Esther Gregory’s story of artistic discovery began in 2010 when she found herself with a friend inside an art museum while going through a difficult time in her life. Whilst looking at all of the paintings, admiring the artistic talent and detailed work that went into each of the paintings, she became suddenly inspired to pursue an artistic venture of her own.
Of course, Gregory had doubts at first. She was overwhelmed with responsibilities, had no artistic training, no desire to return to school, and money was tight. However, Gregory started painting anyway, starting with acrylics and copying a collage she had made from magazines in her college dorm 20 years earlier. She also managed to make friends with an art teacher who offered her many wise words of encouragement while she worked through discovering her artistic style and getting a footing in her creations.
“I literally used my nine-year-old daughter’s toy play easel, sitting on a chair because it was so small,” said Gregory. “Next, I did a couple of watercolors to see how that would go, and I absolutely love watercolors, but in the end, I seem to have settled into using acrylics on canvas or wood.”
After starting with creating and finishing one painting every 18 months, Gregory is now able to create up to 10 unique pieces each year. Gregory collects pages upon pages of different painting ideas and inspirations. She has moved on from creating individual pieces to creating different series of paintings. This includes a series called “Eden,” which was inspired by the original garden. “That one was helped by my move to the tropical paradise that is Florida!” said Gregory, who was born and raised in England. “It is so lush and colorful here, it was easy to picture a beautiful garden. I have also almost finished an underwater series, which I have been releasing pieces from gradually.”
Gregory acknowledges her dream project as being able to someday create something artistic and creative for Disney or Universal. “I would probably need a Harry Potter Time Turner to be able to achieve that, but that’s dreams,” Gregory joked. “I love the immersive nature of the theme parks, it’s pure escapism on a visual level. The murals and decor and artwork [are] gorgeous. I did a commission last year which included a piece inspired by the original concept work for the ‘It’s a Small World’ ride. It was so fun to get into that mid-century vibe.”
While working through her pieces, Gregory continues to find new genres of painting that she incorporates into her pieces. Along with selling her original work, she also sells wall art, stationery, decor and reproduced prints of her artwork through FineArtAmerica.com. This site prints Gregory’s work to order in a very wide variety of sizes or on various objects like phone cases, throw pillows, t-shirts, towels, and mugs. She also does commissioned work for customers looking to have a custom Esther Gregory piece in their home.
“I have developed certain ways of painting that I often use but sometimes do go in a different direction. I love bold colors and simple lines and patterns,” said Gregory. “I often use ‘dots’ and am partial to squares too! I recently started a love affair with what I call ‘fractals.’ I always feel like I want to simplify what I see or simplify the idea in my mind, occasionally even all the way down to an abstract piece.”
When it comes to inspiration, Gregory credits many works of nature and God for giving her the ideas to create her different artistic pieces. Through these avenues, her desire to create something beautiful is grounded in the world around her.
You can find @EstherGregoryArt on Facebook and Instagram. For prints, look for Esther Gregory on FineArtAmerica.com. For purchasing originals or to discuss commissions, email her at esthergregory1971@yahoo.com.
Featured on the cover: “Under Water II”
