandell of Norfolk, Virginia, studied art at Old Dominion University under the reknowned Charles Sibley, then head of ODU's art department. Her first acrylic painting was accepted in the Chrysler Museum's juried Irene Leach Memorial Exhibition and today her paintings are now part of numerous private and corporate collections including Bank of America, Dominion Bank, Kirn Memorial Library, SunTrust Bank, AT & T, and the Philip Morris Corporation, to name a few.

A versatile painter, Gayle works in two distinct styles, landscapes in pastel and abstract works in acrylic and mixed media. Her landscapes, primarily of the Chesapeake Bay region, are handled exclusively by Lynn Friel of Limited Editions and can be found in numerous galleries on the East Coast from New England to the Carolinas. Her abstract work is available on this site and by special commission.

In addition to exhibiting her artwork, Gayle was one of the founding members of the d'Art Center in downtown Norfolk, worked as the art consultant for two Norfolk banks, and served on the boards of several arts organizations. She owned and operated her own fine art gallery in Virginia Beach from 1992 until 2008.