My work is a narrative that investigates how memory affects our perceptions of a subject. I roll the windows down and take a deep breath, the pine and the ocean scents mix together, the cool, damp dew of the rainforest, the warm smell of crushed pine needles as you walk silently down a path with my loved ones- this is what I paint. What does it smell like? How vibrant are the colors? What is the temperature and how does it feel? Emotions transform reality and amplify every detail. The colors are brighter, the smells more fragrant, and the image more focused.
Joseph Albers said, “Color is the most relative medium it is never really seen as it really is.” This is true, also, of any memory. Photos and videos rarely capture an entire experience which employs all our senses creating a vivid memory. I use my photos as a trigger to re-experience those special moments as I paint. My subjects transform into signifiers as I illustrate my memory and it becomes a permanent token of my connection between family and nature. I am not re-creating nature - I am honoring it.
I grew up on Cape Cod, MA. I began my art career at Philadelphia University (Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science) in 1989. I received a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design in 1993. I began a journey of discovery when I moved to Aroostook County where the wildlife and countryside are inspirational. I moved west to the Columbia Basin where I began a journey to earn my MFA through SCAD.
I use many different mediums, such as watercolor, acrylic, oil, gouche, pastels, pencil, ink, charcoal, shell mosaic, and many others.
I am inspired by the irregularity that exists in nature. It is beautiful, wild and ever changing. The small moments we experience are fleeting and quickly erode into the past. I am inspired to create artwork to ensure we don't forget those small moments that remind us how precious nature and family is. Those memories are the connection to ourselves and who we are.
Gretchen earned her BS from PCT&S. She then worked for a structural engineer and gained experience in technical drawing. She moved to Maine and returned to school to earn her elementary and art teaching certifications at UMPI. She took many fine art classes and began her journey as an artist. In 2003 she started teaching in Washburn, ME. In 2006 she and her husband moved to Othello, WA. Gretchen has been teaching art there ever since. In 2011 she certified in National Boards for art and renewed in 2020. Gretchen earned her MFA Painting from SCAD June 2022.
Gretchen uses different types of media because she explores different styles of making. Her current use of media includes watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache, drawing, mosaic, photography, and mixed media. Although watercolor has been her medium of choice in the past, oil has quickly become her favorite.
Nature and the environment are the usual subjects of Gretchen’s art. She uses her art to promote conservation and a deep respect for our natural resources and environment. Her artwork portrays the beauty of nature through her perspective. 10% of all artworks sold goes to conservation organizations.
Her artwork is in galleries across the US. Gretchen’s most recent art shows include the juried art show CVG in Bremerton, WA at the Collective Visions Gallery. Gretchen also had a painting in the 29th Grand National Exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, MS and a few at the Schack Center in Seattle, WA.
McFarland Middle School art instructor Gretchen Durepo is the Old Hotel Art Galley Artist of the Month for October.
Originally from Cape Cod, Mass., Durepo has been teaching her craft to sixth- through eighth-grade students for the past 12 years.
“I never really envisioned myself becoming an art teacher,” Durepo said. “I was a figure skater who ended up going to art school for interior design. But I never found a job in that field, so I ended up working for a structural engineer for a while. One day my boss called me in and asked me where I wanted to be in five years and I told him I didn’t want to be here. So I moved up to northern Maine and started teaching ice skating.”
An artist who enjoys painting and other fine art methods to express my love of the natural world and my experiences in it.
