Greg Pretty began a lifelong pursuit of the arts as a young musician. By the age of eighteen he was performing with the St. John’s Symphony Orchestra, and two years later with the Memorial University Stage Band. He has performed since then with many national and international award winning artists.
In 1994 he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alberta. He also holds three degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
For seven years he exhibited with the Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society before embarking on a teaching career that included four years at the U of A, Department of Art and Design, as well as several years in the public school system.
Greg Pretty’s work in the visual arts has largely involved figure/ground relationships and text. In 2017 he shifted that practice from paper and canvas to wood. Cut pieces of plywood are treated with multiple layers of paint, and then sanded down to reveal earlier stages. The pieces are then re-assembled in an attempt to evoke a sense of history and how it is interpreted.
