Gretchen McGinnis – a 1987 graduate of the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia – loves the process of painting. Her paintings are always painted from life or en plein air and are filled with color, light and joy. She paints in both watercolor and oil and her subjects include figures, landscape and still life. She often employs the alla prima technique of painting which involves starting and finishing a painting in one sitting. Alla Prima is a direct and instinctive way to paint: each brushstroke matters and the finished painting is as much about the process of painting as it is about the completed work of art.
Gretchen maintains a studio at her home in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where she also grew up. Her work has been included in numerous regional exhibition and she has painted many commissions including West Chester’s historic Barclay Building (pictured below). Each year, she invites the public into her studio as part of the West Chester Open Studio Tour.
To learn more about Gretchen and to see more work, visit http://www.gretchenmcginnis.com/ and www.instagram.com/gretchnmcg_paintings/.
“If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” – Edward Hopper
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