Still life with a lizard in the foreground and a teapot in the background.

Gwendolyn Basala is an American seamstress and illustrator who graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2009. “The only thing in life that can never bore me is art. I paint to help tell stories. I draw because they tell me to and it's so immediate. I sew as a self-indulgence. I love oils and messy charcoal, mono-types, pearls, silk and brass. Making hats is wonderfully thrilling and mixing ink is the best part of printmaking. One half of me paints and draws while the other half sews. I never know which one I'll be when I first wake up in the morning. My name is Gwendolyn Basala and, whether I like it or not, I am an artist.” -Gwendolyn Basala