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

Ian O'Neill - Painter - RAW Minneapolis

"Self Portrait"

Ian O'Neill

Name: Ian O'Neill
City/State:Minneapolis, MN
Email: i-oneill@hotmail.com
Website: ianjoneill.com
MNartist.org profile: www.mnartists.org/Ian_O'Neill

Bio~
My name is Ian James O'Neill, and I am a Designer and Artist. I am in my last year at the University of Minnesota in pursuit of my Graphic Design, BFA. I have always loved the Visual Arts, my practice of Design and Painting allow me to examine different aspects of visual communication that the different mediums offer.

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
My work has gone through radical transformations over the course of the last few years. I began painting about 7 years ago, and was fortunate to have mentors who exposed me to different ways of approaching painting. As I have become more confident with my painting, I have experimented. I use Acrylics, Watercolors, and Oils to try to find to exploit the possibilities of each of these mediums.

Beau Ideal IV

"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 through my art, the audience is forced to look at the little things in life differently. In my upcoming exhibition, I am displaying a series I have been working on of portraiture. With this series I focus on each brushstroke being an integral part of the whole. It is very loose, dynamic, and free, but still create recognizable forms. This is a comment on each little part being essential to the whole, and also the order that can be achieved from the chaos of different lines.

Beau Ideal III

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
I always thought that the simple slogan, "Just do it" has incredible power in it. NIKE got it right. Most of my projects are not planned, and I just had to sit and just start.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.
I could probably sum up my work space with one word: Chaos. I cannot throw things away, I hoard everything. I trying to rearrange one of the many piles of the things I collect, I found crazy reflective paper, and paint samples that I said I would use 4 years ago. My creative process is just that, sorting through the chaos to try to find something of substance. I am very critical of my own work, and constantly work and rework projects for extended periods of time. In a lot of my work the chaos is visible, but a lot of times the result is clean and organized, but I feel that it is still only a more organized chaos.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
One of my first true inspirations was Gregory Euclide. He was my instructor for 4 years throughout high school and was a catalyst in the development of some of my work.
http://www.gregoryeuclide.com/

Another artist that I had the pleasure of meeting is Ben Olson. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he studied Painting and Graphic Design. The same fields of study that occupy my everyday. The dynamism of his work struck me instantly, it's very expressive and powerful.
http://benolson.net/

Beau Ideal II

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
If we were to go on this art adventure, we could start right on campus at the U of M. The Weisman Art Museum is a cool little place to run in between classes. Then a quick jaunt across 35W to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts would be warranted. Coming October they have an exhibit on Japanese Prints which have always fascinated me. Also Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists, and MIA has his painting The Olive Trees. Incredible. Then onto the Walker Art Center to walk through the sculpture garden. One of my best memories of the Walker is walking in and spending almost the entire time staring at the work by Yves Klein and Chuck Close. Getting up right next to one of Close's huge paintings is pretty amazing.

http://www.weisman.umn.edu/
http://www.artsmia.org/
http://www.walkerart.org/

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 run from blog to blog, often stemming from www.ffffound.com. It's a portal, and sucks up a lot of my time.

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

Coming up on August 25th, 2011 I am involved with the RAW MINNEAPOLIS artists. This is a one night exhibition @ the Fine Line Music Cafe on 1st Avenue in Minneapolis. Come check out (event link) what we got going on!

RAW MINNEAPOLIS

Thursday 8/25/11

8pm

The Fine Line Music Cafe

Laura Hallen - Mixed-Media

Laura Hallen

Name: Laura Hallen
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: laura@laurahallen.com
Website: www.laurahallen.com
MNartist.org profile: mnartists.org/laura_hallen
Facebook page: http://facebook.com/laura.hallen

Bio~
Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
Currently I am a multi-media artist with a strong background in painting. My primary medium is Plexiglas and Plexiglas boxes, where I play with the internal landscape within the box, and the external façade outside of the box. There is tension and play between 2 and 3 Dimensions of my work. I have been through many phases with my art. I started as an oil painter on canvas, focusing on the figure. I then discovered Plexiglas. I have been exploring the versatility of Plexiglas with paint, photography, multi-media, pigmented shellac, and found objects. I recently went through a phase with my work that involved marshmallows, tutus, streamers, and feather boas.

