Gina Gomez-DeGrechie, Pastel Artist

About Me

I started drawing at the age of 10 as a way to pass the time while I was in the hospital for several weeks recovering from a diagnosis of diabetes. One day, my aunt came to visit me and commented on the beauty of my drawings and promised to do anything to help me perfect my artistic ability. Soon after I left the hospital I began taking oil painting lessons - a gift from my aunt - in a small private art studio in Oklahoma City under the direction of Jean Milam, my first inspiration to the world of seeing, drawing, and painting.

I had no idea what I could accomplish with oils. I was so used to drawing but the oils brought a whole new life to my experience of seeing the world. At the age of 14, I started to exhibit at local art festivals and to my surprise people loved my work and I made my first sale. I kept on with my private oil painting lessons, exhibiting at art fairs, and focusing on my art classes throughout high school. I went on to study art at Oklahoma City University, Tulsa University, and New Hampshire Institute of Art. Following that, I took time off from my own art making to raise a family but stayed involved with art by teaching in the private and public school systems as well as individual lessons.

About 15 years ago I picked up soft pastels and found a whole new way of seeing, drawing, and painting. I've focused my work on realism while concentrating on natural settings - ones that incorporate color, light, shadow, and reflection that express my feelings of love and passion for art and nature's beauty.