Hoisting Her Artistic Sails

Gale McKee's tiny art studio is hardly large enough to contain her high energy and infectious enthusiasm, let alone her abstract installations created from full-sized sails. Vibrantly bright canvases are littered throughout the room, hanging on walls and propped up precariously as if she continually changes her mind about which piece to work on, and she probably does.

"I get bored easily if I'm not busy, always busy," she says.

McKee is very busy these days. She has just a few weeks until her NAUTICA//ABSTRACT exhibit at The North Sails Loft in San Rafael on April 27. The exhibit will feature roughly seven pieces from her nautical-themed collection — a series inspired by the intricacies found on common sails. The sails are stitched together and painted with acrylics in intense contrasting colors with special attention paid to the metal hardware details.

Her largest piece, entitled Open the Bay, is designed to give the illusion of actually being inside the boat looking out. The perception is heightened by the unexpected use of ropes actually threading down from the pieces on the wall to two authentic metal cleats on the floor.

"Abstract is much more conceptual, so you really have to think," says McKee. "I mean, doing a landscape is very straightforward. There's the landscape and that's it. Abstract is very subjective." She notes that, for her, it's all about the sail's design, color, shape and line.

Abstract expressionism is somewhat new for McKee, her background consists of mainly commercial art. Having worked as an illustrator for the Yellow Pages, a graphic designer and an art director, she currently, and has for the last six years, served as a product designer and illustrator for Pottery Barn Kids.

It was while working at Pottery Barn Kids she was inspired to turn sails into works of art. During a summer presentation someone hung a sail for ambiance, and McKee was instantly transfixed.

"I was looking at it and thought, 'Whoa! Look at these neat things.' There's all the hardware and stitching — it was really fascinating to me and I kind of got really into it," she says.

Working in the Pottery Barn Kids environment gave her not only the nautical inspiration; it also gave her the confidence to really delve into her creativity. McKee spent years working for "the man" to make a living, and at times it took its toll.

"I was the first of the women's libbies. I was programmed to go to college, get married and have kids. Back then our only job choices were teacher, nurse, or secretary. Then Gloria Steinem came along and told us we didn't have to do that."

But even with the changing social values, the working world wasn't completely accessible. She describes the advertisement industry at that time as very much an old-fashioned boys club.

"When I was looking for jobs and working my way up through the ad arena, it was really male dominated. It was the 70s, and men were still in charge. They would say things like 'Oh, we don't want to hire you because you'll just get married and quit.'"

As a single mother she sold pastel landscapes — generic crowd-pleasers with the best chances of selling. To make ends meet she worked as a waitress and a dog walker. McKee took an evening textile class once a week for two years, which eventually led her to Pottery Barn Kids.

"I was recommended for Pottery Barn, so I called them up to freelance and I thought they were really boring. They just had no humor and were really serious. So I thought, 'How about Pottery Barn Kids?'"

The combination of McKee's creativity and child-like energy thrived in the nurturing environment of Pottery Barn Kids. It was here that she developed the confidence to stray away from the commercial world and explore the freedom of expressionism.

"There were a lot more women at pottery barn, very smart and incredibly talented businesswomen," she says. "I had always been very shy and quiet, but at pottery barn I was given a lot of opportunities I had never been given before. It was great to have women supporting women. It was really a turning point in my life."

Last December, she semi-retired from the corporate world to focus her energies on her latest passion. With the entire collection centered on the nautical theme, it's natural to assume McKee is an avid sailor, but she's really only a dabbler. Maybe the sea is in her blood — she recently made a discovery while conducting some genealogical research: the entire family on her father's side were all boat builders and sea captains in Maine.

After the NAUTICA//ABSTRACT show is over, McKee will be just as busy as ever. She recently won the Marin Magazine cover contest — her and two other artists will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue and another show will commemorate the achievement. As for future artwork, she plans to continue using sails as inspiration, but in different ways.

"I'm loving doing this. Abstract art is not for everybody. I don't have any one style; I have many styles and directions. I get to the point where I'm like 'OK, I've done this. Move on.'"

*originally published April 2007 Bay Area BusinessWoman News