Gleadow was born in 1976 in central Delaware, just a few minutes from where he currently resides.  After graduating from the University of Delaware in 1999 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, he immediately began his professional career as an artist having been awarded solo shows, accolades and even gallery representation while still a student. Over the years Gleadow has created work which in appearance, seems to be a photograph, but couldn't actually be taking place in reality.

Early influences on the young artist were Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali and VerMeer. Gleadow valued great technical proficiency in the medium of oil paint, coupled with original and often surreal subject matter.  Like these artists, Gleadow prefers to work in oils because of its richness and durability. “I paint in oil because of the great tradition of the best artists using this medium.  It has a rich history.”

Since that time Gleadow has gone on to receive national recognition for his work which is carried in galleries from Los Angeles to New York.  His most widely collected work to-date has been a series of paintings whose subject matter has consisted of the spines of books done in his trademark style: hyper-realistic and saturated in color.  This has been a natural progression for him from his earlier work which was more surreal in nature.  “The human figure and portraiture have always been the mainstays of my paintings.  There’s no greater challenge presented to an artist than to paint the human face.  My transition into doing paintings of books allows me to incorporate everything I love as an artist: limitless color and subject matter variations, along with an image which doesn’t exist in reality – these paintings are idealized scenes.  The themes I deal with aren’t immediately recognizable, which presents the viewer with a challenge and a choice: appreciate the piece purely for its aesthetic appeal, or go deeper into the meaning behind why these subjects have been put together.”