Artist Statement:
Being an artist with a background in engineering, I feel I have benefitted from the juxtaposition of analytical and creative processes in my perspective on art. This balance allows for a greater variety of artistic expression, leading to a range from
surreal and even op art-like to painterly works.
I use technology to heighten the magical qualities of vision. The digital camera is one of the instruments I use to capture both the ordinary and extraordinary events I perceive. The digital darkroom allows me to present my impression of these moments in time. My work comes from a traditional photographic construct but I also alter certain works to magnify and focus a feeling, mood or sense of wonder. This same approach applies to my newer all digital works but the instrument I use is not a camera but a computer and specialized software.
I strive to create a mysterious atmosphere in my creations, even to the point of strangeness, in order to draw the viewer into a challenging and evocative experience.
It is my hope to leave the spectator a compelling and fresh view of the natural and virtual worlds.
Artist Bio:
Erie native Greg Zbach is a photo and new media artist, composer, retired electrical engineer and current President of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association. Greg’s three published instrumental music CD’s include “Grimsby,” a full length children’s ballet performed at the Warner Theater in 2002.
Past exhibits include two collaborations with professional photographer Art Becker at Glass Growers Gallery and multiple invitation only shows with Campbell Stonewall Gallery, NPAA and PASNWPA art organizations. Works were accepted in juried art exhibits for the Erie Arts Festival Panorama, where Greg received an Honorable Mention, Excellence Award, Gold Circle Award and Third Place. His work was accepted 16 years in a row for “In the Garden”, an annual show at Campbell Stonewall Gallery, where Greg received three Honorable Mentions.
More recently, Greg’s works were accepted in five Erie Art Museum Spring Shows and NPAA juried shows at the Erie Art Museum and Crary Gallery in Warren, Pa. in 2019 and 2020. Greg also received First Place in an invitation only show at Campbell Stonewall Gallery “The Essence of Art: Pattern and Color” in 2019.
Newer shows include a solo exhibit “Surrealectric - Intricate digital dreamscapes for the 21st century” at Glass Growers Gallery in 2022 and an invitation only show “Photography of the NPAA” at Mercyhurst University Cummings Gallery in 2018. In 2019, Greg juried the Patricia S. Yahn Student Art Show at Penn State Behrend.
His work can be seen in multiple regional businesses including Marquette Bank, Erie Federal Credit Union bank, and Flagship City Food Hall. Greg is a charter member, current membership chair and a board director of The Photographic Arts Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania (PASNWPA). Greg is also an active member and serves on the board as president of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association or NPAA.
