SLAMXHYPE is launching a new interview series, and one of the first artists they sought out for answers was Joshua Petker. Each interview with Joshua reveals a more complex artist, and we especially liked his thoughts on Van Gogh:

“The first painting that came to mind and that means a lot to me is Van Gogh’s ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ . . . that painting with its light, bright, beautiful yellow bottom half and the dark heavy blue and black top half, broken in the middle by a jagged road to nowhere is just so serenely calming yet it screams the weight of the world at you as the birds fly up into darkness.

It was the last painting he ever made and it speaks so clearly to me about the wonderful beautiful pain that life can be for some.  I wouldn’t mind looking at that painting every night before bed.” -Joshua Petker, SLAMXHYPE Interview

We were excited to welcome Ken Harman to The Shooting Gallery last Saturday when he came to preview Greg Gossel and AJ Fosik‘s new shows. He got some great pictures of the guys and their artwork, and we think that getting signed showcards for Arrested Motion readers was a fantastic idea.

Check out the preview at Arrested Motion.

On top of Erik Otto‘s many talents, he is now dabbling in the world of event planning. Next Thursday he is throwing  a party to celebrate the release of his new book, Paper Fabric & Wood [V2], and we know Erik will show us a good time.

Check out Erik’s blog for more info on his recent endeavors.

“Thank you to everyone for coming to the opening of ‘Happy Endings.’ The reception had a great turnout and we were pleased to see an inquisitive, excited crowd interested in Greg Gossel‘s work. Also thank you to good friends and family for showing support: David Choong Lee, Mike Shine, Hugh Leeman, Dustin Olsen, Erik Otto and Adam Flores to name a few. It was a fitting celebration for an exciting show.” -Leigh Cooper, Director

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Kevin E. Taylor‘s world is one worth exploring, especially if you are in the mood for contemplation. The 405 recently picked his brain about questions of philosophy, art, and nature:

“I like to let each painting have it’s way with me, simply out of respect that it will be around a while longer than I will. It should have its say.

When the painting is done and it becomes a familiar part of my life, the painting’s ‘meaning’ begins to reveal itself through conversations with strangers, friends and with my own self. In the same way that a dream creates itself, leaving you to stab around at it’s meaning, once you awaken, a painting develops an identity of it’s own.” -Kevin E. Taylor

Read the full intervew at The 405.

Greg Gossel is just hours away from unveiling three gallery spaces filled with new works on canvas, paper and wood. Flavorpill had nice things to say about “Happy Endings,” and we think they did a great job describing Greg’s aesthetic:

“Appearances are deceiving in Greg Gossel‘s art. Although they’re far from photorealistic, Gossel’s works share as much of an affinity with ‘hyper-real’ painters like Gerhard Richter as they do with more obvious Pop influences such as Roy Lichtenstein.

His canvases, which on first glance look like two-dimensional paper collages, are for the most part paintings, which seamlessly mix meticulous renderings of old comic panels, newspaper clippings, random doodles, and iconic figures — such as Kate Moss and Frederick Douglass — with actual paper scraps in a palimpsest-like riot of color and pop-cultural references. Happy Endings presents the largest exhibit to date of the artist’s work, with 50 new original pieces.”

– Matt Sussman, Flavorpill

Like the postcard? It’s just another wonderful contribution from Ramblin Worker and Treatzone. The attached exhibition, “Joyride,” is part of the 2024 Bicycle Film Festival taking place in New York City on June 18th. The lineup is enticing: Erik Foss, Kelsey Brookes, Maya Hayuk, Ramblin Worker (Steve MacDonald), Cheryl Dunn, and Mike Giant are just a taste.

If you can’t make it out to NYC, be sure to catch Steve MacDonald’s Gallery Three show this October.

Bicycle Film Festival

More from Hypebeast

Juxtapoz coverage

Fresh off the plain, Greg Gossel got to work unpacking “Happy Endings.” He’s quite a handy guy, constructing his own gigantic (but sturdy) wood crate to transport over 60 pieces to The Shooting Gallery. In between unpacking, Greg sat down for a quick interview with Kwality Media. Stay tuned for more preview pics as Greg unwraps “Happy Endings.”

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A hot cup o’ joe and Arrested Motion is all we need to get the day going, especially when Greg Gossel has a brand new interview up. He goes into depth about the new themes in “Happy Endings” opening this Saturday:

“I guess the overall tone of this show is a bit darker than most of my previous work. Many of the pieces incorporate this ongoing theme of a fall from grace, pieces of our collective history which were not the storybook endings that are so often portrayed in mass media . . . Aesthetically, I feel this new show is bolder and more complex than much of my previous work.

There is something I really love about the medium of silkscreen; the instant gratification of a print, the ability repeat and overlap images very quickly, while having the opportunity to experiment with different colors and printing techniques. My work is quite spontaneous by nature, so having that increased ability to quickly reproduce and change imagery within my work has been great.” -Greg Gossel

Read the full interview at Arrested Motion.

Greg Gossel is officially in San Francisco, accompanied by over 60 brand new works that have been brewing up in his Minneapolis studio. Here is a tiny sneak peek at what’s in store for this Saturday’s “Happy Endings“:

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