TED GAHL

Four Rooms
Acrylic and stretcher keys on drop cloth
11 x 14”, 2012

What are you working on in your studio right now?

 

 

I just finished four large paintings for the Expo Chicago art fair at the end of September. It’s nice to have them done, because now I am just working on small leisurely paintings, just kind of winding down and not having an immediate deadline. I’m also getting back to working on paper, as well as mining through and organizing old drawings.

 

 

 

Can you describe your working routine?

 

 

Get up around nine or ten. Do the email stuff. Head to the gas station and get a coffee. Hit the studio from 12 to 6. Eat something, take some breaks. Listen to music and watch old movies while I paint. Go home around two a.m.. That’s how it’s been lately. When the winter gets harsh, sometimes I’m a bit more sluggish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you describe your studio space and how, if at all, that affects your work?

 

 

My studio is in Northwest Connecticut in an old hosiery factory from the late 1800’s. It’s pretty spacious, and is in a secluded hallway at the far end of the fourth floor. I have a lot of privacy, and rarely see anyone else in the building.
The space has allowed me to work much larger, and on many pieces at once. It has everything I need. I spend more time there than I do in my apartment.

 

 

 
Tell me about your process, where things begin, how they evolve etc.

 

 

I do a lot of drawings on napkins at bars and restaurants, and I keep all of them. My larger works are usually derived from these small drawings, and the paintings are kind of a record of the images and ideas. The paintings become these tapestries of collaged drawing imagery.
I’ve also been taking tons of pictures with my phone. Documenting the places I’ve gone this summer has been giving me a lot of ideas for future work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you having the most trouble resolving?

 

 

Whether or not I am actually going to use this oil paint I bought two months ago.
 

 

 

 

Do you experiment with different materials a lot or do you prefer to work within certain parameters?

 

 

Other than sticking to a relatively traditional painting approach, I’ve always liked sneaking little items into the surface of certain works, especially stretcher keys. Lately, the items have been becoming more and more camouflaged within the surface. I used to have them cutting through the front of the canvas like knives, but they were too difficult to ship. They’ve become a lot flatter.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does the future hold for this work?

 

 

Making them on a larger scale, seeing if I can retain the humble, clunky demeanor of the smaller book-sized works.
 

 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

 

Thanks to all the painters out there, past and present, that inspire me and keep me running back to the studio, and thanks for having me Valerie!