Wedding Venues & Services magazine, published in the United Kingdom, will be featuring an illustration of mine with one of their feature stories in their next issue! More to come later...

I had the opportunity to create this festive card for Southern Bride magazine this season. I had been playing around with sketches for my own holiday card featuring a girl in a candy cane dreamland, and thought this wonderland would be beautiful with a happy bride in her gown and veil, decked out in diamonds, with diamond snow drops falling all around her. This is how it all turned out!

I've been meaning to splinter gaylewheatley.com into a couple sites all year, and I finally did it! There were just too many peices of work together under one roof! Now my paintings and illustrations are located on one site and all my design on another:

www.thedesignstar.com

Check it out!
-G

I was recently featured on the art blog & magazine Twenty2wo.

Today is a beautiful day, and the sun is back after such a long night.
We did it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [gasp!]
And with that, we are a new America. Everything has changed. BARACK OBAMA is the president elect and for the first time ever we have a minority in the highest office! This is so incredible and for those of us with immigrant roots and minority backgrounds, it's truly inspirational!! I am so happy and so excited for the great things to come!

Just returned from Sin City, from a lovely few days of luxurious indulgence. Afternoons were spent lounging poolside and succumbing to daily shopping frenzies. Food consisted of celebrity chef specialties, fancy cocktails, and beautiful sweet treats that made my stomach jut out unfavorably. Nights were glittery and magical, and I finally caught "O" which was mind-blowing. I had to keep reminding myself to close my mouth, which hung open in amazement practically the entire show! Here are a few images from the trip:

Out on the strip!

Chums posing by the Trevi fountain

swirls!

Oktoberfest @ Hofbräuhaus...Vegas!

T gets a birthday spanking

Cool bar at the Wynn

Chillin' outside Bellagio

Sunday night I went to see Goldfrapp live at the Orpheum Theater downtown, on tour for their new album Seventh Tree.

This theater is BEAUTIFUL. It's so classic and ornate...apparently it's just been renovated. Everything is lined with gold or adorned with stained glass. It's a true art deco treasure. It's filled with vintage peacock statues, chic red velvet chairs, plush seashell couches in the lobby, and the walls are covered in sculptural forms. Everywhere you look are thoughtfully glamorous details...carved faces and swirl designs in the railings, golden fleur-de-lis wallpaper, glowing blue corridors with stained glass exit signs, and mermaids in the chandeliers. The ceiling alone was pure eye candy!

And these were our seats...the best in the house! Couldn't believe it! I could see EVERYTHING. I could see Allison Goldfrapp's glittery face paint, and all her facial expressions, the details of everyone's costumes, as well as the notes on the stage, everything backstage...and if I turned around, I could see the sea of faces...almost what it must have looked like from onstage. We were perched just over the edge of the stage, but jutting out far enough that nothing was cut off.

During the second song, A&E, Allison actually looked up, raised her wine glass and toasted me! She looked straight at me...and that is when I first realized that she could hear my cheering and see me dancing, because I was so freaking close!


The concert was AMAZING! They sounded so good! They played all the songs off Seventh Tree, and a few from Supernature. The crowd was wild when she played Ooh La La and Number 1.

The scene was folksy mixed with carnival chic. The harps and violins added a unique lyrical magic, while Allison Goldfrapp danced around the stage bare foot in a fashionable clown dress, before a maypole topped with deer antlers.

It was such an awesome night!!!!!!!!!

Photos courtesy of http://www.laorpheum.com, http://www.goldfrapp.com, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/otterfreak/orp

Well, my friend Milli was having a totally rad 80's birthday bash...
so I headed up to SF to celebrate with her...


Hadn't been to the golden gate bridge for years! As amazing as ever...


in Chinatown

Coldplay opened their tour for Viva la Vida last night in LA and the show was awesome!! Chris Martin has a great concert persona—he’s a fiery ball of energy, and he dances like a total spaz...so much so that he was audibly out of breath during several of his songs. He predicted at the start of the show, “I can tell this is gonna be a good one,” and it unmistakably was...especially when he announced that the band was bored of being up on stage, and they all ran out deep into the audience and climbed the stairs way up into the crowd.

