McGregor’s scenic Iowa landscape art on display in Charles City

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Iowa’s vibrant rural landscape is something Ann Bishop McGregor truly cherishes.

“It’s very beautiful,” said McGregor.

Her pastel paintings of that scenic beauty are now on display at the Charles City Arts Center and were showcased Friday evening during an artist’s reception.

Whether it’s a long gravel road traversing through a cornfield or rustic sunset illuminating the  Iowa autumn sky, McGregor’s work captures all that is Iowa.

“What some of these are is right from our backyard or looking across the road,” she said at the reception.

McGregor, who lives just south of Charles City, also paints pumpkins, gourds and squash, as well as children and animals on the farm.

“I enjoy classical realism. I painted with oil for years and this was an easy transition into pastel,” McGregor said.

She said some of her favorite artists are Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer. She is also inspired by the Hudson River School of painters, who featured landscape paintings influenced by romanticism and luminism.

“I especially like the Iowa landscape and I focus on what is around me right in this area,” said McGregor.

McGregor is the October featured artist of the month at CCAC.