Gregory Prestegord
Bryant Park
Oil on panel
24" x 24", 2019

Artist's Bio
I was born and raised in Old Philadelphia. At that time, it was a gritty place with a lot of graffiti art and run down buildings. I was and have been inspired by cities like this and the urban life around me. The quality of light and shadow and the energy of the people in the contrast of urban cityscape is what I wanted to capture.
My father was a printer and printed for very famous artists, so I would get a glimpse into the art world as young kid. I was trained at the oldest art school in America, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. That is where I learned and studied the great masters. I graduated in 2005, winning the first prize in cityscape painting. As an artist, I like to combine all styles of art from impressionist, abstract to realism into my cityscapes. My style is born from all of these inspirations and influences. I like to capture the feeling of a place, to take your eye into the painting and create a sense that you're there - one with the composition. My paintings take on a sculptural form at times from the amount of paint and palette knife and brush work that I use to create them. The way I paint give my pieces the feeling they emanate of city life and urban sprawl.

Auction item is valued at $4,500.