Take life as it comes and death as it comes. Death is really beautiful; if it were a bad thing, God would not let it happen to us. It is really freedom, an entry into another, higher life."
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Obituary
Gail Reynolds Natzler, a vibrant spirit whose life was a testament to beauty and discovery, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2025, just shy of her 85th birthday, after a short illness. Born on June 17, 1940, Gail's journey was marked by creativity, adventure, and an enduring love for those around her.
Gail swam with the nationally selected "American Aquacade" Team which exhibited synchronized swimming in several European countries and at the Olympics in Rome in 1960. In 1960-61, she studied in Vienna Austria, coordinated and swam with the first international synchronized swimming exhibition in Austria, and traveled to photograph throughout parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She was the only student member of the press photographic corps for the Kennedy-Khrushchev conference in Vienna. In 1963, Gail graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with concentrations in European Literature, Political Science and Anthropology. She also became a schoolteacher in LA City Schools while enrolled in evening classes in drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics at Otis Art Institute and at UCLA from 1964 - 1972. Sculpture was an early creative passion, along with jewelry making, drawing and painting. But Photography became her main artistic pursuit.
Gail and the world-renowned ceramicist, Otto Natzler, married September 7, 1973 in Bridgeport, CA., sharing a life enriched by artistic collaboration and exploration. Her passion for photography was not just a hobby but a profound extension of her essence, enabling her to eternalize the intricate beauty of the world and the timeless work of Otto and his predeceased wife, Gertrud. Perhaps Gail's greatest legacy is her photography of the remarkable glaze surfaces Otto created and the processes of his work. She exhibited her photos at more than 20 museums and galleries from 1977 to 1993, usually alongside Gertrud and Otto's ceramics. Thousands of photographs remain as a cherished legacy, capturing moments of beauty and the exquisite art that surrounded her.
Los Angeles was home, but the world was her canvas. Gail's travels took her to incredible places, where she found joy and inspiration, and she surrounded herself with friends and loved ones who were fortunate to share in her luminous presence.
A celebration of Gail's life will take place at 10 AM on Monday, October 27, 2025, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, located at 12355 Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 91604. Friends and family are invited to join in person or virtually, to honor a life beautifully lived.
For those who can attend in person, refreshments will be provided, and guests are welcome to take home mementos of Gail’s extraordinary journey and spirit.
To request a link to the virtual memorial, please email: CelebrateGailNatzler@gmail.com
Gail Reynolds Natzler will be remembered for her passion for capturing the essence of beauty, her dedication to uplifting the art of Otto and Gertrud Natzler, and her unwavering commitment to celebrating the joys of life.
Recognition
Gail Reynolds Natzler - Exhibitions of Photographs
[Unless otherwise mentioned, these were in conjunction with Natzler ceramic exhibitions.]
1977: Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California
Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Arizona
1978: University of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff
1979: Triangle Gallery, San Francisco, California
1981: Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Robert L. Kidd Associates Galleries, Birmingham, Michigan.
1983: Louis Newman Galleries, Beverly Hills, California.
Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1984: The Art Collector Gallery, Gainesville, Florida.
"Surfaces of the Earth," Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles, California. [Solo exhibition.] First presentation of the portfolio "Otto Natzler Ceramic Sculpture."
1985: Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, D.C.
"Views from Above. 1965-1985." Zeitlin & Ver Brugge Gallery, Los Angeles, California. [Solo exhibition]
1986: The Jordan-Volpe Gallery, New York, New York.
Louis Newman Galleries, Beverly Hills, California.
1987: Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Hebrew Union College, Skirball Museum, Los Angeles, California.
1989: Susan Conway Carroll Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1990: Couturier Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Moa Art Gallery, West Hollywood, California.
1991: Helen Drutt Gallery, New York, N. Y.
Susan Conway Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1992: Klutznick Museum, Washington, D.C.
1993: American Craft Museum, New York, N. Y.
Babcock Galleries, New York, N.Y.
