Ep. 205 Jes Moran – Abstract Painter using machine-sewn textile processes
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Colorado Springs Artist, Jes Moran. Jes discusses her engagement with art as a child, growing up in Wisconsin, altering clothes & studying apparel design, her compulsion to make, loving process, having an intentional art practice the past five years, creative ideas, some of the other creative pursuits that she explored before doing the work she does now, being self-taught, learning to trust herself, her process, being fearless, quilts, sewing, what art does for her, letting go, her older work, titles, negative space, abstract art, experimentation & exploration, finding her voice, writing, space, memories, family, vulnerability, self-doubt, routine, sacrifices, potato chips, color, her new work, her show at Auric in June, being seen & valued, the support of her family, the Colorado Springs art community, and her idea of perfect happiness.
Ep. 204 Gary Taxali – Canadian Contemporary Fine Artist & Illustrator
This week, Wes and Todd sit down with Canadian Contemporary Fine Artist and Illustrator, Gary Taxali. Gary discusses how his style doesn’t differ between his personal and commercial work, business sense, work/life balance, his early career and moving to New York City, being exposed to the fine art world in New York, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, transition from illustration to the fine art world, his early engagement in art, drawing at an early age in school, the support of his family, the importance of doodling and mark making, teaching at OCAD and how it informs his work, creativity and problem solving, voice and personal style, philosophy of his creativity, trusting yourself and the process, confidence, play being the essence of creativity, having the support of music, Mississippi Delta Blues, feeding his soul, the Russian Avant Garde, connecting to people through art, his style and how it has evolved, the Fleischer Brother, Mad magazine, how he found inspiration from Depression era America, his political art, the Library of Congress acquiring some of his work, not self-editing, …
Ep. 203 Brian Tryon – Photographer, Owner of Shutter & Strum
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Photographer, Brian Tryon, owner of Shutter & Strum and Disruptor Gallery Art Center. Brian discusses growing up in Colorado Springs, working in education, being a student advocate for at risk students, addiction & alcoholism, his passion for photography, being an outlier, the catalyst for him to get clean & sober, the Springs DIY esthetic, skateboarding, what art does for him, being a certified addiction counselor, process, analog photography, sitting with your work, titles, street & documentary photography, mindfulness, having a living archive at the Pikes Peak Library District, teaching at Community Prep & starting the Garfield Gallery, Shutter & Strum, Disruptor Gallery, the mission of Shutter & Strum, things he’s proud of that he’s been able to facilitate through Shutter & Strum, support from the community, Shutter & Strum being a community art center focusing on at risk youth, workshops, Disruptor Gallery’s exhibitions, their darkroom, South Sight student art show, the skills that they teach kids, his vision for the future for Shutter & Strum, and community service.
Ep. 202 Joey Kerlin – Ceramics, Collage, Printmaking, Multidisciplinary
This week, Wes and Todd reconnect with their friend, multidisciplinary artist, Joey Kerlin. Joey discusses beauty, ceramics, the catalyst to getting back into teaching, critical thinking, teaching philosophy, writing & reading, art weirdos, the book “Art & Fear,” imposter syndrome, literacy, Catholic churches, transubstantiation, beholding, Marina Abramoić, how teaching informs his art practice, arts & education, bean pots, boredom, vulnerability & relationships, art & loneliness, titles, the “OFF-PRINSTE” exhibition, borders, birds & women, chairs, divergent vs. convergent thinking, the “Black Ink” fundraiser, this year’s “Hearsay” exhibition and the piece he’s submitting, and the challenges & virtues of being an Artist.
Ep. 201 Annie Geimer & David Moke – Denver Theatre District, Understudy, Night Lights Denver
Annie Geimer & David Moke discuss their experience in the music industry before joining the Denver Theatre district, how that experience informs what they do now as curators & producers of art events, their strengths in their working relationship, Bob Sagat & John Stamos, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the Denver Theatre District’s history & it’s mission, programming, Artcade, stipends, the District being innovators, Understudy, exhibitions, being experimental, the expansion of the Denver Theatre District, Night Lights Denver, Night Lights history & logistics, costs involved, Night Lights locations, curation, paying Artists, submissions, the Jann Haworth mural, “Catalysts,” and what the future holds for the Denver Theatre District.
Ep. 200 Bailey Russel – Photographer, Alternative Photographic Processes
Bailey talks about teaching photography at the University of Wyoming, his art related experience before teaching, wet plate collodion, getting his M.A. from NYU in conjunction with the International Center of Photography, Vera Lutter, what made him want to become a photographer, Emmet Gowin, camera obscuras & the process, the Sesquicentennial Colorado River Exploring Expedition, his trailer camera, chemigrams, cyanotypes & his series on energy production, and his solo exhibition, “Western Extraction,” at Bitfactory Gallery.
Ep. 199 Rick Dallago – Painter, Photographer, Filmmaker
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Rick Dallago. Rick discusses being a self-described snarky “Norman Rockwell,” social media & narcissism, cell phones, being present, selfies, not overthinking things, intuition, when the magic happens, narrative, the catalyst for him to move to Colorado, his life in film, being industrious & making opportunity, being a Producer, how the film industry has changed, how being a Producer equates to solving problems as a visual artist, teaching art, being known as the Obama guy, the Denver Art Society, creativity & ideas, connecting to the art community, being pro-active in you art life, advice to young artists, art databases, “Banana Split,” art appropriation, his evolution as an artist, rejection & self-doubt, feeding the soul, retirement, having purpose, art classes & workshops, the Avalon Art Fest, saying “Yes,” and the show he’s put together at the A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad.
