Gretchen Andres
I dedicated much of my childhood and teen years to creating and learning about art. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, I was encouraged by my mom, who is a self-taught artist, and inspired by some very special teachers along the way. I knew I wanted to be an artist and when I graduated I thought I would drive a V.W. bus out to California and magically, life would be beautiful. I also wanted to be living in the ‘60s but it was the ‘80s and instead in 1987 I began my studies at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. I majored in printmaking, with an emphasis on painting. And magically, life was beautiful.
After graduating from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1992, I moved to the historic Over the Rhine area in Cincinnati. To support myself I worked in various galleries and frame shops, trying to find time to work on my art in my new, little, old apartment. Of course I didn't have the printmaking studio from school anymore, so I began several series of acrylic paintings on paper. During these years I created dream paintings, miniature paintings and the beginning of my mandala paintings. I also spent some time at Tiger Lily Press, teaching printmaking and making drypoint, monoprint and monotype prints. In 1994 I had my first solo show, Small Works on Paper at the Gallery at Wellage & Buxton. It was a success and I continued showing in group-shows in Cincinnati until 1999 when I moved to Louisville, Kentucky. In Louisville, I was inspired by my job as an art handler at the Speed Art Museum and I was part of a figure-drawing group that met every week with a model. I finally got the oil paints out again and did some nice, quick oil paintings of the figure. I also continued working on the acrylic dream paintings and had a sale of my art before I moved to San Francisco in 2000.
While living in San Francisco, I created a series of mixed media painted journals. They are paintings with drawing, embellished with objects and nature found on the journal entry dates. This was an experiment to see how the colors and the moods changed throughout weeks and months of emotional ups and downs. The up side is they started dark and got lighter and brighter. After two years of West Coast adventures I returned the Ohio River Valley where I continued to work in various galleries managing, installing and curating exhibits as well as museums, installing art and artifacts and working on my art when I had time.
In 2005 I had my second solo show at Jennica's in Louisville, Kentucky. I exhibited the journal series from California and a series of new dream paintings in oil. I have since been showing in local group shows with such galleries as The Ground Floor Gallery, Art Cartel and Revelry. In 2010 Chad Balster, and I had a two-person show called Equinox at Carriage House Gallery.
A trip to India in 2007 greatly inspired all of my senses to an unexplainable level. I am still searching for a way to express through my paintings the wonder of this amazing place. I will continue my India paintings as I have so much inspiration still in me from this amazing trip to the beautiful states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
My work is never finished, I could work on a painting forever. I have dozens of pieces going at once and they all grow together as I work a little bit at a time on each one. The paintings take on a life of their own, going through many transformations and layers, living intimately with me, sometimes for many years. Eventually I have to decide it’s time to be finished.
I dedicated much of my childhood and teen years to creating and learning about art. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, I was encouraged by my mom, who is a self-taught artist, and inspired by some very special teachers along the way. I knew I wanted to be an artist and when I graduated I thought I would drive a V.W. bus out to California and magically, life would be beautiful. I also wanted to be living in the ‘60s but it was the ‘80s and instead in 1987 I began my studies at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. I majored in printmaking, with an emphasis on painting. And magically, life was beautiful.
After graduating from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1992, I moved to the historic Over the Rhine area in Cincinnati. To support myself I worked in various galleries and frame shops, trying to find time to work on my art in my new, little, old apartment. Of course I didn't have the printmaking studio from school anymore, so I began several series of acrylic paintings on paper. During these years I created dream paintings, miniature paintings and the beginning of my mandala paintings. I also spent some time at Tiger Lily Press, teaching printmaking and making drypoint, monoprint and monotype prints. In 1994 I had my first solo show, Small Works on Paper at the Gallery at Wellage & Buxton. It was a success and I continued showing in group-shows in Cincinnati until 1999 when I moved to Louisville, Kentucky. In Louisville, I was inspired by my job as an art handler at the Speed Art Museum and I was part of a figure-drawing group that met every week with a model. I finally got the oil paints out again and did some nice, quick oil paintings of the figure. I also continued working on the acrylic dream paintings and had a sale of my art before I moved to San Francisco in 2000.
While living in San Francisco, I created a series of mixed media painted journals. They are paintings with drawing, embellished with objects and nature found on the journal entry dates. This was an experiment to see how the colors and the moods changed throughout weeks and months of emotional ups and downs. The up side is they started dark and got lighter and brighter. After two years of West Coast adventures I returned the Ohio River Valley where I continued to work in various galleries managing, installing and curating exhibits as well as museums, installing art and artifacts and working on my art when I had time.
In 2005 I had my second solo show at Jennica's in Louisville, Kentucky. I exhibited the journal series from California and a series of new dream paintings in oil. I have since been showing in local group shows with such galleries as The Ground Floor Gallery, Art Cartel and Revelry. In 2010 Chad Balster, and I had a two-person show called Equinox at Carriage House Gallery.
A trip to India in 2007 greatly inspired all of my senses to an unexplainable level. I am still searching for a way to express through my paintings the wonder of this amazing place. I will continue my India paintings as I have so much inspiration still in me from this amazing trip to the beautiful states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
My work is never finished, I could work on a painting forever. I have dozens of pieces going at once and they all grow together as I work a little bit at a time on each one. The paintings take on a life of their own, going through many transformations and layers, living intimately with me, sometimes for many years. Eventually I have to decide it’s time to be finished.