My work has taken a turn to a deeper look into how we present ourselves to the world, and my boxes have become metaphors for skin. My work engages the contrast between how we present ourselves in the public versus the private interior lives we each have. Much like how we present ourselves to the world with the importance placed on the exterior, I am curious of what is on inside; dazzling, bound up, complex, fantastic messes each of us contain.

Humans are fragile. Humans are vulnerable to pressures and stress, especially in light of social networking and how we put our best face forward. More and more we are asked to present a perfect image of who we are while we become disconnected to the true person we are inside. I represent the balance and tension between what is on the surface and what is in the interior space in my Plexiglas boxes.

"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?
My art is an expression of where I am in my life at any given moment. My constant practice is to try to be in the moment, and embrace whatever emotions I may be experiencing. The Good and the Bad.
I want to make a bold statement with my work, with images that will grow with time, and have the viewer constantly discover new perspectives on my art.

I’m hoping my art will pique the viewer’s curious and playful side, as well as a thoughtful side, with an appreciation of Beauty.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Don’t judge yourself too much, and it’s ok to make an ass out of your self once in a while.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.
I share a studio in the Northrup King Building with Eddie Hamilton and Cody Kiser. I couldn’t have asked for better studio mates. (Check out our spoof advertisement for last year’s Art-A-Whirl. I usually start with an empty Plexiglas box and find inspiration with the size and shape of the box. I work on both sides of the Plexiglas with pigmented shellac and use a lot of silicone while gluing materials down to the background. A lot of my work has elements of framing to it, without the frame. My work involves a lot of assembly and hardware. Some projects take longer than others, and some I can bang out quickly. It depends on how inspired I am, and if the air conditioner is working well in the studio.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
There is so much talent in this city with such amazing resources!
I love:
Josie Lewis for her luminescent resin cubes: http://josielewis.com/
Alison Hiltner for her scientific, botanical installations: http://www.alisonhiltner.com/
Gregory Euclide for his miniature forest installations: http://www.gregoryeuclide.com/
Casey Opstad for his polyurethane sheets and landscapes: http://www.caseyopstad.com/
Cody Kiser for his interior paintings: http://www.codykiser.com/
Eddie Hamilton for his playful paintings: http://www.painteddiepaint.com/
Kate Cassanova for her organic sculptures, hermit crab video and photography

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
Northrup King Building: http://www.northrupkingbuilding.com/
Gallery 122 @ Hang It http://www.hangitinc.com/about_gallery_122.html
Franklin Art Works http://www.franklinartworks.org/
Soo Visual Art Center http://www.soovac.org/
Midway Contemporary Art http://www.midwayart.org/
MCAD Gallery http://mcad.edu/events-fellowships/gallery-exhibitions

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?
MN Original is where it’s at! http://www.mnoriginal.org/art/
Plus I’m always checking L’etoile’s blog for current evens and culture: http://letoilemagazine.blogspot.com/

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

I have 2 shows up right now. I am in a group show at the SooVac called Untitled 8 and a solo show at the Spyhouse on Nicollet Both shows run through August 20th, 2011.

Laura Hallen

Image List:
1. “Boom Goes the Dynamite” 33” x 33” x 4”, tutu, pom-poms, marshmallows, Plexiglas Box, July 2010

2. “Synthetic Hairball” 30” x 30”, Acrylic, beeswax and pigmented shellac on Plexiglas, February 2011

3. “Cruel Nature” 47” x 36” Acrylic on Plexiglas, March 2011

4. “Euphoria” 12” x 7” x 2”, pigmented shellac on Plexiglas, May 2011

5. “Sparkle&Snuff” 42” x 42” x 6”, fabric flowers, pigmented shellac, Plexiglas box, June 2011

Paula McCartney - Photographer

Excerpt from A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, 2008-2011

Paula McCartney

Name: Paula McCartney
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Website: http://www.paulamccartney.com


Bio~
Paula McCartney creates photographs and books that explore the idea of constructed landscapes. She earned an M.F.A. in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2002. McCartney has received an Aaron Siskind Photography Fellowship and a McKnight Photography Fellowship. Bird Watching was recently exhibited at the Klompching Gallery in Brooklyn, NY and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, IL. Princeton Architectural Press published a monograph of the project in the Spring of 2010.

