Greg Bockheim

Greg’s World: Where Color Roars and Life Can’t Help But Be Loud

From the squawk of a parrot to the bark of a ruffed lemur, from the electric blue of a poison dart frog to the vivid face of a mandrill baboon – I’ve always been drawn to what I call the “loudness factor.” Colorful. Boisterous. Unapologetically bold. The louder the better – visually, sonically, energetically.

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the overcast grayness of Michigan, where color and chaos stood out like neon in the fog. Whether in art, nature, or fashion, I’ve always chased that spark of surprise – something too wild to ignore. I admire the fearless fashion of pop icons, the eclectic energy of street graffiti, and animals that wear their personalities on their fur, feathers, or skin.

That love for the bold is all over my art – literally. I gravitate toward large-scale works that are the loudest thing in the room. I want viewers to be pulled in, to feel something, to stare, question, and maybe even laugh. I don’t apologize for my art’s loudness, and neither should you.

My creative life runs parallel to my lifelong journey with animals. Born in Detroit, I started raising exotic birds at age 10. My first zoo job was as a teenager at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids. Since then, my career has taken me around the globe – from cobras to elephants, from the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust in Great Britain to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. I served as a ship scientist on a voyage through the Mediterranean to the West Indies, studied gorillas, and was part of the opening team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Along the way, I’ve raised two daughters, both bitten by the art bug – one had her work shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art at just 15.

Whether through animals or art, my world is a celebration of the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. I create for those who aren’t afraid to be seen.