Gwen Granzow

To inquire or purchase artwork by Gwen Granzow, please contact her directly at Gwen@GwenGranzow.com, or at 414-254-8329. You can see more of her work at: www.GwenGranzow.com. Please tell Gwen you saw her artwork on the GOWA website.

Artist Statement:

I paint mysteries, especially into the subtleties. I want people to look into the shadows and find the little, unexpected gems of texture and shape. They involve the viewer and help him see what he wants to see, so he can make up his own story.

While some works are influenced by landscapes and natural elements, most have an explosive energy that erupts for a point. Ideas are drawn together by shapes and lines that lead from complex to simple, negative to positive, from dark depths to positive energy, uplifting and happy, free and unchained.

Biography:

I got really lucky. My mom is a true artist, a wacky creative. She gave me her sense of style, beauty, humor, and a view askew. Dad is an engineer and corporate executive. He gave me his sense of rigor, quality, innovation and leadership. Because they were young and hungry when I was born, they also gave me a firm grounding in DIY. All along the way, they taught me to think for myself.

I sold my first works of art at the age of nine: clay pendants with peace signs for $1 in my mom’s ceramics booth at art fairs. By the time I was in my teens, I was showing my ceramic creations, as well as mixed media collages, at juried exhibitions throughout the Midwest.

After a brief flirtation with the idea of being a professional crafts person, I decided making a living would be a good idea, so I earned a BFA in graphic design and entered the business world.  

For more than 25 years I’ve been the VP/Creative Director at Design North, a Racine firm, where my branding and packaging designs have won numerous awards. In 2000, I was featured in GD:USA magazine as “A Designer to Watch.” I’m also fortunate to have the respect of professional colleagues and peers, who’ve invited me, repeatedly, to lecture at the Milwaukee Institute of Art, the University of Wisconsin, Cardinal Stritch University and Alverno College.

My career in graphic design has been demanding and satisfying, but it has never been quite enough. With an eye toward honing my fine art skills, I’ve expanded my knowledge of materials, methods and techniques. I’ve explored printmaking, collage, fused glass, textiles, metal sculpture and furniture making. I use digital photography, software, and my design skills to help me refine my work.  I'm driven to attempt nearly anything creative, and I think this desire, and my penchant for versatility, is evident in my work.

My paintings and mixed media pieces have depth, structure and texture that lift them, visually, above the surface of the canvas. I combine the influences from my many experiments, and professional experience, to create unique and varied artwork in acrylics, mixed media and metals.

I started out lucky, then built on my good fortune. My passion to create has only grown more intense as I’ve gained experience and knowledge.