Gretchen Durst Jacobs was born in Dayton, Ohio. She holds an MFA from The University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH and a BFA from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. In 2000 and 2003, she attended The New York Studio School, Drawing and Painting Marathons and Summer Sessions. Recent grants include the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, Individual Artist Grant in 2023

Gretchen’s work has been featured in nine solo exhibitions. She has shown extensively throughout Ohio, the USA at-large, and Canada. Highlighted exhibitions in Ohio include Manifest Gallery, Dana Wiley Gallery, University of Cincinnati, Morgan Conservatory, Dayton/Kyoto Print Exchange, and Ohio Northern University. Top international exhibitions include the Lambton Heritage Museum in Ontario, Canada, the Alten Feuerwache Loschwitz, Grafikwerkstatt in Dresden, Germany, and The Dayton/Kyoto Print Exchange in Kyoto, Japan. Her permanent public art installations can be viewed at the Dayton Metro Library and the Kettering Government Center.

She is represented by The Dana Wiley Gallery, Dayton, Ohio. Gretchen works works full time primarily in her studio in Dayton, Ohio and also in her studio in Ontario, Canada.

Since 2017, Gretchen has been the President of the Dayton Printmakers Cooperative in Dayton, Ohio.