I am a local painter working mostly in oils, acrylics, watercolor, pencil, and inks.
I love to experiment and continuously learn, so my materials list expands and contracts frequently!
Gwen Chasan
I am a local painter working mostly in oils, acrylics, watercolor, pencil, and inks. I love to
experiment and continuously learn, so my materials list expands and contracts
frequently! I am inspired by most everything I see – nature, flowers, landscape, people,
pets, architecture, and so on. I’ve come to realize that it is more about the light and the
line, than the subject, that grabs me. I am largely self-taught, with immeasurable help
from my mentors and teachers, including Marjorie Glick, Emily Passman, Amy Wynne,
Bernd Haussmann, and others.
I do some plein air painting, but for the most part I paint from life and photographs.
When I find something, I need/want to paint, I photograph it from several points of view,
in several different lighting conditions. I tape the photos to a wall far enough that I can’t
really see the detail. This keeps me from focusing on the micro level and missing the big
picture. I usually do a few studies and sketches looking at the original photo upside
down, again, to guide me away from preconceptions and the details. I’ve recently been
enjoying printmaking with linocut and gelli plates. What fun!
Left to Right: Generations: Ellis and Grandpa Lamin, Pencil on Drawing Paper; Self-Portrait, Oil Crayon, Oil Paint, and Chalk on Drawing Paper.
I lead a small collaborative painting group that has been gathering weekly for over 10
years. I enjoy calling on my technology background to create custom websites for artists
and small non-profits. I occasionally teach workshops at local art centers. And my latest
joy is inventing and working on art projects with my very young grandchildren, all of
whom now demand professional level art supplies.
Learn more about Gwen Chasan on her website www.gwenchasan.com
and follow her on Instagram @gwenchasan
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