Ep. 190 Jonathan Berman – Producer, Director, Writer, Editor/ Commune 20th Anniversary Restoration
This week, Wes and Todd talk with the Director of the movie “Commune,” Jonathan Berman. Jonathan discusses his early history growing up on the south shore of Long Island, weird jobs, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, being a professor at Cal State San Marcos, his documentary “My Friend Paul,” reality tv, being a producer, “The Shvitz,” long tail, Black Bear Ranch, the catalyst to make “Commune,” Peter Coyote, rebellion, capitalism, isolation, storytelling, melding old footage with new, Producers Library Service, the magic of watching movies in a theater, art movie houses, new film business models, his current project “Gondola,” screening cuts, passion, process of making documentaries, the storytelling being in the editing, visuality, the use of music, his documentary “Calling All Earthlings,” “Commune” screenings and events, and his desert island films and filmmaker.
Ep. 189 Nicole Korbe – Painter, Gallerist, NKollectiv
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Painter and Gallerist, Nicole Korbe. Nicole discusses growing up in New Mexico & Oklahoma, creativity, being shy, her degree in Biology & Botany, her time working as a project manager for environmental consulting firms and how that experience plays into running a gallery, her beginnings as a painter, her pivot and jump to being a full-time Artist, cold wax & encaustic, how memory & place play into her work, process, emotion, dystopian work, cityscapes, being optimistic in dark times, her gallery Nkollectiv and its evolution, time outs & renovations, building a community of Artists, her Apis Opus and +1 shows, the catalyst for NKollectiv making its move to South Broadway, EASEL, her business model, the challenges of running a gallery, 2nd Saturdays, types of work shown at NKollectiv, her current exhibition VAST, the power of art, buying and selling art, pricing, advice to aspiring Artists, and her idea of perfect happiness…
Ep. 188 Max Kauffman – Painter, Curator, Maker of Things
Wes and Todd talk with Artist and Curator Max Kauffman. Max discusses the South Park premiere, the different work that he makes being like poems and songs, watercolor & gouache, anthropology, the cassette tape, his love of pattern, the importance of being in the head space for fun, analog, improvisation, growing up in Indiana, skateboarding, paying attention, murals, the ability of letting go, making dystopian work, Oakland, art & travel, scarcity, the Family Circus, socialization, being a presence, play & creativity, iconic Denver landmarks, memory & community spaces, Casa Bonita, neü folk, his current exhibition “City In A Garden”, birds, Dateline, and his idea of perfect happiness.
Ep. 187 Sarah Boston – Painter, Western Artist
Wes and Todd talk with Artist, Sarah Boston. Sarah discusses the various mediums that she works in, portraiture, painting, drawing from a young age, her connection to native culture, Charlie Russell, growing up in an artistic family, the Russell museum, taking art classes with Thomas Blackshear, routine, the A.R. Mitchell museum, the Broadmoor art experience, research and doing her due diligence to be historically accurate in her work, cultural & art appropriation, her family’s roots in Montana, pastels, graphite, the catalyst to becoming a professional artist, the art community of Trinidad, western art, grizzly bears, selling art, galleries, festivals, the Out West Art Show, her upcoming shows, pricing, art sales, curating “Resonance”, her motto, and her favorite Charlie Russell painting…
Ep. 186 Richard Alden Peterson – Photographer, Anti-Curator, Documentarian of the early San Francisco Punk Scene
Richard Alden Peterson, Photographer and Anti-Curator, discusses his introduction to photography, growing up in Santee California, writing for “The Door”, shooting renowned bands for the local rock station at fifteen, GO newspaper, Illusion Light Show, art activism, art in society, being attracted to all things counterculture, Mabuhay Gardens, the early San Francisco punk scene, Search & Destroy, Bruce Conner, Val Vale, City Lights bookstore, Dada & Surrealism, Victoria’s Secret & Xandria, commercial work, the evolution of the scene, Beatniks, Pink & Pearl Gallery, the diversity of the punk scene, Devo, what prompted him to move to Colorado, the formation of the Denver Tea Party, Heads of Hydra, protesting, and being an Anti-Curator…
Ep. 184 Tania Kaaz - Analog Photography, pushing the limits of film emulsion
This week, Wes and Todd sit down with photographer Tania Kaaz. Tania discusses film photography, film soups, how she got started souping film, developing color film, the magic of film photography, sharing knowledge, Alter Analog, favorite subject matter, polaroid, her exhibition “Beauty Out Of Mayhem”, Heads of Hydra, inspiration, trauma & the healing of art, favorite photographers, bartering, and the importance of community…
