Gail Ruth Otterson

Gail Ruth Otterson died on February 10, 2022 at home in Steger, Illinois after an illness of several years. She was 65.

Gail was preceded in death by her parents Luella Ruth and Lewis Lincoln Otterson, her brother Kent, and her beloved son Max.

Gail is survived by her deeply loved son Clay, her cherished grandson Kendall, a stepson Sean, her sisters Lynn and Denise, and her longtime partner Bill Wild. During Gail’s final illness she was tenderly cared for in every way by Bill Wild, who is grieving so much at her passing. Gail is also survived by cousins and friends. We are all so saddened.

Gail was born an artist. From a young age she was making all kinds of art as well as sewing, embroidering, and reading widely on a vast array of topics but most especially in art, art history, color history and theory, and costume and clothing history. Gail became a master knitter and crocheter whose productions (mostly gifts to others) were gorgeous natural fibers and informed with the piquant charm and cultural savvy that she had gleaned from her wide ranging studies in our visual heritage.

As an artist, Gail worked in numerous media but in later years found her artistic purpose and a necessary solace in creating large scale nature drawings - very often collaborative with Bill Wild (a goldsmith and jeweler), whose photos she worked from. Of special note were her breathtaking large watercolors of poppies and exquisite still-life nature arrangements of shells, grasses, pods, etc. – truly profound meditations of meticulous pencil or watercolor on paper. In all media and subjects, and especially in the last decade, Gail always worked to master the exquisite art of attention to the life of the object before her and to refine a perfection in rendition – both delicate in exactitude and large in scale - subtle and bold together. Gail, especially in the last ten years of mutual influence and collaboration with Bill, matured into an artist who was always seeking a further depth of connection with her still-life subjects; and who was constantly pushing her own boundaries of skill, already profound, in order to ever better express the communion between herself the artist, and the natural artifacts she felt so drawn to portray.

Gail was the consummate and dedicated teacher. Over her career she taught a wide range of art and design classes. Teaching Fundamentals of Art to beginning college students and teaching drawing to many skill levels were especially satisfying for her. Gail was often fascinated as she observed and guided the process of students discovering the basic visual creation principles and language. She strove to inspire a visual world view that could play out in many creative ways over a student’s lifetime.

Gail also worked as a web designer and in architecture, such as doing (and teaching) AutoCAD and architectural renderings Gail was dedicated to her position on the Board of Tall Grass Arts Association in Park Forest. She was instrumental in creating several show themes and concepts. Her incredibly beautiful advertisers for calls for submissions and exhibition posters stand as works of art on their own.

Gail was the chair of Interior Design at Ivy Tech Community College in Evansville, Indiana, and taught art and design classes at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL. Gail also created and maintained the internet presence of Bill’s Wild Beauty Designs online jewelry store.

Gail received two BA degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIU-C), in studio art and in education. She received an MA from SIU-C in education and an MFA from Indiana State University in Terre Haute in graphic design. Her MFA thesis project Flowers of the Psyche: A Symbol Primer visually traced spirals, meanders, zigzags, horned and paired animals, and bird goddesses and the cosmic egg - through vast centuries and cultures. It’s an exquisite work of art underpinned by depths of cultural knowledge and layers of visual language.

Gail was a fascinating and complex individual. She was Glinda the Good in Downers Grove South High School theatre and the best costume creator ever. Gail's sweeping knowledge and synthesis made so many conversations more compelling . Gail was an astute and fierce critic of tyrants and their enablers, whether their terrain was a family, a workplace, or a nation. And, equally, Gail was an insightful sympathizer for the vulnerable.

In lieu of flowers, you might consider a memorial donation to a UNICEF fund such as this current initiative to Protect Ukrainian Children: https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/en/stories

We are planning an online gallery of Gail's art work. Let us know in the comments if you'd like to be notified of this virtual tribute.