Gay has loved working with fabric and threads since she was a small child fashioning doll clothes on her great-grandmother’s treadle sewing machine. From her grandmother she learned to knit, crochet and embroider, and she was always encouraged to draw and paint by her mother, a well-known portrait artist. Gay earned a fine arts degree, took many art courses and was a scientific illustrator before discovering her true passion in textile arts. She completed a Creative Crafts Certificate in non-traditional embroidery at Sheridan College and then taught the course there and at another community college. She has also led workshops in design and quilting (mainly Colourwash) for guilds while continuing to be a student herself, learning from many fine teachers in Canada and England. Now retired from teaching, Gay continues to create, finding design inspirations everywhere and exploring new techniques, materials and rich colour combinations. Most of her pieces are small, realistic in subject matter and heavily embellished with fine detail, and she delights in using vibrant hues, beads and sparkling metallic fabrics and threads.   

Email: walkerrg@telus.net