Ep. 181 Kristen Egan – Mixed Media, Sculpture & Masks
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Kristen Egan. Kristen discusses sourcing gourds, carving masks, New Contemporary Folk Art, the area where she lives in Pennsylvania, sense of place, other materials she incorporates into her masks and sculptures, totems, the catalyst to carve gourds, air drying paper clay, repetition & referencing past work, birds, research, process, art show titles, Alfred University, being open to new experiences, foundation, Goggleworks, Arch Enemy Arts, Instagram, the compulsion to create selling art, commissions, production, pricing, perfectionism, evolution & experimentation, work/life balance, bagpipes, weird bagpipe experiences, procrastination, being a life long learner, and collectors previews.…
Ep. 180 A.L. Lummus – Painter, Sculptor, Advocate Artist
This week, Wes and Todd talk with A.L. Lummus, a.k.a. Amy Lummus. Lummus discusses the pandemic & how it affected her and her work, timing, Barbara Kruger, Mettle Martyr I & II, being an Advocate Artist, lessons learned in doing the work, “dog with a bone” syndrome, work/life balance, the thread that runs through the work, stories/narrative, art & carpentry, the genesis for Mettle Martyr, telling the story that’s hers to tell, asking the question “is it breathing?,” research & statistics, process, the Ft. Collins Mural Project, working big, kinetic sculptures, Firehouse Art Center, her show “Spit and Splinters,” her residency, and her motto…
Ep. 179 Ryan A. Lee – Painter, Noir stories of the New West entangled with the Old West
This week Wes and Todd sit down with Painter, Ryan A. Lee. Ryan discusses being “artsy” growing up, falling in love with wide open spaces, the influence of the pop 80’s skateboard movement, landscapes, New West stories, Americana, loneliness, darkness, humor, Cowboys & Hippies, the Coors Western, freedom of speech, trains, what art does for him, awkward humans, Edward Hopper, being a loner, mixed media, 70’s cars, low brow art, sticking up for the little guy, Memento Mori Gallery, being a juror for “The Wild Bunch,” being bold, galleries, commissions, collectors, Children of the Pueblo, Art for Redemption, art in prison, road tripping, pricing, and selling art.
Ep. 178 Johanna Mueller – Printmaker, Relief Engraving & Mixed Media Printmaking
Johanna Mueller discusses being an entrepreneur in her youth, having a strong work ethic, the printmaking community, Frogman’s workshops, wood engraving, printing presses, Wonderhand Studios, Hatch Show Print, what intrigues her about printmaking, process, holy cards & playing cards, the Bible & the birth of modern pornography, experimenting & exploration, MO’Print, the thought behind her work, Jackalopes, the Sangre de Cristos, subliminal messaging, topographic maps, Wyoming, icons, fetishes & totems, art residencies, Siqueiros, Beth Cavener, the Greeley art community, pricing, editions, collage, selling art and the importance of connection.
Ep. 176 Maria Sheets – Kiln Fired Stained Glass Paintings, Art Conservation
This week Wes and Todd sit down with Master Glass Designer, Painter, and Fabricator, Maria Sheets. Maria discusses her childhood growing up in a Russian Orthodox church, some of her Russian family history, her art education, her journey as an Art Conservator, how her experience in art conservation informs her glass work, her experience with the Museum of Biblical Art, starting her own art conservation business, working with liturgical glass, her start in doing her glass work, her grandmother, her family’s roots in art glass and ceramics manufacturing, resilience & optimism, art being her religion, Agnes Marin, Scottish Stained Glass, research & glass design, halo history, iconography, breaking the rules, the provenance of liturgical artifacts, weird things she’s been asked to create, social-political imagery, Judy Chicago, early female anarchists/activists, science, conserving & restoring art, living to open the kiln in the morning, material science, art safety, process, her latest exhibition “Out Of Our Hands,” artificial intelligence, and her basic rule of success.
Ep. 175 Lyndy Bush - Contemporary Southwest Oil Painting
This week Wes and Todd sit down with Painter, Lyndy Bush. Lyndy discusses Southern New Mexico, suburbs, Borderlands, Las Cruces, her artistic mother, inspiration, seeing herself as an Artist, her education, leaning into Art, her compulsion to create, Math & Science, Colorado, oil painting and metalsmithing, the old masters, layering & glazes, her art being autobiographical, routine, process, painting flowers, being a full-time Artist with a full-time career, what Art does for her, plein air, books, abstract painting, her greatest achievements, CHAC, Women’s Caucus for Art, Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Picasso, podcasts, pricing, and some of her art philosophy.
