Gretchen is a native of Birmingham, Michigan. She went to college at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, before relocating to San Francisco, California where she resided for many years. In 2004, Gretchen moved to Charleston, South Carolina to be closer to her family. There, she began studying painting with Joyce Hall and Martin Ahrens. Her work currently shows at the Rosebank Gallery, on Bohicket Road, in Johns Island, SC.