Marianne Graff
The PebbleCreek Art Club is delighted to award Artist of the Month for May to Gale Baldasare. Her fervor and dedication are wonderful assets for the whole arts community. Gale was born and raised in Michigan and hails from a family of artists: her grandmother painted china during World War II, her mother was an oil painter who believed in coloring outside the lines “in a big way” and her sister is both an artist and quilter. Gale’s dad was an automotive engineer who, together with his wife, bought property in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and docked a 55’ Chris Craft there for his family to inhabit. Gale lived on this boat from age 7 to 21! In addition to this amazing experience, to this day the whole family engages in communal projects such as watercolor, beading and collecting leaves for making wreaths whenever they get together.
Gale’s early career was in retail management and she was slated to be a buyer for a ladies clothing store when she met her husband, Mike. They lived in Tacoma, Washington for most of their married life and owned a Recreational Vehicle dealership until 2010. Mike and Gale found their first Arizona home in 2006 on a motorhome trip of their own. They became snowbirds in Sun Village until 2013, when they discovered PebbleCreek!
Once here, Gale pursued a dual career path. Though having retired twice and because she loves both people and homes, she decided to pursue a career in real estate and joined the PebbleCreek Real Estate Group. Gale’s success in this venture is aided and supported by her husband Mike who assists her in many ways. Gale is also a proud member of the PebbleCreek Art Club. She is an enthusiastic participant who among other activities, served for two years as Co-Chair of the Education Committee and recently co-chaired the annual Meet the Artist art show.
Though having had many creative experiences with family throughout the years, Gale didn’t pursue more formal art classes until she arrived in PebbleCreek. Her stated goal is to take every class she possibly can at least once! She has tried fused glass, woodcarving, acrylic painting, oil painting and pottery, but her favorite medium is pastel. She also found that she especially enjoys drawing portraits of both animals and humans.
According to Gale, “We are so fortunate to have the Creative Arts Center! The clubs that support the center are amazing. The only room I haven’t tried yet is the Fiber Arts room and since my sister is a quilter I’d like to try that, too!” Members of the Art Club feel very fortunate to have someone of Gale’s talent and experience as part of our community. You are invited to view Gale’s work at the Creative Arts Center and at the Tuscany Falls and Eagle’s Nest Clubhouses.