Jungle Camp

Maud Gatewood was an American artist from Yanceyville, North Carolina, who spent her life exploring the possibilities of art. Throughout her career she explored different styles, materials, and subjects. Many of her paintings were inspired by places she visited, including the landscapes of rural North Carolina and locations she encountered during her travels. Her artwork reflects what she experienced, observed, and found meaningful throughout her life.

Gatewood began studying art at a young age. At 16 she enrolled at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), where she began her formal art education. She later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University and won a Fulbright scholarship to study in Austria with artist Oskar Kokoschka. Along with creating her own artwork, Gatewood shared her passion for art by teaching at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and at Averett University. In 1976 she became the first woman elected to the Caswell County Board of Commissioners.

Travel was an important part of Gatewood’s artistic process. She often created paintings based on places she visited, using those experiences to explore memory, observation, and personal perspective. Jungle Camp was inspired by her trip to the Amazon in 2000. 

On the back of this painting, Gatewood wrote a short note: “Trapped in the Amazon with a bad leg.” This handwritten message offers a clue about the circumstances surrounding the artwork. During the trip she had an injured leg and could not leave the small hut where she was staying. She painted the jungle as she saw it through curtainlike shapes. The contrast between the dark interior and the bright landscape outside reflects both her point of view and the setting.

Throughout her career Gatewood created artwork based on her curiosity, observations, and ideas. Instead of following popular trends, she developed her own style. She used color, shape, and design to represent the places she visited and the moments that became part of her work. Her paintings encourage viewers to think about how life experiences can influence art. Gatewood spent much of her life in Yanceyville and later lived in Chapel Hill, where she continued to create art and teach students.

tags: environment, movement, perspective, place, pattern, trees