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“I
cannot ever remember not being into art,” says
Bowling Green, Ky., artist Alice Gatewood-
Waddell, 53. “My sister says she gave me my start
in art since she bought my first box of crayons.”
When she was in elementary school, Alice loved her art
teacher. In high school, she took all of the art classes avail-
able. “During my senior year, I was given the Outstanding
Student Art Award, which confirmed to me that I might be
pretty good at art since I had won the award,” she says.
Alice went on to Western Kentucky University where
she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Later, she
married and lived in Louisville, where she was a part-time
artist, a substitute teacher for the Jefferson County Public
Schools, and worked with the elderly at one of the senior
citizen residential complexes. For eight years, Alice was the
director of Senior Citizens East for active and homebound
residents.
22 Mosaic • Spring 2007
Meet the Artist
Alice Gatewood-Waddell
As part of the renovation of the Albert and Grace Winn Center in 1999, Louisville Seminary conducted a search
for artwork to hang on the newly remodeled walls. The search among Kentucky artists yielded paintings of all
subjects and textures, including two pieces by African American artist Alice Gatewood-Waddell. We invite you
to meet this artist, who prefers to capture people in everyday situations using vibrant color and unusual medium.
“I always put art into everything, any kind of class I had
for the residents,” she says with a laugh. “I enjoyed being
with them. They acted like I was their grandchild. Oh, I could
write many stories [about my time there].”
After Alice’s last child was born, she became a full-time
artist, staying home to care for her three children and work-
ing on her art in the evenings. In 1992 when Alice and her
husband divorced, she moved back to Bowling Green to be
near her family so they would be able to help care for her
children when she had to travel. Her three children, now
grown, have pursued interesting careers: singing in New
York, design and fashion, and a criminal justice.
Like her sparkling personality, Alice’s paintings are
vibrant and alive, and they draw the viewer into familiar
life experiences.
By Mary Jo Harrod
“I work at night when there are no phones ringing or
people dropping by,” Alice says. “I used to
work on my paintings outside in the sum-
mertime. My favorite subjects are fathers
and sons, mothers and sons, mother and
baby, fathers and daughters––subjects to
show positive family relationships. I want
to make a positive impact when people view
the painting.”
Alice says she used to do a piece in a
few days, but pursuing the natural process
may take a week. “I use acrylics on paper
and oils on canvas and do a lot of collage
and mixed media.” Some of her pieces
incorporate found paper or objects, like
coffee filters. She also travels to New York
and Chicago to buy the types of paper that
she prefers for her work.
“I don’t use fabric, but I paint my paper
to look like fabric. Sometimes I use things
to change the paint. The paints may look
like sand. I have used dried lemons, limes,
and flowers in my paintings as well. In
“The Lemonade Lady,” there was a big jar
of lemonade and I put real dried lemons in
the jar.”
Where does she get her ideas for her
paintings?
“A lot of them are subconscious, but I
visualize everyday people working—using
washboards, hanging clothes out on a line,”
Alice says. “I like to paint what people do as
opposed to abstracts, still life, or landscapes.
People can relate to my work.
“I grew up in a
Baptist church
and saw the
ways people ex-
press themselves
i n c hu rc h,” she
continues.
In ‘Muh Dear,’ the artist captures childhood memories of
her mother and their home life.
“‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Steppin’ express the emo-
tions that people show by dancing in church.
My mother’s church is the Church of God in
Christ where there are drums and upbeat
music. So in one painting, I used some humor
and put women with their skirts flying off as
they dance to the music.”
Two of Alice’s works hang in the Winn
Center at Louisville Seminary. “Muh’ Dear”
was inspired by childhood memories of her
mother and their home life. Alice used acryl-
ics on rice paper for the painting.
“My mother had six children, but there
were always at least twelve kids in the house,”
she explains. “‘Muh’ Dear’ is a reflection
of how I grew
up in the 1950s
and 60s when
a woman could
be a mother to
lots of neighbor-
hood children.
She had an aura
or magnet that
drew children
there.”
“The Pot-
ter” hangs in
the lounge of
the Winn Center
and features a brightly colored, ethnic potter
as its subject. “I painted ‘The Potter’ after
looking at a book of black-and-white photos
that told the story of pot making,” she says.
With “The Potter,” she handpainted rice
paper for the clothing and used a terra cotta
paint to give the pots their grainy texture.
This painting evokes happiness and joy in
fulfilling work.
Alice’s paintings also hang at
Western Kentucky University and
have been featured on television
shows and movie sets, such as the
HBO movie Disappearing Act.
The famous E & S Gallery in
downtown Louisville serves
as the main agent for Alice’s
work, and Alice prefers to
personally attend art shows
and national conventions all
over the country with her
agent.
Alice also conducts art workshops and
makes jewelry or wearable art with stones
and beads. As she says, “I like bright colors
and no gray.”
Besides her art, Alice has been involved
with the citywide Martin Luther King Jr.
planning committee in Bowling Green
for six years. There are guest speakers, a
breakfast, a march, and youth receptions
during the two-day celebration. She also
works with the Housing Authority, teach-
ing adults and children with disabilities
reading and math skills through art and
cooking. Each group has 4–12 adults or
25–30 children.
‘The Potter’ by Kentucky artist Alice Gatewood-Waddell hangs in the Winn Center at LPTS.
“In cooking, you have to read and learn
to measure ingredients,” she explains. “In
this class, it is the first time some of the
students have been exposed to art. Some of
them have even bought supplies to paint at
home. Their art will be sold to raise money
for the program.”
Mary Jo Harrod is a freelance writer from
Clarksville, Ind.
Alice Gatewood-Waddell’s original work and
reproductions can be seen at the E & S Gallery
in downtown Louisville or at:
; www.eandsgallery.com/waddellpage.htm.
E&S specializes in original art by today’s bestselling
contemporary artists, as well as fine art
prints and sculpture by African American Old
Master artists from the Harlem Renaissance era.
The collection includes works by Muhammad
Ali, Charles Bibbs of Moreno Valley, Calif., and
Jerry & Terry Lynn (Twin) of Memphis, Tenn., just
to name a few.
Spring 2007 Mosaic 2