Ep. 174 Ken Chapin – Smithsonian Exhibition - Crossroads: Change in Rural America
This week Wes and Todd welcome back Ken Chapin to Tenet to talk about all the exhibits and events that he is helping to produce for the Smithsonian Exhibition - Crossroads: Change in Rural America. Ken discusses the companion exhibits and events taking place around the Smithsonian exhibition, the theme of Agriculture, exploring rail and its importance to Trinidad and the surrounding area, “Corn Mothers," the role art plays in aging populations, “BRIM – The Solano’s Stories," “Tractor Trek,” feeding the wolf, “STEAM," “Grow Raise Make," “The 5 States of Colorado," the Trinidad Creative District, and what he loves about engaging and working in the Trinidad community.
Ep. 173 Ann Morgan – Abstract Painter, Melding the Traditional With Technology
Ann Morgan discusses painting big, technology informing her process, xeroxes, learning to paint at age 13, winning awards in her youth, AmeriCorps VISTA, getting her B.F.A. at Michigan State University, not painting for 20 years, always considering herself an Artist, her “Art Stuff" folder, the catalyst to start painting again, melding the traditional with technology, Artificial Intelligence, RunwayML, painting in oil, Her show at Next Gallery “Once When I Was You,” her process using A.I., painting in the dark, being bendy, A.I. prompts, borrowing imagery, what scares her about A.I., artist statements living in a simulation, pricing social media, art scammers her “Burn Series,” painting environments, and art being unapologetic joy.
Ep. 172 Warwick Saint – Painter, Photographer, Mixed Media Artist
Painter, Photographer, and Mixed Media Artist, Warwick Saint discusses growing up in South Africa, the influence of his parents on his art journey, studying philosophy and how it informed him as an Artist, his earliest engagement with photography, point of view, London, and his early photo career, the catalyst that jump-started his career, his first digital ad campaign for Nike, Eve, Harold Edgerton, photographing celebrities, LeBron James, building trust with your subject, travel, Burning Man, the decision to leave the world of commercial photography, being part of the solution instead of the problem, Lumadynamic Decomposition, body stacks, finding beauty in the grotesque, working in acrylic, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, scale, Love Saint, and showing up for the process.
Ep. 171 Christopher La Fleur – Painter, Pop Art
Christopher talks about the catalyst for starting his art business, the encouragement and influence of his father, his thoughts on art school, growing up in Greeley, Colorado, writing and science fiction, being a queertrepreneur, hope for the future, planning and producing events, Pop Art, SourCute, destroying artwork, nostalgia, people he would like to meet from the past, inspiration vs. exploration, therapy, vulnerability, Discotits, Jones Soda, naming pieces, idiogenesis, Art is War, routine, meditation, vegetarianism, rejection, selling art, pricing, merchandise, philanthropy, and goal setting.."
Ep. 170 May Pang – Photographer, John Lennon - “The Lost Weekend”
This week Wes and Todd sit down with Photographer, May Pang. May discusses her exhibition “The Lost Weekend." her time with John Lennon, some of the photos that are part of the exhibition, and the feature film documentary “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story."
Join us for a wonderful and remarkable conversation with May Pang.
Ep. 169 Topher Straus – American Impressionistic Landscape Artist – 2023 Check-in
This week, Wes and Todd do their annual interview with Artist Topher Straus. Topher talks about technology, Maui, charities, Sauvage Spectrum Winery, changes in his business model, World Heritage Sites, marketing & advertising, Vail International Gallery, the secondary market for his work, new gallery representation, Japan, traveling, new work, photo collages, the Design With Us competition, proven business tactics and goals.
Ep. 166 Josh Davy – Sculptor
This week Wes and Todd sit down with Josh Davy. Josh discusses Next Gallery, oil painting, getting back to making things for fun, pushing himself, glass blowing, symbolism, bridges, cathedrals, connection, Christianity & religion, empathy & grace, being human, robots, process, photography, artist talks, his exhibition “Lost Along the Way, faith, prayer, prison, failure, technology & artificial intelligence, pricing, and services he offers Artists.
Ep. 165 Clay Ross – Abstract & Impressionistic Artist - Curator & Gallerist, The Look Up Gallery
This week Wes and Todd sit down with Colorado Springs Artist, Clay Ross. Clay discusses growing up in Colorado Springs, his journey as an Artist, being color blind, the “ache” to make art, working in acrylic, his two series, being a cheerleader for his community, True North Art Gallery, mixed media, abstract work, cityscapes, his current exhibition, Colorado Springs pride, light, pricing, selling art, Yobel, and The Look Up Gallery.