Shows | Mavi Lale

Last week I had some visitors come from my hometown in Wyoming. The night before they arrived I was so excited I could barely sleep. Its not very often that I get guests from Wyoming, as Istanbul is so far away and not yet on the traveling radar for many people. However, Casper College organizes a yearly trip lead by my dear friend and former professor, and this year the peak interest with everyone was Turkey.

Ever since I moved away from Wyoming, and especially since I have been in Turkey, I have felt overwhelming support from the Casper community. Though I am far away, I am constantly offered shows and opportunities where I grew up, and it keeps me coming back several times a year. I am always happy to visit my home town, but last week I got to share my new home with a group of very special people…and I think we will all remember it for years to come.

After 6 days of exploring exquisite mosques, byzantine wonders, busy bazaars, taking a trip to Asia for dinner, having an amazing yoga class lead by Ozgur, dancing to gypsy music in Beyoğlu, and taking a peek into the Istanbul art scene…we were ready to collapse by the weekend, though still full of joy and excitement. The greatest pleasure for me was especially seeing how this city, which has been so immensely transformative for me, has an impact on each traveler in a different way.

A big thank you to Casper College and Valerie Maiers for allowing me to lead your group through Istanbul, introduce you to my favorite place and favorite people, and for the opportunity to teach my first Istanbul plain air workshops. Thank you to everyone who joined the trip, for your patience and kindness, and your willingness to trust me. Thank you to little 1 year old Ari for being so sweet and attracting the love and attention of everyone, including strangers on the street. I hope to see you all this summer!

Love,

Gabby

A few of us on my favorite rooftop

Istanbul Yogis after Ozgur’s class

Valerie and I in the Harem at Topkapi Palace

Watercolor workshop outside of Chora Church

A beautiful morning in Topkapi Palace

A watercolor study by Holly Turner

Our last dinner together

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Visiting the Museum of Garbage Exhibition

I spent several months this fall in the print shop at Mimar Sinan, Istanbul’s fine arts university. I first stepped into the school not having made a single etching, block print or aquatint for years, so I had to roll up my sleeves and start from scratch on this one. Working in the Gravür Atölyesi, or print studio, reminded me of my print making class in college…except for this time I had to pay extra attention because all of the instructions were in Turkish.

The reason why I found myself with ink covered hands and working among Turkish fine arts students was to make work for an upcoming print exhibition. Since I am a painter primarily I needed to spend a few months coming up with new work for this show. After many weeks of drawing, etching, inking, pressing and learning many new Turkish words…I had made a series of 3 prints, all reflecting my current theme of interior and exterior spaces.

On the night of the opening, we crossed the Bosphorus to Kuzguncuk, on the Asian side of Istanbul to see my work hanging along with 24 other print artists. The best part of this process for me is of course sharing my work, celebrating with friends and loved ones…and seeing that little red dot on the wall.

A very special thank you to Can Aytekin for the invitation to participate in this show, and for all of the help and patience. Also to my friends and family, and to Ozgur for all of your love and support this fall.