We were lucky to catch up with Gregory Blue recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gregory, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
The first thing my parents gave me was the gift of confidence. I was taught to believe that I could accomplish whatever I put my mind to, and that nothing was unachievable with determination and perseverance. My mother said I began to draw as soon as I could hold a pencil. I would draw all kinds of characters and animals, cars, trucks, whatever I imagined, and it was amazing to them. I continued to make pictures, illustrate stories, and strategically turn every school project into an art project– delighted by the praise and attention I received. After graduation, my parents sent me to art school. They encouraged that decision at a time when most parents directed their kids to more “lucrative” professions. Without their belief in me and their support, I may not have had the confidence to choose the artist’s journey nor the heart to stick with it.
Gregory, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Although I began art school studying commercial illustration, I fell in love with oil painting and ultimately changed my course of study. After graduating, I worked as an illustrator and designer while continuing to make and exhibit paintings.
I have always been inspired by nature and had a fascination with light and color. I’ve lived in southeastern Pennsylvania for 40 years. First in Bucks County, where I began painting plein air along the canals that parallel the Delaware River. I was inspired by the rich artistic heritage of the New Hope School of painters that contributed to American Impressionism. I later moved to Chester County, home to Chadds Ford, the Brandywine River and the Wyeth Dynasty. The suburban counties around Philadelphia boast a vibrant artistic community today resulting from the many art schools in the region.
When the demands of work and a growing family began, I put my plein air practice on hold and started to paint from memory. I painted simplified, stylized landscapes that were essentially expressionist color. I would doodle in meetings– quick studies of trees and imaginary landscapes. With my family asleep, I would spend hours in my basement studio making quick paintings from my pencil sketches. I refer to them as “unintentional paintings.” Recognizable as landscapes, they vibrated with brilliant violets, greens, blues, and pinks.
Today, that experience still informs my work, though I’ve returned to a more painterly, detailed landscape. In 2016 I discovered Stroud Preserve, 570 acres of protected open space in Chester County, PA maintained by Natural Lands, a land conservation organization. In 2023, I completed a body of work inspired by the light and changing weather across all four seasons at the Preserve. That space had become a sanctuary for me during the pandemic and by exhibiting this work, I hope to inspire awareness around open space, climate change, and the work of Natural Lands. In gratitude for making these properties available to the public, I have pledged 10% of the proceeds to support their work.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When my wife and I decided to have children, it required my returning to a “regular” job for a steady income. I went to work managing a design studio and found myself having to learn how to use a computer, manage clients, budgets, and schedules in a way that I never had before. It was challenging and left me with little mental capacity for painting. Despite that shift, I continued to have a strong desire to paint and eventually found a way to work within the available time. It was then that I began to paint from my memory, the unintentional paintings I mentioned before. It was a very worthwhile experience as I wasn’t as tied to the outcome and viewed it more as a creative outlet. I learned a lot in those years of simply playing with color and light.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I believe that many people romanticize the idea of being an artist. The movie cliche of the isolated and tortured artist struggling to make art may be overdramatized, but there is a little truth in there. Like all creative endeavors, it requires work and practice– often when you don’t feel like it. It’s about making it into the studio every day, standing in front of the easel, and putting in the work. You can’t wait for inspiration to strike or a creative mood to appear when it’s a job, and not a hobby. But one good day in the studio makes it all worthwhile and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gregoryblue.com
- Instagram: gregory_blue
- Facebook: gregoryblue507
