Artist Darrell Hagan and granddaughter Riley Pahl are mounting an exhibit together. (Provided)
A grandfather and granddaughter are bringing together a generational art collection in Northeast’s historic Northrup King Building this month.
Darrell Hagan and his granddaughter Riley Pahl will showcase a collaborative series of paintings at his studio in Gallery 427. The new exhibition, “Together,” showcases pieces from their time spent together making art.
Hagan has worked in the Northrup King Building for over 20 years, primarily focusing on surrealism-style paintings.
“The great thing about kids is their imagination. Nothing sounds too crazy. I like that, and I think people should have that when they’re an adult,” Hagan said. “Art doesn’t have to be everything exactly the way it’s supposed to be.”
Hagan has been an artistic mentor to his granddaughter since she was 3 years old when he sold one of her finger paintings for three dollars on an art exhibit wall at Pizza Luce. Pahl has since received an easel from her grandfather that now resides in his basement, where they spend time creating new paintings.
Although Pahl is just 7 years old, many of her creative endeavors have been uplifted by Hagan over the years, eventually conceiving the idea for the “Together” art show. The two began planning the show in November after Pahl had started a few art pieces Hagan wanted to showcase.
“She has good ideas for stuff. It’s hard to get it executed at that age, so I ask her, ‘What do you think this should be?’ ‘What color do you want this to be?’ And she’ll have an answer right away,” Hagan said.
Many of Hagan’s paintings feature animals as a main subject — a detail that Pahl has now also begun to incorporate into her art. She has also taken inspiration from the scenery outside Hagan’s studio window, having the idea to add the Minneapolis skyline to one of her paintings. Hagan as well has been influenced by Pahl to try new art methods, such as splatter painting and using marbles to mix colors.
The collection is equal parts of their creative ideas and expressions. “I don’t want someone to think I did something and put her name on it. That’s not the case at all. A lot of the paintings, she probably did most of them,” Hagan said.
The “Together” art collection will open in Gallery 427 on Jan. 18 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The studio will also be open Saturdays, Jan. 25, Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, noon to 4 p.m.