Gretchen Blais, Artist
Gretchen Blais, Surrealist and Mixed Media Artist
My journey as an artist began one rainy Thanksgiving Day 40 plus years ago when my family and I were visiting out of town. My host suggested we all paint since it was too wet to be outside. It was a memorable event for four adults and six young children. I came away with an experience hard to describe. I felt that something was released, never to become invisible again. My pencil began to travel with me wherever I went and the edgy surreal forms began to emerge seemingly on their own. Although I could sit and draw in the middle of chaos, the struggle to claim the title of Artist was a long journey with flashbacks to memories of elementary school when I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Finally, in my 70’s, I am grown up and an artist.
For 30 years my media was graphite and the edgy images would crawl onto the paper. About 8 years ago ink and color began to show up as did paper collage and collage using items from nature. The forms of nature have always appeared in my work as do faces and other body parts. They seem to connect me to the inner working of my being and allow expression to seemingly float up and appear.
There is often dissonance in the forms that appear. For some viewers it is a bit jarring while for others, their curiosity is peaked and imagination piqued. The subtle contrasts in the use of graphite and watching the line grow have always had a fascination for me. Whatever the media, I tend to just go where inclination takes me and watch what develops as the surrealistic quality of an image appears
I am a member Arts of Point Richmond, Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (NCWCA), and Richmond Art Center.
To see my work visit: www.gretchenblaisart.weebly.com.
I can be reached via email: [email protected]
Artistic Bio: Gretchen Blais, Surrealist and Mixed Media Artist
Gretchen Blais came into the world as Gretchen Brentlinger; she grew up in Santa Cruz California and went to San Jose State University for two years majoring in education before getting married in 1961 and producing four daughters in the next four years. Her favorite classes at San Jose State involved creating art. However, it was years later at a family visit on a rainy Thanksgiving weekend when paints were spread out as an indoor activity that Gretchen’s inner artist was awakened, and her artistic journey began. For years she primarily producing potent graphite works. Gretchen’s range of art media expression has expanded and evolved into an eclectic, multi-media expression.
Gretchen has taken classes through the adult school in Oakland and Richmond as well as the Richmond Art Center. She is active in the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (NCWCA) and the Arts of Point Richmond, having served on the board of both organizations. She is also a member of the Richmond Art Center.
In 2008, Gretchen’s piece, “Will We Ever Learn?” was chosen as the promotional piece for the show “Women on War” Solo Mujeres 20th Annual Juried Exhibition at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco, a show featuring the work of NCWCA members. The show coordinator, having assumed the piece’s creator was a “young hipster” was surprised when she met the middle-aged female artist. Gretchen’s provocative, surrealistic works have been included in numerous member shows as part of the NCWCA, Alameda Women Artists, Arts of Point Richmond and The Richmond Art Center.
Gretchen is retired from her career as a licensed psychotherapist working with people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues as well as homelessness. She lives in Atchison Village, a housing cooperative in Richmond California where she continues to create art from her home studio and search for ways to share her work with a wider audience.
To see her work visit: www.gretchenblaisart.weebly.com.
She can also be reached via email: [email protected]
Gretchen Blais came into the world as Gretchen Brentlinger; she grew up in Santa Cruz California and went to San Jose State University for two years majoring in education before getting married in 1961 and producing four daughters in the next four years. Her favorite classes at San Jose State involved creating art. However, it was years later at a family visit on a rainy Thanksgiving weekend when paints were spread out as an indoor activity that Gretchen’s inner artist was awakened, and her artistic journey began. For years she primarily producing potent graphite works. Gretchen’s range of art media expression has expanded and evolved into an eclectic, multi-media expression.
Gretchen has taken classes through the adult school in Oakland and Richmond as well as the Richmond Art Center. She is active in the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (NCWCA) and the Arts of Point Richmond, having served on the board of both organizations. She is also a member of the Richmond Art Center.
In 2008, Gretchen’s piece, “Will We Ever Learn?” was chosen as the promotional piece for the show “Women on War” Solo Mujeres 20th Annual Juried Exhibition at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco, a show featuring the work of NCWCA members. The show coordinator, having assumed the piece’s creator was a “young hipster” was surprised when she met the middle-aged female artist. Gretchen’s provocative, surrealistic works have been included in numerous member shows as part of the NCWCA, Alameda Women Artists, Arts of Point Richmond and The Richmond Art Center.
Gretchen is retired from her career as a licensed psychotherapist working with people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues as well as homelessness. She lives in Atchison Village, a housing cooperative in Richmond California where she continues to create art from her home studio and search for ways to share her work with a wider audience.
To see her work visit: www.gretchenblaisart.weebly.com.
She can also be reached via email: [email protected]