Grace Newcomer

Grace loved to draw as a child as is common with artists. As she raised her family, she would periodically try her hand at some artistic endeavor like sculpture until she entered the workforce. Years later as retirement crept upon her, she returned to her interest in art and discovered pastels in 2009. She immediately fell in love with the medium. She loves the vibrant colors and the hands-on application that allows a real connection to her work which isn’t possible for her with a paintbrush. She enrolled in a Fine Arts Pastel class at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD. Today she is influenced by workshops, weekly open studio sessions and life.

Grace is a representational artist and says her style is ever evolving. She is interested in painting many things but leans specifically toward portraits and landscapes. She especially loves the outdoors, travel, and history – bringing travel photos into the studio to paint her personal impressions of those captured moments. She focuses on the light, colors, composition and mood to achieve her goal. She currently has a Yellowstone National Park landscape series. Her other passion is the portrait where she looks for the spirit and personality of the subject. She strives to capture all the nuances of her subjects as she sees them. The driving force behind her work, whether it’s a portrait or landscape, is telling a story. She wants the viewer to experience some emotional response to the subject. That’s the frosting on the cake!

Grace is a Signature member of the Maryland Pastel Society, a member of the Gaithersburg Artist Collective, the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association, Maryland Society of Portrait Painters, Frederick County Art Association, the Art League of Germantown, Frederick Plein Air Artists, Friends of the Yellow Barn, Hood Portrait Group and Gallery 209 at Artists & Makers Studio in Rockville. Her work can be seen regularly at the Artists on Market Gallery in Gaithersburg and Gallery 209. She has participated in group shows at the Kentlands Mansion, Delaplaine Arts Center, Black Rock Center for the Arts, Yellow Barn, Glenview Mansion and Willow Gallery in Annapolis. She has received numerous awards including Best in Show.