Ep. 198 Lauren Tresp – Founder, Publisher, Editor-in-Chief of Southwest Contemporary Magazine
Wes and Todd talk with Lauren Tresp, Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Southwest Contemporary Magazine. Lauren discusses her background and education, moving to Santa Fe, working in galleries, spirituality and religion, artificial intelligence, art criticism and writing, critical thinking, The Magazine and the genesis of Southwest Contemporary, challenges and costs of running a magazine, membership and it’s perks, workshops, readership, Southwest Contemporary’s mission, staff, the Southwest region that the magazine covers, the importance of journalism, the accomplishments of Southwest Contemporary that she’s most proud of, and the vision of Southwest Contemporary’s future.
Ep. 197 Hayley Schneider – Gallerist, SeeSaw Art Gallery
Wes and Todd sit down with Hayley Schneider, owner of SeeSaw Art Gallery. Hayley discusses her background and early love of art, South Dakota, the catalyst for the opening or SeeSaw, the work that it takes to run a gallery, Englewood, the name SeeSaw for the gallery, SeeSaw’s mission, Second Saturdays, exhibitions SeeSaw has presented, kind of work SeeSaw shows, how she finds Artists, her business model, current Artists she represents, what she looks for in new Artists, the challenges she’s faced as a new gallery, SeeSaw Projects, pricing, art being for everyone, what art does for her, advice for collectors, studio visits, curation, selling art, elements of what she likes & dislikes about running a gallery, mentors, her vision for SeeSaw, SeeSaw’s current exhibition “In Plain Sight: a celebration of Black cowboys, Artist talks, what people don’t understand about running a gallery, lessons learned from running a gallery, advice to someone that wants to open a gallery, advice to Artists of how to approach galleries, networking, promotion, working with collectors, selling art online, Artist/Gallery relationships and upcoming exhibitions.
Ep. 196 Pete Souza – American Photojournalist, Former Chief Official White House Photographer for President Barack Obama
This week, Wes and Todd sit down with former Chief Official White House Photographer for President Barack Obama, Pete Souza. Pete discusses his childhood, how he got his start in photography, his early experience as a photojournalist shooting for small newspapers, what working at those small newspapers taught him, how the opportunity to work as an official White House photographer came about, the difference in access between photographing President Reagan and President Obama, his thought behind capturing important historical moments of the presidency, the contrast between the Obama presidency and the current presidency, his books, the documentary “The Way I See It,” and his take on what we can do to facilitate change in the United States.
Ep. 195 Cal Duran – Mixed Media Folk Artist
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Mixed Media Folk Artist, Cal Duran. Cal discusses his artistic journey, being woven, mentors, how he handles rejection, Meow Wolf, clay, honoring his ancestors, color, altars, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), spirit, Ojo de Dios (Eye of God), installations, Casa Bonita, and the mantra he lives by.
Ep. 194 Deborah Mitchell – Printmaker, Mixed Media Artist
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Printmaker, Deborah Mitchell. Deborah discusses the fire that destroyed her studio in 2020, her formative years in Massachusetts, travel and what it does for her and her art practice, motorcycles, her early work, her exhibition “Flower and Flame” at the Dahl Arts Center, and her idea of perfect happiness.
Ep. 193 Jessica Loving – Mixed Media Painter
This week, Wes and Todd talk with mixed media painter Jessica Loving about her creative journey and most recent exhibition, unraveling/becoming. Jessica shares how her introverted nature, world travels, and early art influences shape her large-scale work. She opens up about using light and shadow, personal transformation, and materials like tulle—and even her wedding gown and ring—to explore healing, shamanism, and the deeper meanings behind each piece.
Ep. 192 Sean Anetsberger – The Art Coach, Painting & Drawing
Sean Anetsberger, The Art Coach, discusses where his journey with art began, expressing himself through art, exposure therapy, how an incident in his youth affected his early art, painting & drawing, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, narrative, technology, expressing what comes to mind, his “Unnatural Series”, “saying yes more”, following your ideas, fears & action, memento mori, accountability, keeping his purpose at the top, the importance of Artists in society, dopamine, fragmentation, trauma & forgiveness, fear & failure, scaffolding as identity, Terence McKenna, truth, your calling being a secondary observer to your own mind, rigidity, thoughts, grief & regrets, ideas & notes, genius, originality, authenticity, scarcity mindset, his art coach offerings, creative intuition, action & artist block, exposure therapy, voice, importance of exercise, routine, things Artists could do better, manifestation, The Art Coach podcast, and his mantra that he lives by.
Ep. 191 Tiffani Erdmanczyk – Abstract Watercolorist
This week, Wes and Todd talk with Abstract Watercolorist, Tiffani Erdmanczyk. Tiffani discusses her earliest art memory, thinking outside the box, creativity, being an Architect, living in Seattle, moving to Colorado, her favorite Architects, exploring watercolor, being an Abstract Watercolorist, having sensory neuropathy, using salt in her watercolors, process, comfort & chaos, creating 8100 color patches, watercolor properties, teaching water color, texture, mentors, taking classes & workshops, group shows, getting into the headspace to create, NKollectiv, favorite Artists, pricing, commissions, her current exhibition “Drift”, Chat GPT, water, and balance over perfection.
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…