Meet Gat and Ranaan

Gat and Ranaan Gabriel 

Gat and Ranaan are part of a new crew of vendors at the flea market this year.  As they tell their story,

“This has been our first season and we are very happy to be here. We arrived in Woodstock three years ago, just about half a year before COVID hit, and since then we’ve been waiting for the opportunity to meet the wonderful community and local residences. Woodstock has been the perfect location between the market’s vibe and all of the people who pass through. We’re grateful to be able to show our community what we do. “

As part of my interview, I ask for a little background as to how our vendors began the journey to where they are today – selling their creations  at the flea market.

“Starting as graphic designers, we both walked our own artistic paths, until we settled in Woodstock and started our collaboration: Word Paintings. We paint words. Visualizing the meaning of ‘words’ is the center of our work, revealing the accents and meaning through shapes, forms, colors, and composition.

We begin our Word Paintings with a single word (though every now and then we use a short phrase). It can be any word yet we find ourselves more drawn to those that which people often forget how powerful they really are. We’re interested in the way we experience them; that is where you feel meaning, a presence, a physical feeling and power that a word can give. With this ‘code’ we start our visual adventure. Think about ‘SOUL’, ‘WE’, ‘BREATHE’, or ‘MOM&DAD’. Think of the emotions that come with reading these words and you can start imagining the vast fields of creativity that are waiting to be explored. Our medium consists of a mix between digital artwork as well as oil and acrylic painting and pencil. The outcome is a sort of conclusion, the sum of both the spiritual & physical means, in other words, a PAiNTiNG.”

Lastly,  I always ask What do you like about being at the flea market?

“Besides meeting all the people who gather at the flea, we love and are grateful for all the feedback and support we received. It’s honestly priceless. We present a selection of our works and introduce new words every week, and in turn receive responses which are truly spectacular. These just continue to encourage us to create more works. Thank you! And please visit us in person or also online! :)”

Gat and Raanan @gat_raanan rg-wordsmith.com