The Art of Seascape Painting

Kentucky-based Peter Gregor, MD, completed his post-graduate education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He holds more than 20 years of experience as a cardiologist. To take a break from his medical practice, Peter Gregor, MD, spends time seascape painting.

With seascape painting it is important to know how elements are organized and blend together, starting from the background and working through the foreground. For instance, when painting a picture with a visible sky, the sky is typically completed first, with the artist layering the middle- and foreground afterward. Each section should be finished first before proceeding to the next.

Many artists use acrylic paint due to its quick-drying ability. Acrylic paint allows an artist to work through layers much faster than when using slow-drying oils. This allows complex colors to be easily applied. The quick-drying quality also enables an artist to use materials that help in the process, such as masking tape and fluids.

The choice of colors in seascapes has significant effects on creating the overall mood of a painting. Cooler tones reflect subdued and somber images. Shadows and highlights can be distinguished by complementary colors.

Congenital Heart Conditions - Ventricular Septal Defects

A former cardiologist with Owensboro Health in Kentucky, Peter Gregor, MD, has helped patients with many types of heart disease. Peter Gregor, MD’s professional priorities encompass researching, diagnosing, and treating adult congenital heart disease.

Adult congenital heart disease comes in many forms, the most common of which is a ventricular septal defect (VSD). With VSDs, the patient is born with a hole in the ventricular septum, which is the wall that separates the left and right sides of the lower heart. In 500 births, one infant will typically have a VSD, and isolated VSDs make up at least one in every five congenital heart defects. They can occur alongside other congenital heart defects as well, however.

Most small VSDs never require treatment, but large untreated VSDs can pose significant health risks. High blood pressure in the lungs often occurs in women with large VSDs, as does low blood oxygen. Large VSDs should be treated in childhood or infancy, as once these negative symptoms present themselves, VSD closure may no longer be possible. Heart failure can also occur as a result of VSDs, especially with a sufficiently large hole, due to the pumping of extra blood into the lungs with each heartbeat.