Gregg Kreutz

Gregg has won First Prize in the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit three years in a row. He has also won The Advancement of Art Award from Allied Artists, the Catharine Lorillard Wolf Award and the Council of American Artists Award from the Salmagundi Club, The Grumbacher Award and the Medal of Merit from Knickerbockers Artists, and the Frank C. Wright Award from the Hudson Valley Art Association.

Mastering the Portrait "The Painting of Rose"

Double Set 3 Hour, 40 Minutes         

"Placement of the figure, background, shadow and then light is the order of progress in our painting" says Gregg Kreutz in his film,  "Mastering the Portrait, the Painting of Rose". This is just one of hundreds of bits of information that Gregg imparts, as part of a stream of instruction describing every motion he is making, the colors he is using along with the how and why he puts a piece of paint here and one there.  As you probably are aware, Gregg was the student of David Leffel and this video was made in David's old studio in New York City. You can hear the sounds of the hum of the city in the background. Gregg is a wonderful instructor leaving nothing left in mystery. He explains all the moves he makes clearly and concisely. We have a camera trained on his palette so that most color mixtures can be followed. Gregg spends a lot of time with the colors he is using and the set up of the painting. He talks about the drawing of the head and placement and then moves into shadow and background.  But his putting in of the first bright patches of light has the most punch!

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"THE ART OF STILL LIFE PAINTING"    

Single 2 Hour Demonstration   

Gregg works through the process of setting up the painting to it's completion. He refers to this as a four-step process: placement, background, shadow and light. With this method, he knows exactly how he is going to develop this painting. Gregg has superb teaching methods. He talks about each step, mentions every combination of color, explains what he is doing & why.  He talks about filling air, about casting shadows, edges, the punch of color and the thickness of light. Gregg uses a very complex setup, which he discribes also in detail. The glow, which surrounds the fruit bowl, is extraordinary, as is his application of paint to fruit, to glass, to wine bottle, to metal bowl. Even the table cloth comes vividly alive. Gregg also shows how to start and finish a painting.

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"PAINTING THE FEMALE NUDE, SANDRA"

Single 2 Hour Demonstration

Kreutz' style is very classical, similar to Leffel and Rembrandt.  With masterful use of light and shadow, (chiaroscuro) he takes us from a blank, white canvas through the sketching and placement process to the completed work with all the nuances of mysterious shadow and areas of brilliant light.  He shows us how to develop the portrait in this complete nude painting, how to work with line and the interplay of cool shadows on warm flesh.  Because his studio, in New York City, is naturally lit with an ideal north skylight, the feel of his painting and the video itself is the same as watching one of the old masters paint in his own studio.  It is thrilling to watch Gregg make flesh and blood with his first few strokes and triangles.  He works hard to ensure that the viewer (his students) understand his palette, his colors, his development of flesh tones, the importance of shadow and the brilliant effect of his light areas.
The painting is completed with hands and legs detailed, every aspect is wonderfully captured, and all the little touches of flesh, robes and drapery clearly painted and perfectly explained.  Gregg is a superb painter and an exceptionally articulate teacher.

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