Gregory Copploe
oil on canvas

Gregory
Gregory Copploe is an artist who likes to blend old and new styles together to create a portrait for today, to include elements from the past. He began his career in art graduating from UCLA with a BA in Theatre, and began painting in oil in 2001 after the passing of his father who also painted in this medium. As an homage to his father, he began his journey in oils experimenting with sky, water and the creation of faces in the clouds, creating relationships between the water, sky, and moon surrounding those faces. He had no idea that this homage to his father, would soon become a passion of his own, as he branched out into portraits, inspired by Sergey Smirnov and Modigliani. As a world traveler, Paris and Spain would also play an important role in influencing Gregory's style and palette. The long, drawn out features of the face, pouting lips, and thought provoking eyes would soon tell a story on each canvas that Gregory would so poignantly paint. Through thick, impressionist brush strokes, each character had a story to tell, an emotion to give, and each canvas created a relationship between the art enthusiast and the character depicted in each painting. It was important for the eyes to have a life of their own, and not, in a sense, be dead in meaning or life, but alive and virulent as our own souls.

"Oil is such a sensual medium, and I couldn't imagine mixing it with any other. It gives me everything I require, and fills me with such joy and beauty that I am left completely full."
Gregory has shown in both Los Angeles and Seattle and his work will soon be seen in a new art book published by Schiffer Publishing entitled "Modern Painters, Acrylic, Oil and Watercolor".