"There are subtle and not so subtle messages on most of the envelopes. I have most often chosen subjects for the paintings who had something relevant to say about our challenging times."
Kaul has been a lifelong artist, creating kinetic sculpture, documentary films, photography, and painting, while also working as a lobbyist. An avid gardener, his massive garden has been featured in two garden magazines. His kinetic sculptures were displayed at the Lesch Gallery in Butler Square in 1977. He has had multiple exhibitions of photography, including a recent one at Norway House in 2020 which resulted in his appearance on Twin Cities Television’s (TPT) Almanac program. Afton Press has approached him to make a book out of his traveling exhibition of portraits of “Indigenous Woman Water Protectors.” He has worked on three documentaries in partnership with TPT. Of the three, Kaul produced two: “Rebirth” and “The Wild and Scenic St. Croix.” They can be found on the TPT website and are regularly re-aired.
Artist Statement:
I cannot remember a time I was not pursuing some creative outlet. As a child I was rarely without a pencil or a crayon in hand. In school, instead of listening to the teacher I would doodle. I have experimented with many mediums including drawing, oil painting, kinetic sculpture, photography, filmmaking and now gouache painting on envelopes.
The envelope project allowed me to combine several passions. First, there is that neural itch that pushes me to create, and there is my love of history, especially biography. Then there is my collection of 10,000 quotes acquired mostly from my readings and organized in a database. Couple that with a large international postage stamp collection and you have the components of an original artistic enterprise.
There are subtle and not so subtle messages on most of the envelopes. I have most often chosen subjects for the paintings who had something relevant to say about our challenging times. I confess that I have been having a grand time painting again and, in the process, making poignant and irreverent points with my art at the same time.