Gayle Isabelle Ford

Brightwood, VA

Gayle Isabelle Ford was born and raised in New Orleans, where her love of drawing and animals, especially horses, began at an early age. Her talent was recognized in high school when her art instructor entered her work in an Art Association of New Orleans competition, earning her a scholarship to the McCrady School of Fine and Applied Arts in the French Quarter. While raising her family, Gayle continued studying illustration, photography, and fine art. She later moved to Colorado with her two daughters and worked as a staff illustrator for Interweave Press before returning to Virginia, drawn by her love of its blue mountains and trees. Gayle works in oils, watercolor, acrylic, and graphic art, using these mediums to explore her love of nature, animals, and fascinating faces. Drawing, however, remains her first artistic love.