Gail Reynolds Natzler - Reviews
" .... The CAFAM [Craft and Folk Art Museum] catalog is small and choice, visually strong because of the photography. .... Her resume reads 'sculptor,' but her art certainly involves the camera. With the lens, she brings up textures and contours, colors and spatial relationships that otherwise might go unrecognized in the rich offering....”
~ Carolyn Dyer, ART WEEK, 1977
" .... In 1973, Otto married Gail Reynolds, a sculptor and photographer, who has had several exhibitions of her work. With her gifted and selective eye, she photographs details of Otto's glazed surfaces, frequently concentrating on minute areas of an object. She creates fascinating abstract images, which lead the viewer into the magic formations created by the fire of Otto's kiln. Gail Reynolds Natzler's photographs open a new dimension of perception into Natzler ceramics and into the parallels with geological occurances in nature that they suggest."
~ Barbara Gilbert, Curator, Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum, Bulletin, 1987
".... Gail has developed a reputation as an accomplished artist in her own right and her work has been exhibited extensively. Separately the Natzlers are blessed with extraordinary talents. Together, they create works of art that are a joy to behold."
~ Nancy Lee Femas, THE WORLD & I Magazine, May, 1988
" .... The Natzler pots were presented .... with close-ups of the glazes transforming them into simulated abstract paintings .... "
~ Paul Mattic Jr., AMERICAN CRAFT, June/July 1992
Timeline
Photography in Greece and Turkey.
Gail Reynolds was the only student member of the press photographic corps for the Kennedy-Khrushchev Summit Conference in Vienna.
Coordinated and swam with the first international synchronized swimming exhibition in Austria.
Photography in the Middle East and Asia.
June: She felt very saddened for Otto to read that his wife Gertrud had died and wrote him a condolence note. Surprisingly, he answered it on the back of an invitation to a retrospective exhibition of their work at the M. H. de Young Museum. In August, Otto and Gail met there for the second time.
December: Otto invited Gail to move her wax sculpting table into Gertrud's unused room in the Natzler studio.
Photographed the studio and sculpture garden of Charles Lawler, Pescadero, California.
1982: June 23. With the proceeds from the sale of one of her bronze sculptures, she had planned to buy an air compressor to finish more bronzes. Realizing that at the time she had no space for one, she invested instead in a medium-format camera to photograph her husband's work. She did not resume sculpting after that.
1983: Photography in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Northern Ireland.
Photographed artist, Lucie Rie's London studio home.
Printed "Otto Natzler", a black-and-white book of 22 original photographs illustrating her husband at work in his workshop.
Photography in the Tessin area of Switzerland and in Hungary.
Gallery
Memory wall
Gail was a very interesting and cultured person. She always had a keen interest in travel, culture, psychology, politics and, of course the arts. I always thoroughly enjoyed her keen recall of these subjects.
Gail was not a shy person and spoke her mind. She had a no-nonsense bend to sharing her knowledge and it made me, fondly, believe she was very confident.
Once she and I went to see the Smithsonian’s Asian Sackler Gallery; afterwards she suggested I choose a gift for myself. When I looked for a small set of earrings, she protested and made me find a bigger gift to go with the earrings. She was so generous in two other occasions also.
I will truly miss Gail. She was a real inspiration in my life; especially when I was knee deep in child rearing and health work. She complimented me on some of my artistic endeavors and that touched me. She was often a light, intelligent and sweet breeze of happiness in my life. I am glad to have shared some special times together.
I visited with Gail and Otto many times over the years in their house, and when they came for gallery exhibitions in the Washington area. After Otto died, and I retired, Gail wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise and needed somebody to babysit the house and studio. I volunteered and had an enjoyable time staying in Southern California for two weeks; going to the aquatic center daily (Gail allowed me to use her car) as I also enjoy swimming.
My wife Barbara was also fond of Gail; and we hosted her in our house in Washington when she had business there. One time, when Barbara and I were visiting in California, the three of us went to the aquatic center early, then we had breakfast together and Gail then treated us to an hour’s worth of Asian massage.
