Deane specializes in abstract and non-objective painting, where a brush stroke here or dabbed paint streak there might suggest different things to different viewers. With allusion and visual suggestion comes artistic meaning. "The emotion in my work comes from somewhere deep down, and can speak to the inner part of each person. I have certain things in my mind when I create each piece, perhaps the emotion of joy or tranquility when I choose my colors, or perhaps the influence of the Orient or an obscure European tradition when I layer in bits of paper or gold leaf. This is new art, but tradition is frequently here too."
In the spirit of abstraction, though, the viewer is free to interpret each piece as he or she wishes. "I've found that a good painting is one you can internalize, one in which a given element, or the work as a whole, means something special to you - perhaps in ways you might not admit to another person." This is how the artist's passion reaches the viewer, through personal interpretation.
Gregory Deane's expressionism has recently taken a turn toward mixed media.
"By including a photograph, words from an ancient text, bits of tissue paper or whatever might be at hand, I can evoke a grounded feeling of place." Deane's frequent inspiration arises from recent travels to China, Japan and Thailand as well as to France and Italy. Of course, throughout his career, he has always been influenced by the moods and palette of the Northwest Coast.
My art, at its best, is a continuous process of self-discovery...sometimes headlong, sometimes introspective, but always on the move." Viewers can witness this dynamic passion in Deane's every brushstroke. He attacks his canvases with broad strokes of color, yet his finished works reveal subtleties and complexities that draw in the viewer.
Deane's work is exuberant as well a dynamic. "Some artists have an overtly political message, and I might offer such a message now and then, but mostly my art is joyful. If you look at art every day, why not look at something that gives you delight or a feeling of exultation?" But his work is not always joyful. Sometimes he adds an element of contrast, of juxtaposition, something that gives tension to the work's fundamental joy.
In his art, Deane combines his exuberance with quiet subtleties, including layers of hidden color, dark and mysterious objects, and surprising shadows and textures. "A painting's open spaces are just as important as the areas of thickest paint, because they create energy that makes the painting thrive as a whole.  My influences are many," Deane reports. "Paul Jenkins, for example; his colors are magnificent - they flow and blend and give me a high-spirited feeling." He also admires Robert Rauschenberg and Franz Kline.

Gregory Deane's paintings grace numerous private and corporate collections throughout the world. His clients include sports figures, politicians, movie stars, lawyers, surgeons, authors and designers - even royalty. Corporate clients range from Nordstrom to Hewlett-Packard and include medical and real estate companies, as well as restaurants, banks, hotels and embassies.

Deane held his first solo abstract show in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977 and has since had many showings of his critically acclaimed expressionist work, including the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, Italy. Deane is the first American artist ever to be honored with a show at the Accademia, which was founded by Michelangelo.