Art in Martin’s featured artist for July and August of 2025 is Gretchen Nevin. You can see her work in the Lounge on the ground floor of Martin Library.
About the Art
What does how you see others’ faces say about you? What does how they see your face say about them?
These are all questions to ponder as you view selections from artist Gretchen Nevin’s The Faces of Each of Us series, now on display in Martin Library’s Art in Martin exhibit space. Featuring the heavy lines and bold use of color that are Gretchen’s signature style, these acrylic portraits on canvas and panels invite the viewer to find the light of our pasts and futures that exudes from every human face. As you stand in front of the 17 pieces capturing the expressions of strangers, you may be struck by the warmth of each face, for though every human contains darkness and light, it is our light and promise that lift off these paintings, no matter if the actual looks are happy or sad.
About the Artist
Gretchen Nevin is an artist and photographer living in York, with a degree focusing on illustration from the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design. Though she spent several years in the office world, she found her way back to the life of the artist through drawing, painting, jewelry-making, stained glass, and eventually, family photography and painting. In addition to her personal projects, Gretchen collaborates with local businesses and organizations to highlight the diverse art community in York. She is also committed to mentoring other artists and photographers.
The series from which the Art in Martin pieces are excerpted, The Faces of Each of Us, includes 100 portraits in full. These portraits were inspired by the app Museum by Sktchy, available for anyone to download (https://get.museumapp.co/). This app is a place for artists share their portraits along with the reference photos. Gretchen’s artist statement for the series is in the form of a poem, which you can read in full at the exhibit, and which invites the viewer to discover how “tiny reflections are emphasized when the shadows of the past are deep” as well as “reminders that we are able to create our own story” as we “find our future.”
Gretchen’s current projects include painting portrait commissions and family portraits. Learn more about her services and other works at https://www.gretchennevin.com.
With such bold use of color, it should be no surprise that one of Gretchen’s favorite artists is Andy Warhol. And with her use of lines to suggest facial features and feelings, it should additionally be no surprise that she loves early impressionists’ use of color and shape. You can learn more about these inspirations—and get motivated to create your own style of portraits—right here at Martin Library with books from our collection!
Visit the library and view her work
Be sure to enjoy Gretchen’s pieces the next time you are in Martin Library. Her pieces are currently on display on the east wall of the Lounge (opposite the Help Desk). All pieces are available for purchase.
Martin Library
159 E Market St.
York, PA 17401
Hours:
Mon–Th, 10:00am—6:00pm
Fri–Sat, 10:00am—1:00pm
Sunday, closed