Gail Ruth Peterson
Bringing Hope; Building Faith.
About
Gail Ruth Peterson grew up surrounded by art. Her maternal grandparents were professional artists in the early 1900s and through the decades. Her grandmother, Ruth Anderson, continued to paint and draw into her late 80’s.
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Gail never seemed to have a talent for drawing or painting most of her life, though she tried to sketch as a child. Her first husband purchased all the Bob Ross art supplies for Christmas one year. That year, she produced some beautiful oil paintings but struggled to continue the hobby while her children were young. She lacked confidence and did not sell her work. She mostly gave the art away to friends and family.
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Gail could have been better in school as a young girl. She had dyslexia but was never diagnosed or treated for this. The result was poor grades in all subjects--even art and writing. She was in her 50s when she discovered talents in these areas she never knew! She began her first blog shortly after her first husband died. Her first book was born from the contents of that first blog.
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Three years after her first husband of 25 years died of cancer, Gail attended a local wine and design type art class, and someone offered to buy the piece! She enjoyed the experience of working with acrylics and was surprised that she remembered some of the techniques she learned in the Bob Ross videos years before.
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Soon after, Gail displayed art in local businesses, sold art, and taught art techniques to friends and family.
In 2013, after her first book was published, Who Am I Without Him?, Gail went on a missions trip to Nigeria, where she painted several murals and taught art classes to several widows. She enjoyed doing workshops so much in Nigeria that she began raising funds to help the African widow by conducting art workshops in Raleigh, NC.
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Her second husband, Mike, always told Gail that she had a gift of painting pictures—with words and with a brush! He always encouraged her to seek God’s plan to use the gifts and talents He has given her for His glory. Today, she is honoring Mike’s desire for her to do just that.
Gail's Mom, who is also very artistic, lived with her for over six years. Her mother recently moved to a nursing facility nearby while Gail prepares for a new chapter of her life in Portugal at age 67. She will be working with a Christian nonprofit called The Illuminated Lighthouse of Portugal and will also be exploring to offer art in the surrounding area.
Gail has been happily married and widowed twice, has two grown daughters, and six grandchildren. Drawing and creating is often an expected activity when the grandchildren visit, especially on cold or rainy days.
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Gail loves to travel. She has lived in Canada, traveled and lived in various areas of the USA, and visited Nigeria twice, working with African widows. But while she loves to meet people from all walks of life, hibernating quietly alone to write, pray, paint, redecorate, garden, or draw helps recharge her joy, love, and sensitivity to God's direction for her life.
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For a list of books available, click here.
To stroll through the art gallery, click here.
