Today we’d like to introduce you to Corrie Gregory.
Hi Corrie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Los Angeles and lived in Laurel Canyon with my mom, an elementary school teacher. She would take me on adventures all over Southern California: Sushi dinner in the back of a bowling alley, Dim Sum in Chinatown, Swap meets, Fairs, the desert, and the ocean. She would avoid the freeway so we could see all the parts of the city. Most importantly my mom exposed me to museums and anything having to do with art, music, and learning. She taught me to embrace empathy and seek out different types of cultures. She also taught me that art matters.
I would visit my dad’s house on some weekends. In the very early mornings, while everyone was still asleep, I poured over my father’s medical and dental textbooks, all kinds of catalogs, artbooks, and various strange and wonderful magazines. He had lots of stuff and many of it was quite old and tattered. The photos and drawings and the feel of the worn pages inspired me. I wasn’t interested in reading; I was only looking at the pictures.
Like my father, I’m dyslexic, and it was a struggle in school and continues to be a challenge. I had to come up with alternative ways of reading, writing, and organizing my thoughts. You don’t always trust what you read or write, because often you get things wrong.
I attended Otis/Parsons in downtown Los Angeles. And for the first time in my life, I wanted to go to school. I worked with incredible teachers who still inspire me today. After graduation, I married Jeff, my amazing husband. Together, we started an online music store and record label called Miles of Music. It was a wild and crazy 12 years. Happily, we survived the music industry and have created a nice life in North Hollywood with our dogs, Max and Minnie.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think anyone’s road is smooth. You don’t have a choice but to move forward. I’ve experienced losing my business and my home. I’ve struggled with mental illness and family trauma. These challenges only made me more determined to pursue my artistic practice.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m interested in stories, real or imagined. They define us; they teach us how to live our lives and what to believe in.
I make drawings, oil paintings, and mixed media artwork on paper. They are small to medium-large. I use imagery that is innocuous but, if you look closely, is complicated, out of place, or dark. My work has been described as “…on the border between dreams and nightmares, where chance and control collide.”
I’m inspired by pages culled from vintage children’s books, greeting cards, medical books, and all kinds of ephemera. I use the collected images as a starting point for my drawings. I also incorporate the “printed paper” to create artwork. For example, I draw directly on a vintage prescriptions script, or a used greeting card, or the yellowed pages from my father’s old sketchbook. The discolored and ragged paper come with history and a memory.
How do you define success?
That I have continued to make work regardless of the chaos around me. I’m proud that.my work connects with people and that I can continue to learn and experiment with new processes and ideas.
I have had to adjust my definition of success depending on the different periods of my life. Success is creating work and having a group of collectors who are passionate about my work. Success is collaboration with artists and curators I respect. And being a good human being is important as well. Success is living happily ever after with my husband, Jeff.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.corriegregory.com
- Instagram: corrieeg
Image Credits
Stuck, 2023
Oil on Dura Lar
9 Inches x 12 Inches
Rise, 2013
Mixed Media on Dura-Lar.
13 inches x 16 inches
Collection of Jeff White, West Hollywood CA
Big Girl Pants, 2022
Mixed Media on Yupo Paper
11 inches x 14 inches
Collection of Gabrielle Newmark, Alhambra CA
The Wind (Before), 2019
Oil on Dura-Lar
11 inches x 14 inches
Collection of Suzanne Muchnic and Dr. Paul Muchnic, Century City CA
When It Pours (Humpty) 2024
Mixed Media on Vintage Paper
3.25 Inches x 5.5 inches
Psoriasis 104376 (Miss Agnes), 2023
Mixed Media on Vintage Prescription 104376)
5.75 inches x 3.75 Inches
The Sound of Smoke (After), 2020
Oil on Dura-Lar 11x 14
11 inches x 14 inches
Collection of Lisa B Highland Park, CA
Weapon of Choice/ Daddy’s Pipe, 2021
Mixed Media on Vintage Paper
6.5 inches x 9 inches
Collection of Michele and Chris Knaus, Portland OR
