Local orgs bring well-known artist on board

ELLSWORTH – The man behind the design of the latest East End mural may live in the town of Trimbelle, but his work is known throughout the world.

Artist and graphic designer Greg Gossel worked with the E-Town Arts Committee to create the concept for the mural, which celebrates the great things about the Cheese Curd Capital, such as agriculture, the arts, and landscape.

Gossel worked with the committee, which falls under the umbrella of the Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation, to narrow down eight or nine options into the final product. Once volunteers scraped and primed the wall, located between Danny Dunn’s and YB Urban? on Broadway Street, Gossel was ready to paint. Last week he was hard at work putting brush and paint to concrete as the wall transformed into a vibrant work of art. While the snow on Friday de- railed plans to have the public help finish the mural, it received rave reviews at the East End Fall Festival Saturday, Oct. 15. Gossel grew up in Baldwin and graduated from UWEau Claire with a degree in graphic design.

“I had always painted and colored since I was a little kid,” Gossel said. “I always had a propensity toward art. I also had an interest in architecture, but not the physics of it. The best application of that talent was in business design, which ouered a foundation for what I do in fine art.”

Gossel worked for a design firm in Minneapolis, but expanded his art portfolio on the side. He started by exhibiting his work in couee shops, which eventually led to local, regional and finally national galleries. In 2009 he made the leap to full-time gallery work, creating out of two studios in Minneapolis.

According to Gossel’s website, his work is “an expressive interplay of many diverse words, images and gestures. His multi-layered work illustrates a visual history of change and process that simultaneously features and condemns popular culture.”

Gossel said some of the imagery he uses in his pieces (not the Ellsworth mural) overly exaggerates in a “tongue in cheek” sort of way society’s obsession with celebrities while also celebrating them. He calls his gallery work “more experimental” and open for interpretation.

He enjoys using a number of media, such as canvas, wood panels, prints on paper or even painting a gallery wall.

His work has been shown through the United States and abroad, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Copenhagen and Japan. He has also done work for commercial clients, such as Chivas Regal, KFC, Levi’s, American Express, Hyundai, Burton Snowboards, and Interscope Records.

Since 2015, Gossel has been commissioned to do three to four public art or mural projects per year (this year it’s been six or seven). Regionally, people can see his murals at Schlitz Park in Milwaukee (done in 2020) or a wall near the Orpheum in Minneapolis (2015). He also has pieces in Florida, Texas, Chicago and Philadelphia, to name a few.

In some public art projects, Gossel receives more direction than in others. He usually starts by pitching six to eight concepts to see what resonates with the decision- makers. It’s a collaborative process between stakeholders.

Gossel met Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation President Kayleen Jakes in her East End art supply store, Brush Strokes, by happenstance.

“I was visiting Brush Strokes with my wife and daughter,” Gossel said. “Kayleen saw the paint on my pants and asked if I was an artist.”

The rest is history. A partnership was born. “It kind of snowballed from there,” Gossel laughed.

After a whirlwind of fundraising and planning with the E-Town Arts Committee, the mural design was narrowed down to two choices which slowly morphed into one concept. With this installment of the East End Mural Walk nearly complete, Gossel said he hopes to be involved in future Ellsworth murals. He and his wife call the area home. Their daughter, who just turned 4, only saw her dad’s murals in photographs before. It was special for her to be able to see him in action, Gossel said.

“I personally want to thank the committee and Kayleen,” he added.

You can follow Gossel and his work at Instagram. com/greggossel, facebook. com/greggosselart or twitter. com/greggossel. Visit www. greggossel.com to see more examples of his projects.

Artist Greg Gossel, who lives in the town of Trimbelle, works on the latest East End mural on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Photo by Sarah Nigbor