Greg Hagen
Mr. Hagen recently expounded about his work by saying...
"My work is the result of a continuous process that began over forty years ago. At first I wandered the streets and back alleys of small towns in Ohio looking for good subjects for pencil sketches. Now at any opportunity I'm still looking at America for the ruins of our collective past and now my territory encompasses the eastern half of the United States. My wife and I focus on the little towns, the old areas of cities, Amish areas, really anything that will give us a glimpse of the view you see traveling down highways, back roads, and city streets. That certain view that only lasted a few seconds but sparked a feeling. Art is about feeling, that's what I paint....still looking at America and recording those familiar vignettes we can all relate to."
Born in Iowa, Greg attended high school in Willmington, Ohio and now resides with his wife, sharing in Scranton, PA. Greg began painting in watercolor at the age of 14. He won numerous awards during his high school years and was awarded scholarships and attended the Dayton Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Although Greg has been painting watercolor since 1963, his first love is oil and he recently started painting in that medium again. Those recent oils were purchased as soon as they were displayed and Greg will continue to create both watercolors and oils as part and parcel of his repertoire.
Having a rural background, his familiarity with the subjects is echoed with great sensitivity and feeling in his work. He is known for his depiction of realistic, rural landscapes ranging from nostalgic vignettes of rolling farmland to detail renditions of vanishing Americana. Greg's art work has been displayed in many private and corporate collections throughout the USA and several foreign countries. He has exhibited extensively in the Midwest, having displayed in many of the top juried shows throughout Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. Currently his clientele include partrons from New York City, Boston, The Hamptons, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
.. I am a traditional painter following in the family tradition of my polish grandfather Wladyslaw Gutkowsky (1888 - 1938)and his son Jan (1921 - 1950) from the village of Biecz in Southeastern Poland. My grandfather was proficient in both landscapes and portaiture and also specialized in religious subjects including the painting of a church interior near his home village. Wladyslaw attended art school in Krakov at about 1903. His son attended art school in Germany around 1946. At the writing of this biography, in addition to Greg, there are at least four Wladyslaws descendants who display artistic talent.
As an extension of my European artistic heritage I utilize the same tool and techniques as my grandfather and uncle. I use traditional artists medium to mix oil glazes on hand stretched canvas and to "launch" this "new work" I've designed and built a traditional studio easel to accommodate large canvas. I will be stretching roll canvas by hand and mounting it on conservation stretchers for a complete traditional approach. As time goes on I will be increasing my sizes to about four by six feet primarily for impact and for use "over scale" settings. Eventually I hope to include architectural subjects as part and parcel of my artists vocabulary. I also hope to reach a broader base of clientele with "new work". I am very happy to be part of Juan and Mildred's group of fine artists at the Looking Glass Art Gallery.."