It’s never too late | Estelle Gee on becoming an artist later in life

Published September 2026

What happens when you begin taking something new after a lifetime of experience?

Mixed-media artist Estelle Gee began pursuing her art more seriously after retirement. In this episode of In the Making, she reflects on when she began calling herself an artist, what surprised her about starting later, and how maturity helped her manage the rejection and uncertainty that come with creative work.

Estelle’s earlier life did not disappear when she entered the studio. Her background in books, history, antiques, and professional organizing became part of the practice she was developing. After years of helping people downsize, she had learned to recognize the potential in objects others were ready to discard, the “orphan items” that no longer seemed to have a place.

That instinct eventually inspired Bookish, a series of mixed-media collages made from damaged books, vintage papers, old photographs, book spines, and other materials carrying traces of the past. The series began unexpectedly when Estelle was preparing a box of musty, unsellable books for recycling and one of the spines came away in her hand. Instead of seeing waste, she saw the beginning of something.

The conversation also explores a less visible part of becoming an artist: finding community. After spending decades working directly with people, Estelle was surprised by the isolation of studio life. Connecting with other artists gave her encouragement, constructive feedback, and a sense of belonging within a creative community.

Estelle speaks candidly about applying to juried exhibitions, coping with rejection, and finding the audience for work that sits outside familiar categories. Her experience is a reminder that beginning later is not necessarily a disadvantage. A lifetime of experience can bring something to creative work that cannot be rushed.

Conversation Highlights

When Estelle began calling herself an artist

The advantages of starting a creative practice later in life

How maturity changes our relationship with rejection

The unexpected isolation of working in a studio

Why creative community and honest feedback matter

How professional organizing influenced Estelle’s art

Finding value in objects other people have discarded

The accidental beginning of the Bookish series

Finding an audience for work that is “off the beaten track”

Continuing to learn, experiment, and follow curiosity.

“You just keep at it, and you find your audience.”

About Estelle Gee

Estelle Gee is a collage and mixed-media artist based west of Kingston, Ontario in a rural setting. Inspired by books, history, family, and everyday beauty, she creates layered works using vintage papers, old photographs, fabric, book elements, and other found materials.

Before pursuing art professionally, Estelle spent many years in the book industry and founded Orderly Lives, one of the first professional-organizing businesses in Eastern Canada. Her experience helping people sort through the objects accumulated over a lifetime continues to inform the way she selects, arranges, contains, and gives new meaning to materials in her art.

Her work has appeared in galleries, studio tours, and art festivals throughout Eastern Ontario.

Explore Estelle’s work: estellegeeart.com