Gretchen Potts was born in 1973. She was adopted shortly after her birth into a family that would become the inspiration of her work. She was raised in Woodward Oklahoma, a small town near the panhandle, where her family has lived for over a hundred years.

     Gretchen moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue a degree in art. She received her Master of Arts degree in 2000 from California State University, Northridge. Gretchen currently shows extensively throughout Los Angeles, teaches art to children and is working on her Master of Fine Arts degree at California State University, Fullerton.