Born in Sydney in 1957, Glen started painting when he was ten and sold his first three paintings in an exhibition in Sydney. During his later studies in Sydney, he was initially condemned by his tutors as ‘too traditional’, but his talent was quickly recognized by the late John Brackenreg. A hugely influential figure in Australian fine art, Brackenreg immediately gave the prodigious Preece a solo show – it sold out on the opening night.
Representational art, mainly the French and Australian Impressionists, inspired Glen’s work for many years. He is also fascinated by movements such as Expressionism and Fauvism. His interiors hint, as the German Expressionists did, at a seamy underbelly of city life - Left Bank cafes that suggest the abandoned feel of after-hours isolation. However, Glen seems to reject the cynicism of the Expressionist movement, imbuing his paintings instead with the warm ochres and umbers which originate in the rich earth of his home country.
