In addition to winnng the Medallion Art Award and cash prize for his work, artist Greg Thatcher was offered a one-man exhibition in 2017 at the Galesburg Civic Art Center, in Galesburg, Illinois.

The artist Greg Thatcher describes his work saying, "Each tree is comprised of its own vast galaxy of spacial relationships which make up its basis. Capturing these relationships helps me to tell each tree's story and express its essence."

Maharishi School teacher receives art award
by Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, The Review and the Maharishi School website
20 April 2015

Maharishi School art teacher Greg Thatcher recently won the Medallion Art Award at Galex '49, a national juried exhibition in Galesburg, Illinois, hosted by the Galesburg Civic Art Center.

Over 90 artists from across the U.S. submitted 317 art works for consideration by judge Preston Jackson, a professor of sculpture at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. He picked 48 artists and a total of 58 art works for the Galex '49 exhibition.

Mr. Thatcher won a $300 cash award for his drawing of a yew tree and was also approached by the head of the exhibition committee at the Galesburg Civic Art Center who offered Mr. Thatcher a one-man exhibition in 2017.

"It was exciting to win a cash award, but to be offered a one-man exhibition was fantastic and a real honor," Mr. Thatcher said.

Greg Thatcher won the award for one of his famous yew tree drawings. On the Maharishi School website, Greg describes his series of yew tree drawings as follows:

I have been working on a series of yew tree drawings since 1991 based on the topiary yew trees in St. Mary's Churchyard, Painswick, Gloucestershire, England. Because the drawings are pleine aire, I have to work on location there during the summer months. This is a costly adventure with land and air travel as well as living expenses.

In the past, I have funded these summer drawing trips through grants and art sales. The current art market and economic environment makes this approach challenging: I have to be more creative now to fund my continuing work. This is why I have turned to Kickstarter.

Last summer, I began a new pleine aire drawing and clocked in 130 hours on location in Painswick. The drawing is about half-way finished. With your help this summer, I want to return to England and finish the drawing. I also plan to continue searching for suitable gallery representation as well as press coverage.

My yew tree drawings are the most difficult and rewarding artworks for me because they require me to work in a non-compromising fashion which is demanding and needs great concentration and patience. My drawings are created through direct observation—pleine aire—and what the trees represent outwardly and inwardly. The trees cannot be rendered through photographs. I tried it and it didn't work because the spacial relationships are too complicated to be understood except through direct perception and even that is challenging!

Each tree is comprised of its own vast galaxy of spacial relationships which make up its basis. Capturing these relationships helps me to tell each tree's story and express its essence. In this way, I feel I am a spokesman for these silent, magnificent trees. You are welcome to go to my website for more information on the trees: www.gregthatchergallery.com.

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