Gayle Donahue began her fine art career creating large modular pieces comprised of hundreds of independent units combining textiles, screen printing and sculpture. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was mentored by Cornelia Breitenbach and graduated with honors. She continued her studies at the Art Center College of Design satisfying an interest in drawing and painting mediums. This led her to a career in advertising and illustration working for clients like the Beverly Hills Hotel and Disney Studios.
After several years in commercial art, Gayle ultimately returned to the making and exhibiting of her personal work. Her work has been exhibited nationally at numerous art fairs, design shows, and gallery exhibitions. At the same time, she began teaching classes at UCLA and Otis College of Art and Design. She has conducted workshops for artists which focus on the creative process and encourage multi-media exploration. Currently, Gayle Donahue is a professor at the Art Center College of Design where she has taught drawing and foundation studies since 1990.
She is currently represented by Thomas Paul Fine Art in Los Angeles and CK Contemporary in San Francisco.