Me

       First of all, thank you for taking the time to view my artwork and learn a little bit more about me!

     I was born in Manhattan, and grew up in Goshen, New York, which is about an hour north of NYC. Unlike many artists, art was not a part of my childhood, or even on my mind. Most of my time was consumed with playing sports. However, I did first become aware of art in my freshman year of high school while watching a television show on nature photography. I have always loved the outdoors, so I started carrying a camera around with me. I quickly became obsessed with nature photography, but still had no interest in picking up a pencil or paintbrush. I did begin to develop an artistic eye though and decided to go to college to major in photography. It was through my college coursework, which led to my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, that I found painting.

No rhyme or reason to this photo, it just gives a glimpse at my personality I guess. I only like to be serious when it is necessary.

     My sophomore year of college found me having to take an introduction to drawing class. I was terrified because I had never really attempted to complete a drawing before, and I knew most of the students in my class had been drawing and painting for years. We had about 15 minutes to do a sketch of an office chair. I did the best I could, but when the time was up I was scared for anyone to see it because the composition was different, and it just did not look up to par with everyone else's. The teacher made us put them all in a line up on the wall. He then went over and put mine all the way to the left and said that mine stood out and showed maturity over the rest. Now, I will admit that I think it was mostly dumb luck. I had no idea at the time how or why he would think that, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered was that it gave me the confidence to pursue it further. From there I had to take painting, among many other courses. I quickly fell in love with painting, and that took over as my passion.

     Throughout college, and after I graduated, I worked as a freelance photographer for a newspaper in New York. I mostly covered sporting events including NFL and NCAA games, but found that my passion for painiting greatly outweighed my passion for photography. I still love photography, but now I use it as a tool for gathering my photographs which I later use as reference for my paintings.

     Even if I never make another penny off of my paintings, I will continue to paint just as passionately. I have no choice. It is inside me and it is what I love. I hope this flows through my brush and into my paintings for you to enjoy.

     If you would like to learn more or see more of my work, please visit my website at www.ArtByGregNeal.com. Again, thank you for your time and interest and please enjoy viewing my work! Hopefully some of you will welcome my artwork into your home or office. It is truly exhilerating, and an honor, when someone purchases one of my paintings. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.