Gail was a loving and kind person. May her memory be a blessing.
Gail was very grateful that a member of Trude and Otto’s family was so accepting of her. Really, I wasn’t making any special effort. I was a 20-year-old drop out in the middle of a year of travel across the US. I myself was very grateful for the respite from life on the road in this beautiful setting in the Hollywood Hills and for her generosity and welcome. This mutual gratitude formed a special bond between us that lasted until her death.
The second visit was in 2008, when I visited with my wife to pick out a selection of pots that Otto had left for us. I recall a three-day process in which Gail would pull out treasure after treasure from her many storage areas. She had excellent advice for us – we put aside any pots that especially “spoke” to us. At the end, we had way too many pots selected. She had us narrow them down by considering variety in shapes, sizes, glaze, etc. It was a very effective way of not getting overwhelmed by the amazing choices and getting a wonderful set of pots to call our own.
Mostly of late the connection was virtual. Like Helen, I recall what at times felt like too many forwarded internet jokes and memes. Of course, now I miss them.
May her memory be a blessing.
Gail was very interested in the physical arrangement of things. She made a wonderful arrangement of tiles that Otto had glazed for that purpose, when they remodeled the kitchen. She would share wall colors and art arrangements with us via photographs. And in return, she asked to see our own arrangements and color schemes. Medical matters were of great interest to Gail and she could hold her own at various conferences with the “experts”. Gail loved to send a long hidden list of friends funny items that came across the internet, but sometimes she sent something that was just for you. She would remind you of an important date that you’d forgotten about, or send you an article of special interest. Travel was something Gail really enjoyed. She had no fear of traveling alone and always was able to find interesting people to talk to or new ways of looking at things. Unfortunately, the pandemic shut down travel for a while and some medical conditions made her wary of being out amongst a lot of strangers when safe travel resumed.
Gail was also adept at being prepared. It always amazed me that her car trunk was filled and ready to evacuate at any moment. It was such an irony that when the last evacuation was called in January, her car battery had died. Fortunately, she was rescued by a friend nearby and the evacuation was short and didn’t damage anything at the Natzler house.
It’s still hard for me to imagine that Gail has left our world behind. She was such a strong and important presence in our lives for over 50 years!!! Her voice (and her many emails) will be missed. May her memory be a blessing to us all.
` Gail Reynolds Natzler’s recipe for “at the moment”
Sequestration Salad dinner
Marinate a dinner roll sized chopped Murasaki Sweet potato skin included, in Yellow label Trader Joe’s yellow label balsamic vinegar, Meyer Lemon or Blood Orange Olive oil (from fancy food stores), plus 1 Tablespoon tangerine dust
3 1/2 oz baked salmon pieces or chopped shredded chicken
1/2 avocado
Sprinkling of pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup blueberries.
Chop 12 romaine leaves into inch-sized pieces. This makes a dense salad.
Mix all together. Serve to yourself or to as many friends as you care to share it with, in a favorite old wooden salad bowl.
Yes, I do eat slowly eat this myself and it is a delicious dinner.
“It was an unusual experience to first see such cities as London, Amsterdam, three cities in Finland, and towns of various sizes all over Germany from their swimming pools. Surprisingly, sometimes they even televised us.
"Our days began on a train in the mornings, then when we reached our destinations we would often be met by a band playing in our honor! Then we were whisked off to meet the mayor with press photographers. They served us champagne, which I had not previously tasted. Then we were shown through the town and we did our show in the evenings. Each of us was placed over night with a host family. Next day: another train ride to another town.
"It was 1960 and I was twenty.
"The team flew home, and I had previously made arrangements to study my third college year in Vienna with IES, the Institute of European Studies. Our classes were taught in English by local university professors. I selected a variety with interesting subject matter: sculpture, international law, economic consequences of the second World War in Europe, the politics of European integration from city states to UNESCO and NATO, Baroque architecture, the history of music, European literature. It was a rich and stimulating curriculum.
