Gretchen Chadwick

Gretchen Chadwick’s recent work evokes quiet places. Using a palette of neutrals layered over more vibrant hues, Gretchen’s paintings become marshes, fallow fields, trees clinging to last leaves, or patches of sky glimpsed through bare branches. She is especially drawn to the patterns and rhythms found in nature and the transitions between seasons. The cold wax medium Gretchen uses with oil paint allows for a depth, texture, and subtlety that invites the viewer to linger, contemplate, and explore.

Gretchen’s creative process is one of discovery. She rarely starts with a fixed idea of what she’s going to paint. As she works, the paintings take shape, seemingly of their own accord, from the stored impressions and sensations accumulated during her travels and wanderings in nature.

Formerly a portrait and figure painter trained in the techniques of the old masters, Gretchen’s work has become more abstract over the years as she has sought a deeper expression of her inner voice. Meditation is a big part of her life, so it is no wonder that many of the visitors to her studio say that her work gives them a sense of serenity. “If I can create a little peace in this crazy world, I feel like I’m doing my job,” says Gretchen.