My name is Gloria Faith and I am a self-made artist, sketching and painting since I was a little girl in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. For as long as I remember, I looked at the world through an artist’s eye. I would look at seemingly ordinary things, animals, landscapes and people and envision them as a work of art. I didn’t paint at first, just sketching with pencils on whatever paper I could lay my
hands on. I eventually moved on to toting a sketch pad where ever I went. I loved colors (still do) and really wanted to add colors to my drawings, so I started experimenting with oil paints around 1971, when I was only 15 years old. My first painting was a still life with my favorite doll, Cindy (at left). I could never bring myself to part with my first painting. Although it’s been through a lot - a couple of hurricanes and a flood being the worst of it – it still looks pretty good at 44! :)
When I married my wonderful husband, Lenny, in 1982, he built me my first “studio” where my inner artist began to thrive. Still working in oil, I began painting portraits of animals, occasionally with their two legged friends, on canvas and wood. I also painted landscapes, capturing the beautiful colors during the change of the seasons. People were actually paying me to do what I loved. In 1991, my husband and I moved our family to the Florida Panhandle, where many exciting opportunities were waiting. I went to work at the Gulf Breeze Zoo where I was the train conductor on the preserve where the animals roam free and I also fed the Gibbons (they’re not monkeys you know, they’re apes). I was able to observe and photograph all of my favorite animals. This enabled me to capture their spirit and personalities when painting them. But wait…I’m getting ahead of myself. In 1994, Lenny (an automotive repair specialist) and I found the perfect shop to open our two wildly different businesses in one location. Tiger Point Paint & Body and Designs by Gloria. Shortly thereafter, I borrowed an engraving tool and engraved the Gibbons on a piece of glass. Before long, I began to expand to car and van windows, glasses and bottles. Soon the word was out and my work was in demand. My husband bought me my own engraving tool and New Wave Engraving & Painting was born. I never stopped painting, though, still oil on canvas and wood, but began experimenting with acrylic paint and liking it. In 1998, a customer of New Wave Engraving saw my paintings displayed, I was asked me to paint her dogs, Cotton and Chia, on rocks. That started a real craze…everyone that came in wanted their beloved pet on a rock. I then started to paint my friends from the zoo including Colossus, the largest silver-back male gorilla in captivity at the time. I loved that big guy so much and when I finally found that perfect rock, I knew it was him!! He truly is colossus measuring at whopping 14” tall, 15” wide, over 4” deep and weighs nearly 40 lbs. Sorry folks, he’s not for sale!! Now I have started working with Gourds only. I just love the gourds they are so versatile. I can wood burn, engrave, carve out, and paint on them. Also I still do animal portraits on the gourds. Thank you for taking the time to pop in on me. I hope you enjoy looking at my work as much as I enjoy doing it. I’d love to add your best friend to my portfolio and my page!
