Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gail Kotel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gail, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’ve been passionate about the environment since I can remember, working with NYPIRG (now PENNPIRG) and sitting on their board before I was in my 20’s; and starting a recycling program at SUNY Purchase, my alma mater. My artwork in college sought to expose environmental wrongs such as the Exxon Valdiz oil spill. This passion continues In my current work where I upcycle old frames, windows and bubble wrap. All of my materials either come from the trash or would become trash. During the height of the pandemic the amount of takeout containers increased exponentially. I was both struck by the plight of restaurant workers and owners and saddened by the amount of takeout containers that were generated while we tried to stay safe. This led to the start of my project #takeoutportraits and then #takeoutportraits:behindthescenes. I began painting the restaurant owners on their own takeout containers which introduced them to us as people while calling attention to the takeout container itself. These pieces hang in restaurants in and around Philadelphia to be seen when patrons pick up their takeout orders. Making something we throw away beautiful can change the relationship to that “garbage”, and our responsibility to it. When things started opening up there was a shortage of staff which continues today. To call attention to that issue and bring awareness to the continued waste being generated with plastic throw away dishes because of the lack of dishwashers and other workers – I expanded my project and began to paint worker’s on their dishes and cake tins. Restaurant owners have such strong attachment and gratitude for the workers they wanted me to paint. It was wonderful to celebrate these people by painting their portraits – along with their names – to be displayed proudly in the restaurant. All together I painted almost 20 portraits. Some of these restaurants didn’t survive the pandemic while others are slowly rebuilding themselves. It was amazing to get to know their stories and be a part of their journey and my larger community through my art. I will never forget in the early days of the pandemic, delivering a triple portrait to the three owners of a restaurant and their faces. They said it was the first time they could remember laughing and smiling since it all began.

Gail, we love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I describe myself as a 52 y/o native New Yorker, Artist, Physical Therapist and Pilates Instructor, living in Philadelphia since 1996. My love is painting portraits, finding my medium in watercolors, sumi ink and repurposed materials. As early as High School, I completed a series of watercolors of all the people in my life to whom I was related to or intimate with, from Texas, to Philadelphia and NYC. Over a year’s time, at least 100 paintings were completed. I have never stopped painting the face and learning and changing no matter what the medium.
I next moved to woodcuts, followed by monoprints: but as time went on, hand printing yielded equal parts paint on the paper and glass, which was frustrating and wasteful. This compelled me to leave the paint on the glass, still working within the process of monoprinting.
Growing up in NYC there is an endless supply of art materials in other people’s garbage. At first, I found my canvas in discarded pieces of glass. Soon old windows replaced the glass which was followed by frames and then bubble wrap and take out containers. I have a rule for myself that I have to use something that I have found on the street to make my art. This upcycling and use of repurposed materials goes back to when I created art as a child but now my connection to the worsening conditions of the earth and my life long commitment to environmental activism so beautifully marries my art in a deeply satisfying way. Even though there are many upcycle artists, I believe my work captures people in a unique way while quietly speaking about waste generated just in my neighborhood and on my city streets. I hope to inspire change by creating portraits out of waste, making it hard not to see people’s connection to our environmental crisis.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After art school I moved to Portland Oregon from NYC just to experience something different. I had a small business doing three dimensional storytelling which was very robust in NYC but really fell flat in Portland. With no viable income, I tried teaching art, which I loved, but took the energy out of my own artmaking. I realized I could go way out of my comfort zone and thinking about what else I was good at, I landed on bodywork. As a sculptor I had always been good with my hands, but I also had a knack for honing in on people’s painful areas. First I got certified and worked as a chiropractic assistant. Soon I decided to take the full leap and go back to school getting into a premed program. Having done Art high school and college, it was starting from scratch again. I decided that if I got an A in my first big Bio class then I would continue, otherwise it wasn’t meant to be. Four years later I graduated with a masters in Physical Therapy. I never stopped making art, I just have found a way to be creative in both fields. My art informs my Pilates based Physical Therapy allowing me to see the whole person and think outside the box.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Sometimes it takes perspective to see how you have been influenced in your creative journey. As a kid I picked up things around the house and made art with them. I remember as a five year old making a snake out of clay and taking the meat tenderizer and pounding the clay to make the scale pattern. If you had asked me in my 20’s what was driving my creative journey, I would have had a very different answer, but now, in my 50’s I can look back and see two main things that are woven into my work. Portraits of people made with unusual materials in unique ways. Then with my life long mission for environmental justice, I can also see that when I was in my 20’s my work was didactic about the environment, in my 30’s I began repurposing materials without awareness but because it looked great and in my 40’s and 50’s began to do both with awareness and intent to speak about waste by making portraits out of other people’s garbage.

Contact Info:

• Website: therapeuticpilatespt.com/artwork
• Instagram: @gailkotelartist
• Facebook: Gail kotel artist
• Linkedin: Gail S. Kotel
• Other: tiktok : gailtheartist