ALS Network Holiday Card Features Artwork of Gayle Garner Roski

Before her passing from ALS in 2020, Gayle Garner Roski described watercolor as a “medium of magic.” 

Gayle once explained she loved “watercolors because they have a way of being unpredictable, and yet they can transform us by taking an instant of time and holding it still, so that we may reflect on it and be moved by it.”

Gayle’s original watercolor, titled “Golden Glow” was generously shared by the Roski family for use as the ALS Network’s 2024 holiday card. The work was part of Gayle’s first solo exhibition that featured a series of ribbon paintings symbolizing the generosity of giving and hope for new beginnings – the final touch for gifts wrapped for many of life’s most memorable events is a ribbon tied with love.

Gayle’s art and viewpoint blends seamlessly with the ALS Network’s year-end fundraising campaign focused on the organization as a family of support, encouraging donors to “give the gift of family” this holiday season.

A native of Los Angeles, Roski studied fine arts at the University of Southern California. Her vibrant watercolors have been exhibited extensively in museums and galleries from Southern California to Scotland. Roski bridged her fine art career with her civic dedication. She was a commissioner with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and headed public art projects throughout the city, including A Community of Angels, which placed larger-than-life angel statues throughout the Southland. Roski also served on the executive board of the Los Angeles Cathedral, the California Art Club, and the University of Southern California’s School of Art and Design, which bears her name.

A plein-air watercolorist and avid world traveler, Roski explored some of the most remote parts of the globe, always with paints and sketchbook in hand. She dove in the uncharted waters off New Guinea and climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. “One of the great joys of travel is seeing how creativity is expressed throughout the world: connecting to the arts and artisans of different cultures is a profound inspiration.”

She created several series of paintings from objects found in her travels around the world: calligraphy brushes from Beijing, Italian pottery from Tuscany and Umbria, and snuff bottles from China. In 2014, she created a Zulu basket painting that won the Jesse Arms Botke Award at California Art Club’s 104th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition.

Roski illustrated several books, including Luscious, the University of Southern California’s cookbook; Thomas the T. Rex: The Journey of a Young Dinosaur to Los Angeles, written by Michael Smith; Mei Ling in China City and Mystery of the Giant Masks of Sanxingdui, both written by Icy Smith; and Endeavour’s Long Journey, written by astronaut John D. Olivas.

Thank you to the Roski family for their generosity and for sharing Gayle’s beautiful and meaningful creation.