Gretchen Schultz

Artist Statement 

The decision as to where to discover what to paint/draw next is almost always easy for me. Throughout my life, I have lived most often in parts of this country that are rural and beautifully interesting. So, landscape painting, sometimes Plein Aire, was a natural place to start and eventually spend a lot of time. But, I find subjects that many painters overlook – a pond with a rowboat, trees making a pattern of shadows on a field, a colorful bush on a fence row in Missouri. I’m hoping that I can draw the viewer’s attention to the interesting and even beautiful parts of the mundane, according to how I see them using my artist’s eye. After living elsewhere for 60 years, I have returned to the place of my birth (Hanover, PA) and will be forging ahead with painting what I discover here.

Meanwhile, I busy myself with my other interest – still life. I either use items from my own personal collection, or (my favorite) combining my items with other artists’ items to make truly unique arrangements. Sometimes I look for unusual pieces in thrift stores, so that the images stay fresh and not-too-traditional.  Subjects for my still life works may be just about anywhere – beach chairs at the cottage, a mahjong game paired with a plant, or a group of coolers placed next to a camper. Part of the joy in my painting/drawing is not always knowing exactly what I will create from next, but there’s a good bet that I’ll see something out of the corner of my eye.