The Art of Chester County

The Art of

Chester County Gregory Blue

BY BRUCE A. COLLEY, DO

West Chester, the epicenter of the Brandywine Valley art community, is where I ventured early this winter and met Gregory Blue at his studio. A beautiful, converted garage with the studio on the top floor. It was flooded with natural light coming through windows that girdled the ceiling walls. The studio was filled with his current projects all in separate phases of completion. We spent several hours discussing Gregory’s motivations and approach to art. I was amazed to find that many of his large works begin with three to five preliminary studies.

Gregory grew up in south central Pennsylvania in a small town surrounded by the lush farmlands of Pennsylvania’s western most Piedmont near Gettysburg. An area much like Chester County, Cumberland County lends itself to hiking and that’s what Gregory did. As a young boy he wandered the woods and farmlands that surrounded his hometown and continues to meander across Chester County today. Observing the sunlight spilling over the landscape creating patterns of shadow and light fascinated him.By college, and now an art major, Gregory recognized his intense interest in analyzing light, shadows, and

March 6, Snow, Stroud Series 10" X 10" | Oil on Panel | 2021

Morning Light, Stroud Preserve 9" X 12" | Oil on Panel | 2018

color. As a child, Gregory remembers spending hours looking at art in The World Book Encyclopedia– (for those that remember encyclopedias), and he especially liked a painting by Renoir, the Bal du moulin de la Galette. He still vividly remembers trying to understand why the man in the center of the image was wearing a spotted coat. As a young man, he was fortunate to stand in front of the original, and he was changed. In that moment he felt as if he could “walk right into the painting,” and he knew those were the kind of pictures he wanted to paint. He went on to art school to learn about light, shadows, and color and continues to pursue each of those throughout his landscape paintings. “My goal as an Impressionist is to create a back and forth, or a dialogue, between myself and the viewer.”

Gregory’s current project is a series inspired by the nearby Stroud Preserve. A property of Natural Lands, located just west of West Chester, Gregory has spent countless hours there trying to

August 24, Greens, Stroud Series

10"X 10" | Oil on Panel | 2021

November 3, Stroud Series

10" X 10" | Oil on Panel | 2021

capture the Preserve in all seasons and times of day. To give back to Natural Lands for serving as such an elegant muse, a portion of all prints and paintings sold from the Stroud Series, will support the work of Natural Lands in protecting and maintaining the beautiful open spaces in our county. A visit to the Stroud Preserve will make you appreciate his talents even more.

“It is something I do as a sixth sense. Since childhood I hike, draw, and analyze light.”

Evening Light, March, Stroud Series 34" X 40" | Oil on Linen | 2020