Excerpt from A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, 2008-2011

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
I’m working on a project called A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, which is currently on view in one of the MAEP galleries at the MIA. The project is my interpretation of the idea of winter. After moving from San Francisco to Minneapolis I spent the first winters inside and afraid that I now lived in what felt like the arctic. Several years ago I decided to brave the elements and explore the snowy landscape, however, at times without being out in the cold.

The series includes images of snowfalls and wildflowers, frozen waterfalls and stalagmites, snowdrifts and piles of gypsum sand, as well as other icy forms in order to explore and reinterpret natural structures and the way they can reference multiple ideas on both micro and macro levels. The ambiguity of scale and substance helps the subjects transcend their source. With less there is more. I now see winter everywhere, in every environment, in every season and categorize it by pattern, shape, and line rather than merely by substance.

I’ve always been interested in constructed landscapes. This project differs from my last one, Bird Watching (in which I placed craft store songbirds in the landscape and photographed them), in that all of the elements in the photographs are natural. However the images don’t accurately document an actual landscape, but rather present elements that I have subtracted from it. I think a viewer would have difficult time finding the scenes that I’ve photographed. The photographs reflect how I want to see the world rather than how it actually is. The construction in this series lies in the suggestions that I am making through juxtaposition and sequencing.

"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 my work suggests and encourages a wider and more open way of looking.

Excerpt from A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, 2008-2011

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
Be disciplined in your practice. Being an artist is a(n amazing) job, and making the work is only a part of that job.


Tell me about your work space and your creative process.
My studio is in my home, which I love. I can spend a full day in my studio on the days my son is at school, or 10 minutes some other time considering new prints. Right now, I have a lot more time than I have had in the past year to make new work. I can work on a project in my head but sometimes it takes a year to get it out in a tangible form. I just finished two book mock-ups of ideas that I’ve had in the back of my head for some time.

Installation view of A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, 2008-2011, MAEP Gallery, MIA

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Margaret Pezalla-Granlund (http://www.mpezalla.com/)

and Gregory Euclide (http://www.gregoryeuclide.com/) are two artists that illustrate an environment in a really unique way.

I’m also interested in the books that Alec Soth (http://littlebrownmushroom.com/index.html) has been making-both his own and other artists, and Location Books (http://www.locationbooks.com/) published by Ruben Nusz (http://www.rubennusz.com/Art/rubennusz.html) and Scott Nedrelow (http://nedrelow.com/)

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
I recently saw the Goshka Macuga installation at the Walker (http://calendar.walkerart.org/canopy.wac?id=6103) and after reading the (free) catalog that accompanied the piece, I’m looking forward to going back and spending more time with it. Nan Goldin’s slide show, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (http://calendar.walkerart.org/event.wac?id=6193) is also at the Walker now and is something I see every time I have the opportunity to. And of course, to Franklin Art Works in June to see the McKnight Photography Fellows exhibition that includes new work by my husband, Lex Thompson (http://www.lexthompson.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?
I’ve been thinking a lot about books lately and these sites are good resources-Indie Photobook Library (http://www.indiephotobooklibrary.org/), Buffet (http://andrew-phelps.blogspot.com/), The Photobook (http://thephotobook.wordpress.com/), Conscientious (http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/) I also look at the New Yorker’s listing of current exhibitions so I can then go to the gallery or museum website to see an artist’s new work.

Installation view of A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, 2008-2011, MAEP Gallery, MIA

Do you have any exhibits to promote now?
An installation of A Field Guide to Snow and Ice is on view in the MAEP gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts through July 3.


12/2012/L10