My inspiration comes from the beauty I find in nature, at once ephemeral and eternal, transcendent. I feel a deep connection to my subject matter and the intimation of something greater than yet part of myself, as I seek to interpret and re-create the natural world. What moves me to paint or piece together collage is the sense of beauty I feel for a colorful and luminous landscape, the challenge and satisfaction felt from rendering the intricate tones and patterns of a water reflection, or the pure joy and whimsy I get from the sentient and relatable expressions in a critter’s face. Choosing bits and pieces from recycled materials to build a collage is a kind of meditation, a process both serendipitous and deliberate. The result communicates my thoughts, feelings, and concerns for our earth and the myriad creatures we share it with.

Gaylen has worked professionally as a designer, artist and art instructor since earning a BFA in Painting and Art Education from Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA in 1981. After graduation she worked in the Architecture firm of Robert Venturi, designing and creating large animal exhibits made of fiberglass at the Philadelphia Zoo for the George T. Widener Treehouse. In 1986, she was awarded a merit scholarship to pursue graduate studies in Art at the University of California, San Diego and Graphic Design at The California Institute of the Arts, Valencia CA.
Following graduate studies, she worked in the design fields in Los Angeles, CA as a painter, set and graphic designer. The most memorable job was working at Dole Productions, creating props, sets and puppetry, and making stop-motion animation for the Pee Wee Herman Christmas Special, 1988.
Gaylen has worked for the PA Council of the Arts as an artist-in-residence in many schools throughout South and Central PA, creating murals, museum exhibit design, outdoor sculpture, and portraiture. She has exhibited her art nationally in Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, Rutgers College, New Jersey, Pasadena Museum of Art, CA, Demuth Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, Lancaster, where she was an adjunct faculty member from 1990-1993.
She earned her Master Degree in Education from Cabrini College in 2012 and taught Art to students in grades, K-8, within the public School District of Lancaster, PA for 25 years.
Gaylen has been a featured artist at Red Raven Art Company since 2010.