Gretchen Warsen

I grew up in an old farmhouse in rural Maine—a mostly-untouched, rural environment perfect for observing and exploring. On their property, my parents transformed an old chicken barn into an alternative-education school where I don't remember doing anything besides sledding, making paper valentines, listening to my teacher read stories, and climbing trees with her friends. As a teenager, I worked hard to be “normal,” but thankfully the happy little weirdo side persisted. At Bates College, I started a music major, but my piano teacher wisely suggested she might be happier in the visual art program since I never wanted to practice. I fell in love with abstract painting during a semester abroad at Tyler School of Art in Rome. Years later, I left a graphic design job to funnel my creative energy into being a full-time mom to two girls. When they started school, I began painting professionally and now work in a home studio in Massachusetts.
My paintings are large and colorful with a botanical feeling mixed with architectural elements. I want people to feel like the moment in “Where the Wild Things Are” when Max’s bedroom becomes a forest. I work best on a human-sized canvases and wood panels so that there is enough room for all the thing...

BA at Bates College 1996, Semester abroad at Tyler School of Art in Rome