Gregory Grenon
Gregory Grenon’s new work is featured in his show Truth is a Lie and Anger Follows. One of the long recognized artists in the Northwest, Grenon continues his work as a colorist exploring the dynamic and expressive qualities of the people he paints. In reflecting on his latest show, Grenon has found a quote by writer David Schonauer to be particularly apt: "The portrait in art comes with social, cultural and psychological underpinnings that are complex and endlessly fascinating to contemplate.” Grenon’s portrait-like images, frequently of women in a range of expressive moments, are strong, haunting and frank. He paints directly on the reverse side of glass, a technique he discovered on his own, but which is also steeped in Russian folk tradition.
Gregory Grenon grew up in Detroit where he studied at the Center for Creative Studies. After a stint in Chicago, where he furthered his printmaking skills at Landfall Press, he moved to the Pacific Northwest. Throughout his career, he has had one-person exhibitions throughout the region as well as in New York, Chicago, Boston and New Orleans. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission. His work is in numerous private and public collections including the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR; the Portland Art Museum; the Seattle Art Museum; the Tacoma Art Museum; the Boise Art Museum; and New York Public Library.
Grenon’s paintings succeed as meta-commentaries on the fuzzy lines that separate looking from leering. He challenges us to untangle our responses to the retrograde conception of women embedded in his paintings.