"In the back of my mind was still the idea that the purpose of the American Aquacade had been to standardize our sport abroad to eventually get it accepted in the Olympics. There was a place to work in a still bombed-out building shell which housed the Dianabad, a pair of beautifully designed pools from the nineteenth century. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings I was in a pool. Coincidentally two swim teams there were being taught rudimentary synchronized swimming by a figure diver. Each approached asking if they could pay me to teach only their team. To best extend my sport, I taught them both for free.
"At the end of the academic year I turned twenty-one. On my birthday I swam with Austria’s first international synchronized swimming exhibition. It was only slightly international, since I was only one not an Austrian. This became a wonderful way to come of age.
"Miracle of miracles, my beautiful sport was finally accepted into the 1984 Olympics, first in my home city: Los Angeles!
"Little did I know that the time in Vienna was preparing me to meet a Viennese-born American gentleman a decade later. Though from different continents and eras, we found we had a lot in common, so we married. Neither of us could have guessed that two dozen years after we would be exhibiting his ceramics and my close-up photographs of his glazes in a Viennese museum.”
Gail
Nancy Morrison
was a champion synchronized swimmer. Later she brought the same hard work and intensity to become well known in her field of photography. She and I last saw each other for a dinner
in Seattle at our house. I still have the crystal jam jar that was Gail’s wedding gift to us.
You created an interesting and vibrant life for yourself. Rest in peace, Gail.
We met, with dogs in tow, (naturally), many years ago, as we were neighbors and explored the Canyons before they became overrun with celebrities and paparazzi.
Meeting Otto, and coming to his Studio were treasured experiences, and the exhibitions we attended were wonderful, warm, and unforgettable.
With her insightful observations on life, colorful blouses and hats, her cheerful mien and attitude, Gail was truly authentic, original, and will be missed.
From: Gail Natzler
Subject: Paper quote
Date: August 1, 2022 at 9:21:44 PM EDT
To: Helen Raizen
“Piles of indecision
becoming mountains of mess.
And they’re petrifying!”
~~~an experienced observation
by GRN.
Gail
Gail Reynolds Natzler
I know she believed this life is not the end. Gail: may you be having the time of your next life wherever you are!
I came across this researching Gail online and loved it. I hope others will as well. In so many ways Gail's life was formed and shaped by her love and marriage with Otto. And she had profound respect for Gertrud ("Trude") as well. She wrote the following to Otto about two years after Trude had passed away . . .
https://objectfocusbowl.tumblr.com/post/54436560522/a-quiet-bowl-a-letter-to-otto-natzler-from-gail
Walking Alone
I’m walking alone, but not just to roam.
I’ll be joining the others who’ve already gone home.
I don’t need a crystal for seeing the light.
It shines ever bright in the darkest of nights.
I know now it’s just one more trial;
We all walk alone when we walk that last mile.
Mortal? Let's reject the term!
Of ageless stardust are we born,
And to which we shall return.
Created from the empty void,
With all that is, we share this voyage.
Three Score Ten
Three score ten, the Scriptures tell,
Is how long on Earth we dwell.
Not only that, the scriptures said,
Past four score, you’re glad when dead.
Psalm 90
Easy Win
Go ahead, Death, roll your bones.
But your dice are loaded; we’ve always known.
The winner is you and you alone.
Only you can win the game,
But damn it; damn you; damn your game.
Yet for lives and bodies fully spent
Your timely arrival is heaven sent.
Family tree
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Together, let us continue the legacy of compassion and kindness that Gail embodied throughout their life.
International House at UC Berkeley
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IES Abroad
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Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City
Moorpark St., Studio City, CA 9604
Ours is an inclusive religious community that inspires personal and spiritual growth. We care for one another. We strive for social justice, a healthy environment, and a peaceful world.
www.uustudiocity.org/donate
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