Gail Jones Sundell takes a roughly shaped stone from the earth and brings it to life. Carving figures from stone that is hewn out the earth is a very challenging and rewarding experience. Although this career is physically demanding, she has found a special advantage to being a woman sculptor. The hours that she spends caring for and nurturing family and friends have enabled her to relay a depth of feeling to her work that speaks to those who view her creations. While primarily self-directed, early in her career she benefited from the sculptors who frequented her family’s quarry near Fort Collins, Colorado. Her main subject matter: the legends, spiritual life and family relationships of Native Americans, was inspired by her father’s stories and his own paintings of his early life, growing up among the Cheyenne/Arapaho Indians in Oklahoma. Since she moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1981, Sundell has continued to associate with and study various cultures of Native Americans. Sundell has been an exhibiting artist in numerous shows in the West. Her participation in Cowgirl Up!, where she received the Best of Show Award in 2013, has added patrons and friends to Sundell’s list of numerous private collectors. Since 1999, she has shown in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale, where in 2000, her sculpture was selected as one of the Old West Museum purchases. She became a Signature Member of the Cowgirl Artists of America in 2024.