People went absolutely wild....and, unbelievably, here comes Coldplay, trekking up right next to our seats in such a HUGE theater—what are the chances?!!!!! They chose a spot right near me, and it was so close I could see the sweat on Chris Martin’s face as he sang “Yellow”!!! Completely amazing.

There were bulbous big screens hanging from the ceiling that showed optically tweaked live video, and glittery butterflies dropped from the ceiling during the last song, “Lovers in Japan” as scenes of Osaka--streets I used to walk though, right near where I lived (couldn’t believe it!!)--flashed behind the band. I was dancing like mad all night...I had really been wanting to see Coldplay live for such a long time and their funky energy was contagious.

I’m loving Viva la Vida as much as the previous albums. I was completely charmed by the romantically poetic lyrics, especially “42”, “Lost?”, “Lovers in Japan” and “Viva la Vida”. This album plunges into a more eclectic direction with compositionally daring instrumental sequences paired with interesting melodies that feel more artistically charged and risky. What a great night.



Coldplay Track List for July 14th, 2008 in Los Angeles:

Life in Technicolor / Violet Hill / Clocks / In My Place / Viva la Vida / 42 / Yes / The Scientist / Chinese Sleep Chant / God Put a Smile Upon Your Face / Square One / Speed of Sound / Trouble / Lost / Strawberry Swing / Yellow / Death Will Never Conquer / I'll Fix You / Lovers in Japan > Reign of Love. Encore: Death and All His Friends

Had a fantastic time up in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying Portland city life, luxurious digs, flavorful meals, shopping, and so many gardens.


Our fancy hotel Lobby


Voodoo Donut, a crazy all-night donut joint.


Portland was full of beautiful gardens, this gorgeous tree was in the Japanese Gardens.


Japanese Gardens


Zen Garden


The hike through Washington Park to the Japanese Gardens...everything was soooooo green!


Portland skyline from Washington Park


Chocolate goodies at Moonstruck Cafe...Portland is a dessert heaven!


Unbelievably, this Chinese Garden was right in the middle of downtown.


Chinese Gardens


Chinese Gardens


Portland is a foodie paradise. Dinner at Red Star Tavern started with cooked oysters stuffed in their shells with crab and spinach, this aged Prime Rib Filet with Blue Cheese sauce and home-made onion rings, completed by champagne-watermelon gelato with waffle cones and milanos.

Here are some recent pictures from my art show at the Weisman museum!

the artist reception

happy day

even babies love art!

gotta love those grand high-ceiling museum walls

My art and I!

Weisman Museum from outside

I will be exhibiting a collection of my “bubble girl” paintings at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art in Malibu, California! The show will be on view:

April 29 - May 2, 2008
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 11:00 - 6:00 P.M.
Friday 11:00 - 6:00 P.M. & 8:30 - 10:00 P.M.
Private Artists’ Reception: Thursday May 1, 12:00 - 1:30 P.M.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263
General information: 310.506.4851
http://www.pepperdine.edu/arts/museum/

Here’s an excerpt about me from the artist’s catalog that was published for the exhibition:

“Since my art is heavily influenced by the
destinations I’ve traveled to, my paintings are
filled with cultural references that are combined
to form a rich visual language. Additionally,
inspired by the years I spent in Japan, my compositions and line
work reflect the influence of ukiyo-e, while conceptually exploring the
relationship between unique distinctions and the ordinary.”



I hope to see you at the museum!

-Gayle

I was recently admitted into SILA, the society of illustrators of Los Angeles.

You can find me on their website at this direct link:
www.si-la.org/gallery/v/Professional/gwheatley/

I've teamed up with a printmaker, and am now able to offer museum-quality archival ultrachrome giclee prints for all my paintings and digitally-created art! The place I'm working with also makes prints for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among other big shots. So needless to say, when saw the first few prints I was absolutely stunned with the high quality! Fantastically luscious! Brilliantly vibrant inks on a variety of thick, textured papers...delicate details, looking sharp and precise. They are truly beautiful! A store selling prints and clothing is currently in the works, so check back soon. In the meantime, if you are interested in ordering a print, shoot me an email. Prints are $60 and discounts are available for multiple prints.

Saturday’s gallery show was a big success...I sold some work and met some amazing artists, Harry Carmean among them--who trudged all the way out from his studio near Palmdale for the evening!! The exhibit was a blast. And many thanks to all those that came out to my show! Visit my BLOG to check out my newest painting, “Mr and Mrs Owl”, which debuted Saturday.


