Interview - Greg Gossel

The Artist

We sat down to chat with Greg while he was in the midst of moving into a new studio and just before he went to Japan for a large-scale installation project.

Shortly after beginning work as a designer at a Minneapolis print shop, Greg moved to a house in Uptown to begin working on his own art.  His initial studio proved to be too small, and after moving between a few studios, he now works out of a studio in the Whittier area. 

Greg is a well-established graphic designer, whose work exhibited across the country and globe.  His first big solo show was at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, and he has an impressive list of commercial clients – Levi’s, Burton, and Stussy, just to name a few.   He landed those gigs the way most artists land gigs and non-artists land jobs- in a roundabout way and networking.

The Questions

Josh Arbit: Why make art?
Greg Gossel: I have to, I think I'd go crazy if I didn't. I'm definitely most comfortable in my studio. I guess art is something I was always interested in. When I was young I drew a life-sized Ninja Turtles mural on my parents' basement wall.

JA: Do you feel you lose any artist freedom in the scope of commercial work?
GG: There's always a give and take with commercial work, but I try to treat each project the same way as I would my personal work. Whenever possible I try to stay away from the computer and hand paint/print/collage all my work for commercial projects.
JA: Why is art important?
GG: For me art is an outlet, I've always felt the need to express myself through my work.

JA: I don’t like categories, but our world does so if you had to put your art in one, what would it be?
GG: I would say mixed-media pop art if I had to categorize it. Rauschenberg was the first artist who's work I really connected with and I think that is evident in my own work. I'm most interested in that intersection between art and design; mechanical and organic; image and text. I work with a variety of mediums from silkscreen printing and collage, to spray paint and hand painted acrylic. Through that mixed-media process I'm appropriating various fragments of pop culture and placing them into a new context giving the viewer an opportunity to create a narrative based on their own experiences.

JA: Why support local artists?
GG: I think often times consumers don't realize how much time and energy goes into an artists work, and how much that work can enrich a community on various levels. Supporting local artists is a great way to help feed that growth.

JA: It seems as though some art consumers put artists on a pedestal and for whatever reason think they are unapproachable.
GG: If there's an artist that you're into, contact them for a studio visit. Most artists would be more than happy to open their studio and explain their process.

JA: Who are your biggest artistic influences?
GG: Rauschenberg, Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns.

JA: What do you like most about the MPLS art scene?
GG: Minneapolis has a great DIY blue collar, hard-working mentality which I think translates really well to the arts community. It also lacks a pretentious attitude.

JA: What do you dislike the most about the MPLS art scene?
GG: It’s secluded. I’d like to see MN artists showing elsewhere and vice versa.

JA: What other MPLS artists or design houses are you into?
GG: I am big fan of Drew Peterson, Jennifer Davis, Erik Inkala, Burlesque, and Aesthetic Apparatus.

JA: Where do you go to shows?
GG: My favorite spots to see work are Soo Vac, Public Functionary, Burnet Gallery, CO Exhibitions and High Point Center for Printmaking.

JA: How do you market yourself?GG: I keep my online presence up to date with recent work and upcoming shows. I also try to stay active on social media. Instagram is perfect to stay connected and share behind the scenes shots while working in the studio all day. I also try to make it out to shows whenever possible and meet people.

Upcoming shows

Group Show TBA
February 2016
Vertical Gallery
Chicago, IL
www.verticalgallery.com

Out of Print
March 19, 2016
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Fort Wayne, IN
www.fwmoa.org

Group Show TBA
May 2016
Corey Helford Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com

More on the Artist

Check out Greg's piece on Local Artist Interviews from a few years back and his interview on MNOriginal. Please visit Greg's website to see more and get in touch.