Meet Gregory Degroat

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gregory Degroat a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gregory, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

The question of me being ‘the only one in the room’ is refreshing. No one has asked me about that subject. It’s interesting because my first experience with that situation was as the first black railroad engineer hired in Ohio in 1979. I was a Jimmy Carter Affirmative Action hiree, and it was challenging, to say the least. The railroad company laid me off after a year, and that was that, but that experience helped me to cope with being the ‘first and only’ person in a room.

Not long after that, the Dayton Daily News hired me as its first—and only—black graphic designer/illustrator. Talk about intimidating! Here I was, green as grass, armed with three years of art training (they hired me out of college), working with Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonists and Associated Press-winning illustrators and designers. I experienced upward mobility from the Promotions Department to Advertising and finally to the Editorial Art Department. Still, I couldn’t shake feeling like a fraud.

I decided my mental status quo was unacceptable and resolved to upgrade my mindset. I brainwashed myself into self-belief. There was no way I was going to wash out as the only black art department hire at that newspaper. Pride compelled me to create better illustrations. I unabashedly asked technical questions I needed answered. I realized that the more confidence I developed, the more confidence others had in me. I progressed into a decent caricaturist, which garnered me unique illustration assignments.

It took me a few years to get my feet under me, but once I did, there was no looking back. I’m grateful for the experience, and as one of the few serious black watercolorists, it’s still serving me well.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a retired newspaper graphic designer/illustrator. I consider myself a fine art watercolorist. I have a YouTube channel (@gregorydegroat or i.am.watercolor) where I give demonstrations and tutorials. It’s hard work, but I love the challenge.

I currently have a piece on tour with the Ohio Watercolor Society. Eventually, I hope to show with the National and American Watercolor Societies, but they are a little more challenging to break into due to the stiffer competition. We’ll see what happens. I have faith.

I also have a one-person display at the ArtConnect building in Cincinnati and a show in the Black Palette Gallery in Dayton, Ohio. I’ve exhibited at the Ohio State Fair twice, winning a purchase award and the Connie Layne Memorial Award.

I love watercolor portraiture, figurative art, and cityscapes. People respond primarily to my paintings of children, as my favorite subjects are my grandkids, nephews, and nieces.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The most impactful skills I developed are basic drawing/drafting, technical (Adobe Suite), and creating a thick skin.

My advice is to self-validate. No one else is allowed to validate your work. What you do is cool; keep working to improve.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My wonderful deceased father was an artist, and as a small child, he demanded that I sit down and draw. I remember sitting at our kitchen table, not allowed to play outside with the neighborhood kids until I ‘got the hair right.’ It seemed torturous at the time because I could see them enjoying themselves through our kitchen window, but he saw promise in me and always let me go once I completed my assignment. He died when I was fifteen, and I miss him so much. I would love to hear his critiques on what I do today.

My mom supported me through two years of Clark State Technical College for Commercial Art and one year of fine art education at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. My first ‘real’ art job was at the Dayton Daily News, and she let me stay with her for three years until I got hired full-time and got an apartment. Mom believed in me. I remember her encouraging me, saying, “Don’t forget your artwork,” when I slacked off.

My parents were a precious encouragement to me. I could not have asked for better.

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