In addition to being an accomplished fine artist, Gary Greene has been a graphic designer, technical illustrator, and professional photographer since 1967. After working in a number of fine art mediums including acrylic, airbrush, graphite, and ink, he discovered colored pencil in 1983 and it was love at first stroke!

One of Gary’s techniques employs burnishing multiple layers of colored pencil, until the entire paper surface is covered and another involves underpainting with layers of colored pencil dissolved with solvent. He is also a pioneer in the use of water-soluble colored pencils as a serious art medium. Some of Gary’s larger paintings (32 x 40 inches) may require 300-400 hours or more to complete. When people see his super-realistic paintings, they often remark, “That’s colored pencil?!”

Gary is the author of Creating Textures in Colored Pencil, Capturing Radiant Flowers in Colored Pencil, Painting With Water-Soluble Pencils, Artist’s Photo Reference: Flowers, Artist’s Photo Reference: Landscapes, Artist’s Photo Reference: Buildings and Barns, Artist’s Photo Reference: Boats and Nautical Scenes, and Artist’s Photo Reference: Textures, Backgrounds and Reflections (2004), all published by North Light Books. His colored pencil paintings and articles have appeared in (among others): International Artist, The Artist’s Magazine, American Artist, Creative Colored Pencil (Rockport), The Complete Colored Pencil, (North Light), The Encyclopedia of Colored Pencil (Quarto), and The Best of Colored Pencil 1, 2 and 3 (Rockport). He has also produced four colored pencil videos entitled: Colored Pencil Video Workshop, Painting with Water-Soluble Colored Pencil Video Workshop, Textures in Colored Pencil Video Workshop and Painting Flowers with Colored Pencil Video Workshop.

Gary’s colored pencil paintings have won numerous national and international awards including the Colyer-Weston Art League National Art Merit Competition, two Artist’s Magazine National Art Competitions, and two Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) Awards of Excellence. His work has been purchased and showcased by corporations such as: Lyra Bleistift-Fabrik (Germany), Paccar, Parsons Brinkerhoff, and the Gango Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

Gary has conducted workshops, demonstrations, and lectures in the United States and Canada since 1985. He is a Ten Year Signature Member of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA), and served on its founding Board of Directors for six years.