Jerry Gryniewicz is a published author, a self-taught digital artist, flower gardener, photographer, military brat and US Air Force veteran.
He received his first camera, a turquoise Savoy box camera, from his parents at the age of eight. Jerry’s very first photos were of the long line of shadows cast by the crosses in the Normandy American Cemetery near Utah Beach, France.
Because his father was a military man in the United States Air Force, Jerry was influenced at an early age by the culture and artwork of Europe where his family was stationed many times during his childhood till he joined the USAF at age 18.
By 10 years old, Gryniewicz had visited many castles and strolled their colorful gardens—his favorite, the Versailles Palace in France. But the most influential event aside from visiting museums filled with Impressionist artwork would be, as a teenager, a visit to Monet’s garden at Giverny. For Jerry, it was the place where art and gardening came together and became one. Also it is safe to say that having had a grandfather who was a master gardener in Vierzon, France, where Jerry spent summer vacations, played a role as well. However during this period, little did Gryniewicz know that he was already embarked on a journey to some future destiny.
It is no surprise that Claude Monet is Jerry’s favorite painter. Gryniewicz even went so far as to grow his own flower garden so he could study what Monet had discovered in his garden at Giverny, France, in the 1700’s. Creating that magical place that had been in his mind since childhiid would become a passion that would take over all of his free time.
For ten years, Jerry had the largest non-commercial flower garden in Vermont—too bad it was in the meadow of his South Burlington rental home that was purchased by a commercial land developer! Gryniewicz is still a flower gardener but as he puts it, he now grows most of his flowers in cyber space.
Since he moved to Vermont over two decades ago, Gryniewicz has gained international, national and local recognition from a variety of media showcasing his flower garden, floral digital paintings and landscape photographs.
A feature article about growing flowers and capturing their beauty on a digital canvas was published by the Netherlands based Your Garden Magazine. Likewise, here in the United States, National Gardening Magazine featured Jerry’s gardening skills and referred to them as equivalent to that of “Impressionist Folk Artist”. The media attention was further expanded when his employer at that time, the Gardener's Supply Company in Burlington, Vermont, decided to feature him and his impressionist garden on the cover of their spring 1998 catalog.
The local media, as well, has featured Gryniewicz many times in the past ten years. Articles have appeared in The Burlington Free Press, Saint Albans Messenger and numerous times on WCAX TV Channel 3 News.
Jerry’s photography has appeared in Vermont Living and Yankee Magazine. In 2006, the photo titled “A Touch of Passion” was featured on the cover of Yankee Magazine on line for the month of August.
Many art enthusiasts say Jerry’s style of digital painting is Modern Impressionism. Often it is pointed out that Gryniewicz has mastered the feel for how shadow and light play an essential role in bringing a piece of artwork to life.
Jerry uses a Wacom, Intus 3 drawing tablet to digitally paint his floral artwork along with Corel Painter software. He also prints, mats and frames all of his artwork using only top of the line quality components.
Each title piece of artwork in his 11” x 14” and 16” x 20” limited edition collections has never more than 100 prints. By gallery standards, these limited amounts are considered to be small editions.
Jerry Gryniewicz, an emerging New England artist, lives and works in his mountain studio between Montgomery Center and Jay Peak, Vermont.
