Gregory Thielker uses painting and drawing to investigate the conception of site through observation and memory. His hyper-realistic work connects to specific places and calls into question the way recognition and narrative can often sway understanding and perception. He employs graphic materials, such as oil paint and graphite, which are often married with conceptual methods to bring the artist’s role into relief.
He has exhibited throughout the United States and abroad. Recent exhibition venues include Bennington College, Vermont, The Brattleboro Art Museum, Vermont, Republic Gallery, Paris, and Flashpoint Gallery, Washington, DC. He is the recipient of many grants and residencies including the Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Award, Sanskriti-Kendra Residency in Delhi, Hybrid Art Projects Residency in El Salvador, and the American Scandinavian Foundation Artist Grant. His work has been featured by Vermont Public Radio, The Independent, La Repubblica, and New American Painting.
Greg explains the work by saying, “These paintings became a way to explore how driving in weather shifts and changes the views outside the car as well how the driving experience informs our basic interpretation of environment. We easily understand how painting can mold cultural perception, which in turn influences landscape design to become more like painting (view points, scenic routes, etc.). Theodore Rousseau created mesmerizing sunsets of the forest of Fontainebleau while JMW Turner stirred up interest in dramatic effects of storm and fire from the safety of the salon.”
"Gregory creates photorealistic painting you can never forget. He paints rain through a windshield in a way that makes you long for stormy days."