Hometown Hero: Gregg Bugala

About this series: We at Fenton Patch believe everyone has a story to tell, and we believe that many Fenton residents have some heroism inside them, not by saving the world, but by the way they handle the little things in life. That is why, each month, we take an inside look at a Fenton resident's life and find out what makes that person tick. If you would like to nominate someone to be a Hometown Hero, contact Fenton Patch Editor Jason Alexander at jason.alexander@patch.com.

From enchanted forests to all the American car companies, Lake Fenton resident and professional artist Gregg Bugala has left brush strokes across Michigan, the Midwest and the Eastern Seaboard.

Bugala always wanted to be an artist and made his decision to become a professional when he was in sixth grade. His parents knew he would be an artist when he was only three years old after he painted a portrait of his younger brother Glen.

Bugala graduated from Western Michigan University as a professional artist and went on to participate in art fairs across Michigan. He won numerous awards such as Best in Show.

“I eventually stopped doing the art fairs because they were physically demanding and the lifestyle wasn’t family oriented," he said.

He decided to focus on his job painting billboards despite being nervous of heights.

The billboards consisted of food, portraits and cars for all the American car companies. Most of the work was done in a building and he became dangerously ill due to ingesting paint fumes for so long.

“Do that day in and day out for a year and you will be very ill,” said Bugala. “I had constant bronchitis.”

Bugala wasn’t going to risk his life to illness anymore and wasn’t intimidated by painting the size of billboards so he began painting murals. He created the murals inside and Companion Animal Hospital in Linden. One of his murals was also used in a home on Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

“When I paint murals, I try to reach the sensibilities of the patron. I'll use metaphor, symbolism or even just paint the patron into the mural,” stated Bugala. “Sometimes I'll hide something in the painting that can only be seen by careful study.”

Fenton resident Beverly Weber has known Bugala for ten years and had murals and ceilings painted by him.

“He is a wonderful man who is very creative and has great talent,” stated Weber. “He’s an amazing artist and really needs a place to showcase his work.”

Bugala is currently painting enchanted woods with fairies, nymphs and little animals for a nursery in a Fenton home. “I enjoy creating children’s murals but my passion is doing historical murals. I’m looking to do another wall in town.”

President of in Fenton, Ron Stack explained that Bugala painted the 1890’s Fenton mural on the side of the business. The original photo came from the and represents Fenton’s founding fathers.

“He is immensely talented, but demure and down-to-Earth. He's deeply religious and neither embarrassed nor pushy about it,” Stack said. “He could have easily put aside art for an easier road, but he recognizes his gift and has the good sense not to stifle it.”

Bugala wants his art to be accessible to everyone and believes art is not just for the elite.

He would love to create more historical murals in Fenton, have an intern and teach art lessons for any age.

According to Bugala there is no such thing as a creative block.

“It’s just a wall that you have to break through. You don’t wait for the wall to come down-you work and work until you break through," he said

Visit www.gregg-art.com to see more of Bugala’s art. For more information or questions, please email bugalagregg@gmail.com or call (810) 629-7737.

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