Greg Gossel - Mixed Media

Greg Gossel

Name: Greg Gossel

City/State: Minneapolis, MN

Email: info@greggossel.com

Website: www.greggossel.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greg.gossel

Twitter: @greggossel

Bio: Greg Gossel was born in 1982 in western Wisconsin. With a background in design, his work is an expressive interplay of many diverse words, images, and gestures. Gossel's multi-layered work illustrates a visual history of change and process throughout each piece. He has exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Copenhagen, Milan, and London; and in 2009 he was invited to create a large scale mural on the façade of Miami’s Aqua Art Fair. His commercial clients include Burton Snowboards, Stussy, GNU Snowboards, and Interscope Records while his work has been published in The San Francisco Chronicle, Juxtapoz Art and Culture Magazine, Artslant, Artful Living, and ROJO. Greg currently resides in Minneapolis, MN.

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I create expressive large scale mixed-media works with a focus on layering found elements from old billboards & street advertisements. I'm currently working on a new body of work for my upcoming solo exhibition at Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis. This new body of work features some of the largest works on paper I've created to date along with pushing my use of found street advertisements.

How did you decide to become an artist?

It's tough to say that it really ever felt like becoming an artist. Art is just something I've always done, I've been drawing ever since I can remember and it just so happens I've been fortunate enough to translate that passion into a career.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 

The advice I generally think about while working wasn't specific to art in general, but often fits. The advice was from my grandpa, and he always said "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." So whether it's something as simple as building a stretcher frame for a canvas or setting up type for a show card, I try to follow that advice.

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art.  How do you sell your work?  How do you market yourself?

I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with a number of great galleries that have helped tremendously in increasing the visibility of my work though exhibitions and art fairs. In addition, I try to stay current with posting new work and information for those interested on my website, blog, and various social media outlets.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

I've been a fan of the print work done by Burlesque of North America (http://burlesquedesign.com/) and Aesthetic Apparatus (http://aestheticapparatus.com/) for many years. In addition I enjoy the work of Frank Gaard (http://frankgaard.com/), Gregory Euclide (http://www.gregoryeuclide.com/), Drew Peterson (http://drewpetersonart.com/), and Hardland/Heartland (http://hardlandheartland.com/) to name a few.

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

Much of the exploring I do throughout the city consists of searching for old neglected billboards and advertisements to collect for my own work, so I generally don't make it out to shows much. That said I always enjoy trips to the Walker (http://www.walkerart.org/) & MIA (http://www.artsmia.org/) along with SOOVAC (http://www.soovac.org/), the Soap Factory (http://www.soapfactory.org/), and CO Exhibitions (http://coexhibitions.com/).

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise? 

fecalface.com

arrestedmotion.com

artinfo.com

hifructose.com

juxtapoz.com

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?

I'll be opening a new solo exhibition 'Weathering the Storm' at Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis on July 28th. The show will feature 13 new large scale original works on paper and canvas. This will be my second solo exhibition in Minneapolis following up my 2009 show at SOOVAC.

SooVac Gallery Featured Interview

SooVac Gallery Profile

www.soovac.org

Image List:

1. Installation view, SCOPE NY 2012 - 'Northeast' - 132" x 87" - Mixed-media on canvas

2. 'By Any Means' (Diptych) - 36" x 36" each - Mixed-media on canvas

3. 'Madison Square' - 72" x 48" - Mixed-media on canvas

4. 'Easy Come, Easy Go' - 72" x 48" - Mixed-media on canvas

5. 'Burn Out' - 72" x 48" - Mixed-media on canvas

6. Installation view, White Walls Gallery, San Francisco 2012 - 'Famous Last Words (Right)' - 108" x 96" - Mixed-media on canvas

7. Image of artist

Brenda Manthe - Photographer

Rocket Launch

Brenda Manthe

Name: Brenda Manthe  (1/13)
City/State: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Email: roxbren@gmail.com
Website: www.urbanabstractart.com
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/Brenda_Manthe

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

Currently, I'm enjoying taking abstract photos in urban settings, photos of industrial structures and experimenting with my herd of film cameras. The abstract photos are what I'm most focused on right now and have been inspired by my urban exploration past. I have always been an explorer and love to get lost in the details.

Tire

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

I hope that my audience takes away whatever they need to take away from my art. I do it for the pure joy of exploring, traveling and thinking. People who are interested in my photos tend to fit into two categories. The first category wants to know everything about where the image came from. Both are OK with me! I prefer to keep some mystery around my photos, but I don't mind telling every detail if that's what is asked for. But I have to say, I don't fully understand the concept of "art", and I'm not sure if anyone ever can. What I do know is that creative expression is important to humans and it doesn't really matter what the final product is, as long as it makes the artist happy.

Rotten

What was the best advice given to you as an artist? 

Do art for yourself. If other people like it, bonus.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

My main workspace is wherever I happen to be, totally fixed location independent. When it's time to process my photos (digital or film), my workspace is my living room couch.

My creative process is pretty simple. I walk around and take pictures of things that catch my eye. You can usually find me walking around in alleys, by Dumpsters, through industrial districts or anywhere else that has interesting textures, patterns and color. My other love is travel, so I plan trips specifically to take pictures. I've been to a lot of different cities in the United States and a few cities abroad. My travel wish list is a mile long!

Eat

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy? (Provide links) 

Drew Peterson  http://drewpetersonart.com/
Carolyn Swiszcz  http://www.carolynswiszcz.com/
D.C. Ice  dcice.com/
Chuck U  http://chucku.com/
Marnie Karger  http://www.crafterall.blogspot.com

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

First, you'd be sitting in my living room and getting lost in internet search results for artists and events. Then, we'd either walk, bike or take a bus to the museum(s) or gallery(ies). But, I would probably get sidetracked by the surroundings on the way there and take pictures, which would probably result in us being late or not making it at all to said museum(s) and gallery(ies). It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that I can get distracted, ya know? But seriously, I really love the Walker Art Center and the Weisman Art Museum and I never pass up the opportunity to visit a gallery.

