PROMINENT PUBLIC ARTIST

from KC Magazine July 2021

A GIFT FOR THE GRAD

QPROMINENT PUBLIC ARTIST A&

A Q&A with Joseph Gagnepain, the renowned creator behind Art by Joseph

By Jonathan Bilyk Photos provided by Joseph Gagnepain

Where some people — or perhaps, most people — see scrap metal in need of recycling, Joseph Gagnepain may just see a Viking.

Or a horse. Or a bear. A moose. A robot.

Or whatever other whimsy his imagination may conjure.

And Gagnepain — the man who brings both the “Art” and the “Joseph” to the local business known as Art by Joseph — is always looking for more.

For more than three decades, the St. Charles artist has been making the Fox Valley look better, more interesting. Whether they be large, commissioned murals that occupy entire walls, smaller paintings to hang on the wall, or towering assemblage sculptures made of old bike parts and other recycled metal, Gagnepain has

Ready to ride?

Looking for local bike trails?

Find the 2021 Fox River Trail Guide at www.foxriverbiketrails.com Coming soon to the local park districts and most retail locations noted below.

Ride, Hike,

& Play in Fox Valley 168 Parks, 48 miles of trails

ROOM TO PLAY!

consistently brought artistic visions to life in homes and restaurants, at schools and parks and street corners, in the Tri-Cities and beyond. Recently, Kane County Magazine talked with him about his artwork and the process behind it. This interview has been edited slightly for length.

 KANE COUNTY MAGAZINE: You’ve been creating art for decades now. How and when did you get started?

JOSEPH GAGNEPAIN: I’ve called myself an artist since I was 4, when I started drawing as a child. So it has been a long time.

I started painting murals about 30 years ago. I was in high school, maybe 14 years old, growing up in St. Charles, I painted one for a neighbor, at their house. It was a (Chicago) Blackhawks theme. I got paid, so you could call it my first commissioned work.

I graduated from the Chicago Academy of Art for high school, and then attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, about 25 years ago.

I’ve been doing this, creating art, full time for about 20 years.  KC: What are your primary media?

JG: I paint murals on walls of homes and businesses, schools, you name it. And I paint on canvas, for commission work, or for live painting, at music festivals or other events. I’ll paint something, and people can watch, and at the end of the night, have the painting auctioned off for a fundraiser.

I do a lot of assemblage sculptures, using recycled metal and plastic, from cars, and bicycles, maybe pulled out of the trash, things I find at estate sales or on the side of the road, or from things people donate. I started doing that in college.

I’ve done snow and ice carving and sculpting for about the last 12 years, and a bit of wood carving.

 KC: Tell me more about the assemblage sculptures. You really just start with junk?

JG: I’ve always had a thing about seeing patterns in junk. About 20 years ago, I did a bicycle statue in Geneva, and it really got me started doing things locally. It’s just the texture of the materials, the way things fall on the side of the road,

For an interactive map showing where his artwork is located, visit www.artbyjoseph.com/about.

or wherever, it just looks organic to me. I see the shapes in it, and what it could be.

I installed a Viking assemblage sculpture for Geneva High School about eight years ago, and now I’m working in collaboration with Mark Adams from Water Street Studios, on a Valkyrie figure, or a female Viking, too, as a 2020 senior class gift for the school.

I’m also pretty proud of the FoxCycle in St. Charles, and I kind of really like the sculpture of a horse that’s outside Jalapeño Grille in St. Charles. It’s a mustang, and, I don’t know, I just really like the twist of the body. It’s got a really dynamic pose.

 KC: You’ve also done many murals. Where can people find samples of your mural work locally?

JG: I’ve got a mural in Jalapeño Grille. A couple on Water Street in Batavia. The Arcada Speakeasy mural.

I just recently did a spray paint mural at R-House in St. Charles. That’s my most recent one, completed in April.

And the State Street Diner in Geneva. That’s a few of them.

 KC: When you’re creating something new, how much input do you allow the client to have?

JG: It depends on the client. But it’s all about collaboration. Sometimes, they have a particular vision in mind. Or sometimes it’s just a theme, and I can develop a design for them, with some intuitive vision.

And sometimes they just leave it up to me.

 KC: When you’re creating, and you reach the end, how do you know a project is actually finished?

JG: It’s when it’s clear that all of the areas in it are working together. I don’t get the feeling that something looks out of place. And sometimes, the decision is driven by a deadline.

 KC: Do you have any idea how many pieces you’ve created through the years?

JG: Maybe 200? 300? I’m not sure.

 KC: If people want to hire Art by Joseph, how do they find you?

JG: Mostly through the website, ArtbyJoseph.com. I’m mostly interested in doing work locally, but I would be willing to commute for a project I’m excited about, and something that’s accessible to the public.