Living with M.E is challenging and Kay is restricted in the work she can do due to fatigue, but the joy she gets from working far outweighs the restrictions, “It makes me intensely happy. If I go to my studio and do two hours painting I am in a zone, I have intense happiness and concentration and no pain. I am in pain afterwards and I can only do two to three hours a day.”
Kay isn’t just an artist who will appeal to a select crowd, her work seems to appeal to the masses “…they seem to trigger something in people’s memories. They are emotive and I’m sure that’s what makes them popular” Kay explains. Her work does largely centre on nature and landscapes – although not restricted to this genre - and over the past few years Kay has built up a following for her signature pieces which are becoming collectables. In many of her works there are some tell-tale signs that give a painting up as a true Gretton “There are nearly always seagulls and rapeseed oil fields in my paintings.”
Painting takes time and inspiration and due to the intense nature of her work Kay does not sell her originals – she wouldn’t know how to price them for a start because of the amount of hours she has spent on them – but does sell limited editions. The prices range from £80 to £150 for prints. There is one way to guarantee an original and that is to commission your own piece.
Wealden Seasons - Kay Gretton