Interview with
Tarryl Gabel
Painter
Tarryl Gabel
Painter
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Tarryl Gabel was born and raised on a cattle ranch on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. She has lived the last 32 years in the beautiful Hudson Valley Region of New York. Tarryl prefers to paint “en plein air” whenever possible, but she also paints still life, wildlife and western-themed paintings when she cannot be outdoors.
Tarryl has been voted by readers of Hudson Valley Magazine as “Best Artist” in their annual “Best of the Hudson Valley” five times to date. She has won awards nationally and regionally, including Paint the Parks and Paint America Top 100. Most recently, at Plein Air Easton, her painting was given the award titled “Worthy of the Met” by David Levy. Tarryl was also chosen to paint an ornament for the 2007 White House Christmas tree. Her work is in many private and corporate collections, both nationally and abroad. |
Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, visited Tarryl at her home studio and spoke with her about her Native American Heritage, her journey as an artist, and the inspirations she has found along the way.
I’m interested to hear more about your Native American heritage and life growing up on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
I’m interested to hear more about your Native American heritage and life growing up on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
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I am an enrolled member of the Hidatsa Tribe. My Native American heritage comes from my father’s side (my mother is of Irish & German descent). He was killed in a car crash at the age of 27, and my mother instantly became a widow with three young kids to raise. She remarried a local rancher and had two more children. I grew up both on the reservation and off the reservation (in the small town of Garrison). I went to the reservation school for six years, and then I attended a school in Garrison for six years. We had homes in both places. At first it was quite an adjustment, and I often felt caught between the two worlds.
The Native American culture helped me to develop a reverence for nature – the earth, my natural surroundings – a spiritual connection with the land. My photographic collage titled “Reverence” is an homage to these values. I created this collage in honor and as a gift for my sister, Dawn Primeaux. She is holding the buffalo skull to the sky, a gesture of gratitude and respect. The background is a geyser that I photographed in Yellowstone, and I imagined the rest of the images emerging from the clouds. The wolf represents a fierce loyalty to family. The owl represents wisdom, vision and insightfulness. The shawl dancer helps keep traditions alive and exemplifies the importance of preserving these traditions for the younger generation. The Buffalo is a symbol of abundance for many tribes and very important to the people for food, clothing and tools used for survival. It also happens to be my sister’s namesake – her Indian name is Buffalo Woman. The flute player is a family friend, Keith Bear. His music represents keeping stories and music alive for future generations. |
Reverence
© Tarryl Gabel |
A Cowboy's Life
Oil © Tarryl Gabel |
Your grandfather was a painter. Was he an early mentor?
Yes, he was. My grandfather, Ben Slocum, was a farmer and a rancher who was primarily a self-taught, Western painter. I would watch him and learn from him as he would bring his newest painting upstairs and study the piece for hours…chatting about it while he had his coffee. I originally thought I would be a wildlife artist. I appreciated the incredible work of Robert Bateman. In the beginning, before I began painting en plein air, I painted from photographs. Has your focus or style changed throughout the years? I have always been drawn to water, wildlife and landscape, painting scenes in their natural state. Given a choice, I’m not so much interested in painting people within the landscape or showing how they have interfered with the landscape. This has remained a constant throughout the years. |
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I can tell you have a passion for painting en plein air. What do you find inspiring about working outdoors?
There’s a sense of urgency about painting outdoors - it gets my adrenaline flowing. I have to paint fast to capture the light before it changes. I love that fleeting glimpse of the sunrise as those first rays of sunshine hit the landscape – the light effects that you see moving across the land as the sun continues to rise are truly captivating. It’s magical and challenging to be able to catch that light in my work. The difficulty….well, dealing with the elements, including biting bugs, wind, rain, and cold. I’ve been painting during sudden downpours. One time, I had a painting swept out into the ocean because I was too focused on painting and enjoying standing in the surf as the tide came in. |
Painting "En Plein Air" (View of Skytop Tower, Mohonk)
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2007 White House Ornament
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How were you chosen to paint an ornament for the White House Christmas tree in 2007?
One of my works was seen at a local show by a woman who was involved with the National Parks Service. The Christmas decorating theme for the White House that year was “Our National Parks,” and I was chosen to paint an ornament that represented the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt. My husband and I attended a special reception at the White House, and the ornament remains in their permanent collection. |
What’s the most inspirational place you’ve visited?
Ireland. I took a trip there with my mother and sister to explore our heritage and visit cousins. The back country and the mountains are just beautiful. I traveled through the Ring of Kerry* and visited Kerry Bog Village. This is a wonderful museum focused on the history and culture of Ireland. I would love to go back and experience more, hopefully having the opportunity to paint while there.
*The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. It’s a circular route that takes the traveler through rugged and verdant coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages.
What do you find most satisfying and most difficult about a career in the arts?
I am moved when my work touches the viewer(s) in an emotional way. I have had customers tear up and tell me how much my work meant to them. I also had a buyer tell me that my work was a “most prized possession.” This emotional connection that I experience with others through my work is invaluable.
The difficult part is not being able to count on a steady income. You just can’t project what is going to sell and when it is going to sell. So, it’s the business end – the daunting aspects of marketing your work, keeping in touch with clients, cataloguing, etc.
I do a lot of traveling to plein air events and competitions. This can be exhausting, but equally rewarding. I love painting new places, meeting new people and have made life-long friends as a result of these events.
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
I experience sanctuary during the quiet of the early morning, finding the world as it awakens. I also find sanctuary out on the water, paddling my kayak.
Ireland. I took a trip there with my mother and sister to explore our heritage and visit cousins. The back country and the mountains are just beautiful. I traveled through the Ring of Kerry* and visited Kerry Bog Village. This is a wonderful museum focused on the history and culture of Ireland. I would love to go back and experience more, hopefully having the opportunity to paint while there.
*The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. It’s a circular route that takes the traveler through rugged and verdant coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages.
What do you find most satisfying and most difficult about a career in the arts?
I am moved when my work touches the viewer(s) in an emotional way. I have had customers tear up and tell me how much my work meant to them. I also had a buyer tell me that my work was a “most prized possession.” This emotional connection that I experience with others through my work is invaluable.
The difficult part is not being able to count on a steady income. You just can’t project what is going to sell and when it is going to sell. So, it’s the business end – the daunting aspects of marketing your work, keeping in touch with clients, cataloguing, etc.
I do a lot of traveling to plein air events and competitions. This can be exhausting, but equally rewarding. I love painting new places, meeting new people and have made life-long friends as a result of these events.
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
I experience sanctuary during the quiet of the early morning, finding the world as it awakens. I also find sanctuary out on the water, paddling my kayak.
