ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ARTIST
Gretchen Dumas worked for many years as a lawyer in the public sector, primarily in the fields of criminal justice and telecommunications. In her early 30's, she contracted cancer, which has plagued her on and off for over 35 years. Despite her health problems, she courageously did her best to raise her son and to keep her professional career moving forward.
Having grown up in Los Angeles where many of her family's friends worked in the arts in one capacity or another, and having a close relationship with an aunt who was a full-time artist, Gretchen strived to express herself through painting and drawing from her childhood on. She attended Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood, which placed a strong emphasis on the arts and encouraged its students to express themselves artistically.
She began to work seriously on drawing and painting in the late 1980's and has kept up her artistic endeavors ever since. The most important influences on her work include Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse and Corita Kent.