Glenn is a representational artist
from Sherwood Arkansas where he has lived since 1990 with his wife Karen, a
photographer and artist in her own right. His influences span from the old
masters to the modern illustration geniuses such as Rockwell and Loomis and the
new modern masters of realism today. He works in oils, charcoal and graphite
and occasionally pastel. His primary focus is oils and any scene depicting
people that can tell a story. While many artists shun portraits and the human
figure Glenn embraces the challenge. “Although I enjoy still life and
landscapes as much as anyone, it is the human element especially the face that
intrigues me. The uniqueness and expression of every individual can tell a
story all to itself. Each time I paint or draw a person’s face I can’t help but
feel a deeper connection to that individual. That makes each work special.”
Glenn is a member of the prestigious INTERNATIONAL
GUILD OF REALISM, the OIL PAINTERS OF
AMERICA, The PORTRAIT SOCIETY OF AMERICA and locally the ARKANSAS LEAGUE OF ARTISTS and the ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER
"My earliest memories are of drawing people and scenes
while creating my own little world with a pencil.
At age 15 I took up the brush and began painting landscapes and
portraits in acrylic before abandoning my art for 24 years to make a living. Then at age 40, I decided on a whim to see if I could still paint or draw. I decided to try my hand at oils and the
result is the painting 'Violin and Rose' shown in my gallery under still life.
To my own amazement I found I was better at age 40 than I was when I gave up
art entirely at age 16. That was in 1998. I painted and sketched sporadically for 4 years and once again allowed work and life to push my artwork aside until I met Karen in 2010. Her encouragement brought me back to the easel.
Being completely self-taught I found portraiture was what fascinated me the most but as
before, making a living brought a halt to my art again. Now retired and finally
painting and drawing whenever I please I still find people fascinate me the
most. Every face is unique as is the soul that is behind it. I have had several
requests to 'breathe life' back into old photos which is a major challenge as
opposed to working from life especially getting the correct skin and hair tone
not to mention the lighting effects of really old historical photos. Painting
children is actually a joy and capturing a child's true expression in an oil
painting is so much more unique than a simple snapshot stored on a digital card
or print. I work mostly from photographs out of necessity but working from life
actually can breathe an extra dimension into a painting. While I can be described
as realist or classical, I never have tried to copy anyone’s particular style
or method. I have studied and admired the work of the masters such as Vermeer
through Bouguereau, modern realists Duffy Sheridan and countless others. It all
comes back to painting or drawing what I see in nature, the greatest artist of
all. "
