Gretchen grew up in Wickford, Rhode Island. Like many creative people she struggled through boredom in school, the only thing that kept her interested was art class. She moved to Vermont in 1988 to go to Goddard College, where she met her husband and was introduced to clay for the first time. Gretchen continued her art studies at Goddard but decided to transfer to Alfred University (New York College of Ceramics) to concentrate on ceramic sculpture and got her BFA there in 1993. She then moved back to Vermont and shared studio space with a couple potters for a couple years but couldn’t make much headway in supporting herself through her art. For the next 20 years, Gretchen worked for a graphic and web design firm, opened a catering company and an Interior design business. These were the jobs that kept her creative spirit alive while also allowing time and space to raise a family. In 2020 when her kids were on their way to adulthood, Gretchen made the decision to get back to ceramics full time.

Gretchen’s current work is still playing with the sculptural but with an eye towards utility. She has also become enamored with large scale tile pieces and how shapes and textures can be used to create a depth of space and touch. All of her work is made in her home studio out of white stoneware. She uses a slab roller to roll out slabs of clay and then manipulates the clay into shapes. Sometimes there are sgraffito designs after covering sections in underglaze, or carved sgraffito designs with rubbed in colored glaze after the firing. Some current work uses commercially made underglaze transfers and she intends to start delving into making her own. Gretchen has always been enamored of gold luster on ceramic objects, so this technique is used to decorate her pieces. Gretchen’s hope is that people find her work intriguing and a little off the beaten path.