Outlook Magazine - Fall 2020

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“I must have loads of color, always. Surrounding myself with positive people and color is like taking multivitamins for the soul, so I create art from that point of reference.” In other words, her approach to art and Elton John’s colorful approach to his art – playing a red piano and wearing a purple coat during the Oscars performance — were a perfect match. “I am a huge Elton John fan and really a big fan of prominent singer-songwriters, especially of the 1970s era, and if they involve any amount of glam even better.” After leaving UW-Stout, the Rosemount, Minn., native earned a Master of Fine Arts at Indiana University in 2011 and has taught at several colleges and universities while working as an artist. She now is a full-time artist. Goedtel credits UW-Stout for a “great and rigorous education.”

rin Goedtel is familiar with having her pop-style art used by

musicians. Her work once accompanied a Prince music video and graced the tour bus of country singer Miranda Lambert. In February, she added another famous singer to her list in an even more prestigious way — Elton John at the Academy Awards show, seen by a worldwide audience of 26 million. “That was a defining moment (for me),” said Goedtel, a 2003 UW-Stout graduate and Twin Cities artist. When the British pop star sang “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Goedtel’s whimsical drawing of him at the center of a clutch of ostrich feathers and colorful rays splashed across the stage. John received an Oscar for Best Original Song, which was part of the biopic “Rocketman.” Goedtel had created two pieces of art that were used in the song’s official music video, coinciding with the film’s 2019 release. One of them made it to the Oscars, thanks to her long association with Los Angeles art director, Kii Arens. The other colorful piece — purple, green, blue, red, aqua — features John playing with one foot on the piano.

One of Goedtel’s drawings of John. Above: a still photo from the Oscars awards show, on ABC, with John at the piano and Goedtel’s artwork behind him.

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