Gayle began her artistic career in 1970 after her son Chris was born. While exhibiting in local art shows she worked as a gallery manager, arts administrator, and art consultant for a local bank. She opened her own gallery in 1992 in Virginia Beach and now maintains a studio at her home in Weems on Virginia's Northern Neck. Her current work, featuring coastal scenes in & around Chesapeake Bay, were inspired by summers spent at Willoughby Spit in Norfolk, trips to the Eastern Shore, and by the marshes and rivers around her home.