Havland

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I usually go where Google tells me to go, ha ha! But some specific sites that I like are:
DGrin  http://dgrin.com/
Springboard for the Arts  http://www.springboardforthearts.org/
MAEP  http://www2.artsmia.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
MNArtists  http://mnartists.org/

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I'll answer this in two parts, the near future and the general future.

In May 2012 I will be spending four days photographing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site and the neighboring abandoned city of Pripyat. During this visit, I will have access to many of the buildings in the area – as safety allows of course. I first learned about this opportunity a few years ago through a photography forum and thought that it would be an excellent place to take abstract and film photos. From an artistic standpoint, I'm not trying to make a statement with the photos that result from this trip. I'm mainly interested in creating beautiful images, and this is one of the best places to do so. But I have done a lot of research about the Chernobyl disaster and have personal, non-artistic goals for this trip too.

In the general future, you can expect to see even more abstract and film photos. I don't think that I'll ever stop with that. But, I'll always be evolving as an artist, otherwise I'd get really bored. Right now, I have plans for a few new photography projects, a book project and a painting project. We'll see where they go!

Jennifer Davis - Painter

Jennifer Davis ~

You are currently exhibiting as part of the Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program (MAEP) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This seems like quite and honor and opportunity. Tell me about the work you are showing there.

Yes. I am so excited and honored to be included in this exhibition. For this show I have made a new series of large (relative to my past works anyway, 30x24”) paintings on panel. As is usual for my work, they contain a lot of silly characters and invented symbolism but I have spent more time fussing over patterns and surface. These are some of my largest works to date and they presented a whole new world of puzzles for me.

What process did you go through to exhibit with the MAEP program?

I owe everything to Terrence Payne as he helped so much with the proposal process. We put together a written proposal for a show (via the guidelines on their website) and the MAEP panel selected us to be paired with Joe (Sinness) and Erika (Olson Gross) who had also submitted a proposal together. When I found out we got the show I was pretty dumbstruck. When it comes to art proposals/grant applications, etc. rejections are so common that I had completely put the whole thing out of my mind. Once our proposal was accepted we followed a detailed timeline to organize and plan the exhibition. I locked myself in my studio and painted like a crazy women.

Many artists find art to be a solitary experience, where creating community can be difficult. I wonder if you have a similar or different experience. How would you describe the Twin Cities art community and your place in it?

For me, creating art is a truly solitary experience. Even if I am collaborating or working with others, time in my own head is a huge part of my creative process. I love working alone and can do so for days at a time but it is not a lonely process. There is a huge community of other artists doing the same thing. Whenever I emerge from my cave it is easy to find them. It would be hard to describe the art community because it is always changing (galleries, artists always coming and going) and every person’s experience with it is unique. Some find it welcoming and open, others not so much. It is what you make of it. I have met so many amazing and inspiring people at art galleries. What’s not to love?

You have exhibited in Boston, Ontario, Los Angeles, and Atlanta (that I am aware of). Have you ever considered leaving Minnesota for a bigger art market?

Yes. I do get the itch to move on sometimes. However, my situation right now is ideal for me. I am able to support myself making my art with out a job, my BF and I each have a studio in our house and I really like it here. Artists have so much control of their own work now that it is easy to live in the Midwest and still show all over the world. I don’t rule out a move. Someday…

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

Have thick skin. Stay true to my own vision and allow disappointments to roll off quickly.

Which Minnesota artists do you enjoy?
Many of the same artists that have already been listed on this site! Instead I’ll list some shows I want to see that are happening right NOW:

• Andrea Carlson at the Plains Art Museum
• Aniela Sobieski At Kopplin's Café
• Drew Peterson at FoxTax Gallery
• David Bowen at SooVAC
• The annual “Open Door” show at Rosalux Gallery

What was the last local exhibit you saw and what were your impressions?

“Trust is the New Money” by BrokenCrow (John Grider and Mike Fitzsimmons) at XYandZ Gallery. I have loved their work since the first time I saw it but this show really blew my face off. The entire gallery was one big giant painting. It was beautiful, scary, cute, hopeful, hilarious…I loved it. (It closes this weekend so giddy up if you want to see it!)

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

• Daily Serving http://dailyserving.com/
• Beautiful Decay http://beautifuldecay.com/
• Hi-Fructose http://www.hifructose.com/
• Juxtapoz http://www.juxtapoz.com/
• My Love For You Is A Stampede of Horses http://www.myloveforyou.typepad.com/
• Art Hound http://arthound.net/
• Fecal Face http://www.fecalface.com/SF/
• etc, etc, etc.

How do you incorporate your blog, Facebook, and other social media/internet resources into your life as an artist?

Like many, I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I enjoy making my blog and I know that all of these tools are so useful for sharing art outside of my little bubble. Now there are so many tools that it has become overwhelming. To update my flickr, blog, website, etsy, twitter…YIKES! My time is better spent making paintings.

Do you have any exhibits or any interesting things going on in your life or coming up in the near future?

This winter/spring I’ll be showing my work in NY, NH, Canada- and a couple of places in Mpls, MN. I took a tiny break after finishing my work for the MAEP but now I am back to work.

Other Links:
http://www.jenniferdavisart.com
http://www.jenniferdavisart.blogspot.com/
http://www.FlourishMAEP.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferdavisart/
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=6702