Born in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, (1974) and raised there before moving to Minnesota, his natural surroundings informed an interest in the environment.[1] Gregory Euclide holds an Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in studio art from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2008, a B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin (University Scholar, 1997), and a B.A.E. (Bachelor of Arts in Education) in Secondary Art Education (K-12) from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin (University Scholar, 1997).[2]
Career
Gregory Euclide creates sculptural relief works, paintings, and installations. His works consist of non-traditional mixed media assemblages which resemble landscape paintings, often in unfamiliar style.[3] While Euclide's works explore ideas surrounding nature and the human experience, they remain void of the human figure.[4] Euclide juxtaposes in his work naturally occurring organic matter with artificial, man-made materials, some of which are found objects, and through the use of bent and shaped paper introduces three-dimensional topographical elements.[5]
Through his exploration of the landscape tradition, within both his self-contained works and largescale installations, by incorporating architectural elements Euclide reminds the viewer that though many people associate charming imagery such as barns and farm fields with nature, these structures and spaces are engineered, and even when looking at a remote pastoral scene, it is impossible to escape the human fingerprint.[6] For the exhibition Otherworldly: Artist Dioramas and Small Spectacles, which opened June 2011 at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, Euclide created a room-sized installation, a consuming 7×5-foot landscape painting in a gilded gold frame with several dioramas extending across the floor of the gallery.[7]
Euclide created beautiful detailed temporary ink designs on classroom dry erase boards, for relaxation during his 25-minute lunch break, while teaching high school students in the Minnesota River Valley and Prior Lake, and then wiped them clean. He used available classroom objects including whiteboard erasers, paper towels, spray bottles, brushes and Japanese Sumi ink. He wanted to show his students the possible achievements that happen in a short space of time and the impermanence of existence. Euclide sees the concept of accepting impermanence to society's impact on the natural world. When he casually wiped away his art creations, the students reacted with extreme dismay making Euclide decide to release a series of the temporary ephemeral artworks.[9][10]