Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1047605
Painter Erin Lee Gafill's Authentic Expression B Y B R E T T W I L B U R E rin Lee Gafill's journey to becoming an artist was almost shut down by an unflat- tering comment made by an art teacher in ele- mentary school. "In 4th grade, I made a collage and I was so excited about it, and my teacher said with disdain, 'You'll be a lady plumber when you grow up,'" she recalls. "I accepted I was not good enough." Gafill lives in a 1920s log cabin on her family's famous Nepenthe Restaurant property in Big Sur with her husband, photographer Tom Birmingham. She spent years focusing on volun- teering in the local community, mothering her two children, and writing. She published "Drinking from a Cold Spring," and used her writing to try to untangle difficult childhood memories. Painting remained a hobby. When finally pushed by a friend to paint pro- fessionally, she discovered the process was so nourishing for her compared to writing. "I self-identified as a writer," she says. "With painting, there was no ego attached to it and I was happy." Gafill, who creates captivating still life, abstract, figurative and landscape paintings, is a member of the prestigious Carmel Ar t Association. Besides teaching classes, she also offers more unstructured painting outings for no cost. "We walk around and picnic and touch base with each other," she says. "There's no pressure. It's my way of volunteering." Erin Lee Gafill's award-winning art can be found at the Carmel Art Association, in the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe and the Glass House Gallery at Ventana in Big Sur, as well as in other galleries across the country. For more information, please visit www.eringafill.com or call 831/238-2837. SHORTCUTS ART Erin Lee Gafill often paints the iconic scenery of Big Sur. She helps others unleash their creativity through painting. "They…find their voice and are so happy..." 56 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 8 Photo: DMT Imaging