Paula Swaydan Grebel, Plymouth, WI. Painting is how I experience and understand the world around me. I enjoy both its intellectual and emotional challenges. Life is fleeting, and I attempt to capture this through a process of putting onto and taking away from the canvas. I begin with a design and solid drawing as my foundation. Then, after paint is applied, I may scrape away, smear, redraw or whatever it takes to accomplish the finished picture. My medium is oil paint, thick and juicy. My subjects vary from still lifes to figures to landscapes. I enjoy the beauty and challenges of being outdoors. Finally, I find great pleasure when others view my work and experience emotional and intellectual enjoyment. Paula graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BFA degree. There she was able to study under renowned LA artist John Lincoln. She moved to Wisconsin in 1995 and found the countryside a perfect outlet for plein aire painting. Grebel has won best of show in the prestigious Midwest Cedarburg, WI Plein Aire Contest as well as other key contests in the Midwest. She has studied under such leading artists as Dan Gerhartz, Ken Auster, George Strickland and Peggy Kroll-Roberts. Her work is in both private and institutional collections across the nation. Beauty, color, and values are Grebel's inspiration, whether a rich sunset, or the soft shadows of the human form.