Hanging out at Cactus Gallery


with Harry and Cathlin Camean

This year my custom illustrated holiday card was spotted by the editors at Kartika Review...who liked it so much they contacted me about featuring it with their publication...so all holiday visitors to their site were greeted with my illustrated card :)

Sunday night was the Tori Amos American Doll Posse concert. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!! Tori was SPECTACULAR, as usual!
The show was at the new Nokia theater downtown. For the tour she has been opening as different ADP personalities....I was so curious as to who she would be Sunday....turned out to be Isabel, Pip, and of course Tori. She opened with "Yo George" and it was amazing from there forward. Her energy was overwhelming...and it changed each time she transformed into different characters....when she came out as Pip in black spandex the entire mood of the show shifted away from the mellow, cool, and politically-charged persona of Isabel, to Pip's angry, aggressive, and daring rocker-girl persona.

Our seats were in the front and dead center, so that was fantastic! She actually played a lot of older music which was incredible because the last couple tours I’ve been to haven’t done too much of that. Her personality was also completely different--last time for the Beekeeper tour she was chatty, glamorous and feminine...this time she was strong, rockin' out and intellectual. She just played solid sets...for 2.5 hours! It was absolutely incredible, not that I expect anything less from Tori Amos. I didn’t bring my camera, but I was able to grab some cell phone pictures off ToriAmos.com from the concert.



Out.

I was recently contacted by Kartika Review to be a featured artist for
their magazine's inaugural December issue. They've included six of my
paintings, my artist statement and my artist's biography in their winter
issue! Check it out by visiting their website: kartikareview.com

or going directly to: www.kartikareview.com/issue1/1gayle.html

I've got 2 art shows scheduled for December, January & February!
The first is THE TINY TREASURES SHOW at Cactus Gallery in Eagle Rock...

Tiny Treasures runs from December 8th until January 10th, with an opening party Saturday December 8th from 6-10pm. Check it out!

Cactus Gallery
4534 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
323.256.6117
www.eclecticcactus.com
Hours: M-F 11a-8p; Sat & Sun 10a-6p


Then I'll be participating in THE BIRD SHOW in January and February--a group show to raise awareness for bird species facing extinction, put on for the API (Animal Protection Institute). More info to come...

I'll be showing work at Concrete Walls gallery on the Miracle Mile again this year. The show opens December 7th and runs into January.

Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Chicago....in was fantastic!!!!


It was great to walk around a grand sea of skyscrapers in a tall city again. (LA is big, but I wouldn't say tall). The architecture all over the city was absolutely amazing and there were so many sculptures everywhere that it really was like walking around in an open air museum...plus the paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago--wow!

enjoying a traditional Chicago deep dish pizza

a view of the city from the 95th floor of the Hancock Observatory

T + G in front of "Cloud Gate"

Visit brainboyandstarfish.com to see more!

This weekend was Michelle and Roger's wedding....it turned out beautifully....there were thunderstorms the night before and rain the day of...but nothing--save this light sprinkle--at the wedding. Yay!
I shot some photography for the happy couple...a few more pictures can be found at brainboyandstarfish.com

This illustration will be both published in Southern Bride Magazine for their new wedding annoucements section, and printed as postcards that will be sent out. Exciting!

A client of mine gave me some patches that he had
embroidered from a logo I recently designed for him:

We just got back from the trip of a lifetime!
St Lucia was so wonderful and so much fun! It was both beautiful and luxuriously relaxing. People were friendly, the food was spicy and delish, and we lounged in our hammock under the stars at night listening to the waves. By day we basked in the sun, went sailing, diving, windsurfing, and swimming, then cooled off at the pool bar with Dirty Banana cocktails.

We had the best time!

The wedding was absolutely perfect...we had the ceremony right on the beach under an arch of tropical flowers to the sounds of crashing waves and a festive Calypso band.

It was stunning!

We had champagne, caviar & cake by the sea afterwards, and even had time to relax and get a massage at the spa. It was all topped off with a romantic candlelight dinner by the sea, that included a hand picked menu and our own white-gloved butler. It was heaven!!