Gary Stretar
Oil Paintings
Gallery
Our studio and gallery is a converted barn. We have been working in this building since 1998.
About Gary
I spent most of my career painting in watercolor. The techniques of thin washes, blended backgrounds and diminished brushstroke employed in that medium heavily influenced my painting style in oil. Many of my paintings are simple, straight forward views of rural America painted from memory in my studio not "plein air" or on site. Several paintings, however, are composed as studies of textures, color, or American themes that have a more folk or even modern composition overlaid with realism. Tonation, color and texture are more important than line value in my paintings. I do consider myself a realism painter and I am always seeking those iconic images that make a connection - a common bond with my audience.
My family and I lived near lake Erie when my children were small. We now live in an Ohio farming community as a result I paint fewer seascapes now and more of the farm fields near by.
I have the privilege of sharing my studio with my wife, Mary who is also a painter. Our son Luke, who exhibits at many of the same shows as I do, and our other children are also artists in various mediums.
Home in north central Ohio
Gary Stretar
Our home in rural north central Ohio built in 1835, in the Greek Revival style.
