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Gretchen Warsen?s pieces are all abstract, water-based mixed media and pencil on Yupo paper (a synthetic, waterproof, recyclable paper).? For Gretchen, there is something about working on paper that seems full of possibilities, ?Like when I used to make art as a child.?? Gretchen?s father is an engineer, inventor, sculptor, metalsmith and someone who can fix pretty much anything. When she was a child, watching her father work out ideas on paper and then move ahead with a project was powerful, like catching a glimpse of how his mind worked. ?The fact that paper is so inexpensive, abundant and light,?makes the combination of drawing, mark-making, experimenting and problem-solving come together effortlessly?like floating down a river, or a balloon drifting upward. I celebrate that moment when an idea gets fleshed out on paper?from a quick sketch to a work of art?that?s what keeps me coming back to the studio as often as I can.? Many of her pieces were inspired by something small, or seemingly-insignificant yet beautiful, that caught her eye that morning?a new leaf, the lines on a bridge, insect wings, etc.?While she is painting and drawing, Gretchen likes to ask questions like, ?What if God designed a mailbox?? or ?What if a building had moth wings??