TERESA BOSKO
ARTIST
EL GATO TAQUERIA
Viva El Gato!
Original sketch: Viva El Gato! Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Original sketch. Getting my thoughts down. Copyright Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Primed panels ready to begin... I painted a wall in my studio the same orange as the restaurant to better coordinate colors. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Panel shapes have been modified, and a quick sketch added to "just get something down." The first of many, many steps! Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
It's important for me to go ahead and just mess around on the actual piece, rather than doing hundreds of sketches - it allows me to shake-off any inhibitions about mistakes, and the potential for ruining the work. Also is very humbling to see just how much bad work I can make...lol! Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved.
Masked-off and glazed center panel. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Pulling the tape. Several coats of flat white paint were applied over the original glazed areas. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
I looked at a lot of luchador-inspired art, as well as publications and videos. "Glory rays" are an integral part of expressing the heroic character of these masked wrestlers. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
It's a start... Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Official logo for El Gato Taqueria. One of the challenges was to represent the El Gato brand in my own style while keeping it similar enough to the official logo. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
The search for the right luchador begins... Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
No... Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
The faces would either be too silly looking, too mean & scary, or just weird... Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Eh, no... try again. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Getting closer. The green is the color of the stool seat I set him on momentarily... a happy accident. I used this version while working on the rest of the piece. Eventually it got shelved as well. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Original sketch for dancing girls. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Rockets ready for jigsaw. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
I enlarged & transferred the sketch, making a template from freezer paper. This allows me to play around with the shapes before cutting them out of plywood. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
My first thought was to create a frame around the luchador with the two dancing figures. Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
One of many configurations... Copyright 2015 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohioi.
As the defining centerpiece art, I wanted this to be one big, beautiful mash-up of the multi-faceted El Gato theme: A Luchador Hero's Mexican Fiesta, complete with Dancing Senorita, the Guitar-Smashing Godzilla, and a Rocket-Riding Space Surfer, all celebrating together in an energetic burst of riotous color and form. It had to vibrate with a controlled mayhem, cheer the heart, and exude good-will and hospitality. It also had to be accessible to the general public; graphically crisp, powerfully engaging, well-crafted, and fun.
It was important for me to set the bar high on this first large composition , as I knew it would force me to try to "out-do myself" on subsequent pieces. Getting a
"Wow!-response" was also extremely motivating, and added to the excitement about the upcoming opening.
I would be lying if I said it all came together smoothly... Quite the opposite, it was artistic boot-camp! For me, the first work in any series is usually a proto-type. I make and remake, working-out all the kinks, determining what elements will be common to the entire body of work. I look & think. Then look again. Shuffle stuff around, re-work, cut, start-over, look & think... again and again. Letting the piece reveal itself is the key. Anytime I try to force it, it always falls short. This intuitive process sometimes causes yuge anxiety, especially when there's a deadline looming and it just won't work! It's really an exercise in faith & trust, and very humbling to realize that I'm just a channel... Eventually, things go from bad, to ugly, to worse, and then... YES! That's always a great big giddy, moment.