Creating a visual history of change and process
When seeing a Greg Gossel creation for the first time, it’s hard not to be in awe of his use of colors. The bright and bold palette pops off whatever medium he has chosen and draws the viewer in for a closer inspection. But you would expect nothing less from an artist who found much of his early inspiration in the works from some of the biggest names in the pop-art scene.
“My very first artistic influence was Robert Raushenberg,” Gossel explained during a recent conversation. “Then I discovered a lot of other artists from that time period like Warhol, Lichtenstein and Jasper Johns.”
It was as a graphic design student at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire that he discovered his artistic foundation in these art icons. Never before had he seen works that took this multi-layered approach. Seeing how imagery, text and paint could be combined to create a visual explosion of stories was revolutionary to him.
From that artistic base, Gossel experimented with color and form to create a style that is respectful of his predecessors but is also modern and uniquely his own.
“I toggle between screen printing and hand painting and collage,” Gossel said. “It just kind of depends on the scale of the project and what is going to achieve the best esthetic. In the majority of my work, I never really go into it trying to convey one specific sort of message. I just try to create something that’s beautiful and inviting and interesting and hopefully that draws people in.”
For Baird Center, Gossel created a large hand painted triptych comprised of 96” x 96” panels that flow together to create on continuous scene. Building Bright Futures, in the Brew City celebrates the city of Milwaukee while simultaneously embracing its rich history and tremendous potential.
“The main pillar of the concept is merging that kind of blue-collar industry with what could be seen as its opposite in the arts and music and photography and painting,” Gossel said. “I think there’s so much of those things that are important in the history and future of Milwaukee that I wanted a way to weave those together.”
Gossel grew up in western Wisconsin, so he didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Milwaukee in his youth. But during the construction of Fiserv Forum, he was commissioned to do a piece for the Milwaukee Bucks and instantly fell in love with the community.
“I was in Milwaukee for three or four weeks that summer and it was cool to be immersed in the city,” Gossel remembers. “It is the generosity of everyone that really sticks with me. Working on an outdoor mural you have so many random interactions and it was always awesome. That was something I tried to harness when it came to injecting life in this piece.”
Building Bright Futures, in the Brew City is part of the We Energies Foundation Art Collection located at Baird Center. Greg Gossel is one of the 33 artists, most from Milwaukee, Wisconsin or with special ties to the area who have works featured in the collection. You can discover more about the artists and their works at https://bairdcenter.com/art-collection/.