A vintage suitcase, filled with the personal belongings of a naturalist, reveals the identity of an individual dedicated to exploring and examining her surroundings. Gail Roberts collaged and sculpted each object inside the suitcase from found natural materials. Some of the items are practical- binoculars and sunglasses to see the world clearly and a journal and camera to record every observation. But other items are frivolous and playful, like the leaf-covered pumps decorated with acorn brooches, and the complete vanity set made from twigs and sticks.

About the artist: Gail Roberts lives in La Mesa, CA. Her work, which incorporates both painting and assemblage, represents a constantly changing landscape, and captures both the subtle day-to-day variations and the dramatic seasonal transformations of her natural surroundings. Robert’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, Madison Art Center, Fresno Metropolitan Museum, Riverside Art Museum, Oxnard Art Museum, California Center for the Arts Museum, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and represented in galleries in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe. She received her BFA and MA at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and is currently a Professor of Art at San Diego State University.

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