Born in Boston on Armistice Day, Gilbertson was the eldest of four children and the only daughter in her family.
Gilbertson enlisted in the Armed Forces during World War II (WWII) as a psychiatric social worker, stationed on Long Island, New York, and in Georgia.
Charlotte wanted to develop a stronger sense of "design" in her work, to engage "the new" and "the modern".
(He jokingly referred to her as "la petite marine", or "the little sailor", because she wore dungarees, which was unusual for a woman at the time.)
She visited Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Bali, Burma, India, Nepal, the Middle East, Turkey, Greece, Finland, Sweden and Norway, with a special trip to the North Cape.
In 1990, Gilbertson resumed her travels to many other countries, including Belize, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Bali, India and Nepal.
She completed a series of works on her memory impressions of Papua New Guinea, 50" × 72", and on wood panels, employing gold leaf and other mixed media.