Gae Helton
Drawing, Glass, Mosaic, Painting
Gae graduated from art school but made a living using Photoshop and Illustrator in the printing industry. Doing a favor for a friend, Gae spent 3 weeks working as an image retoucher for a fine art reproduction company. With every image she touched, she told herself that she could do the same quality of work. Gae got out her pencils, paints and digital art tools. Gae took refresher classes at the Cincinnati Art Academy. She was back to creating, predominantly watercolor, graphite and digital art. Then a job change and her husband’s illness stopped all creating.
By 2016, Gae retired and her husband was recovering. She started painting full time with watercolor and acrylic. With 10 new works under my belt, Gae was accepted into DVAC’s Art Fellows program.
Gae soon had a studio at K12 Gallery and became a part of their public works team. She designed, and, or painted on over a dozen K12 murals. There she was introduced to glass mosaic.
Gae works out of a home studio and shows her work at various local venues.
Mural Design and Painting thru TEJAS - 2018 – 2025
Dayton Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Center, Dec 2020, Photoshop Design for Wallpaper application – 8’ x 40’
Halo - Printpoint wall Twilight mural - Sept 2021, Design only, Nature scene 147‘ x 36’
Citywide Old North Dayton Valley St mural - Oct 2021, Design and assisting with painting, 95‘ x 18’
St Annes Hill, High St apple mural - May 2022 Design for canvas print, 80‘ x 10’
Weller Elementary – May 2023, Design and assist with painting 8’ x 70’ Greene County Juvenile Court – Shawnee Park Pavilion – 15 panels - Design
More to come in 2025
Mural Design and Painting thru the Contemporary Dayton - 2021
MetroParks Riverscape Sewer Riser, June 2021, Design and Paint, Nature Scene – 4’ x 19’
plus 7‘ diameter top
MetroParks Sunrise Park Cenntennial Overlook, June 2022, Finalist
Large Format Glass Mosaic – Dayton Metro Library
Northmont Library, glass mosaic dragon fly, Dec 2022
Mural Design and Painting thru Krogers - 2022
Dayton Ohio, Woodman store, Jan 2023, 8’ x 24’
My goal is to share my personal glimpses into the natural world, seeing the fantastical and whimsical in God’s creations. I am inspired by the amazing color of life, the splendor and curiosities in nature. Painting the natural world allows me to share my love of the outdoors and the beauty within it. My goal is to brighten a day, lift spirits, and bring a smile with whimsical designs.
I am working in acrylic on canvas, hard board, or hand-crafted cradled board using a brush. Nature, primarily florals, butterflies or bird, amphibian or sea life are my favorite subjects.
Shifting focus between different mediums and subjects, real or abstract expands the command of each medium. GRAPHITE/sketching is the basis of understanding form. With WATERCOLOR, I started exploring color. DIGITAL ART filled much of the lost time created by third shift sleeping habits and made use of my extensive knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop. ACRYLIC painting is my current medium of choice, painting on canvas. I have experimented using hardboard with 3 dimensional textures. MIXED MEDIA added a freeing foray into abstracts. MURALS have taken Gae's art to new dimensions including acrylic and digital variations. I was introduced to mosaics while working with the public works team at K12 Gallery. I took classes in MOSAICS and stained-glass processes to become a more valuable part of the team. Working with glass becomes addictive and is now my favorite medium.
I am currently living in Beavercreek with my husband Bob and small dog, Rojo. I am a member of the
Dayton Society of Artists, K12 & TEJAS Gallery, The Contemporary Dayton Gallery.
Dragonflies and Poppies
8' x 6'
Glass Mosaic