Gina Werfel (b. 1951) is a painter and educator whose abstractions explore the relationships between color, gesture, landscape and memory. Raised on Long Island, New York, she earned a B.A. from Hamilton College and an M.F.A. from Columbia University, with additional study at the New York Studio School. Initially working from observed landscapes, Werfel developed an abstract style characterized by layered brushwork, gestural marks, stencils and luminous color. Her compositions balance spontaneity and structure, drawing inspiration from nature, music, movement and the history of painting. Werfel joined the University of California, Davis, art faculty in 2002 and is now professor emerita, having taught painting for more than two decades. She has received residencies at the American Academy in Rome, Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center and Yosemite National Park.