Gay Pogue

I am a painter of mystical, magical snakes--subjects from myth, fantasy, and dreams.

In my early years, I embroidered pillowcases and sewed clothing. When my husband needed vestments and church hangings, I designed and stitched them. I branched out and made things for other clergy and churches. For a few years, I operated a monogram shop and worked in needlepoint.

Along the way, I tried my hand at drawing and painting when I wasn’t occupied with day jobs like banking, teaching English, and educational administration. Several drawings of snakes done back in the early 1980’s lay in a drawer until the summer of 2005, when a few “snakes in the grass” appeared on my canvases.

Then in March of 2006, I decided to start using gouache on paper again and explore the meaning of Snake as Healer. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed mixing and painting with those thick, rich pigments on stiff, rough paper. For now, I have put away the canvas and oils to devote myself to the serpents from my dreams and reflect on how they can help heal brokenness in our world.