Ep. 182 Abigail Kreuser – Photographer, Curator, & Co-Owner of Auric Gallery
Abby discusses how she and her partner Gundega came up with the name for their new gallery, being a serial entrepreneur, her journey as a photographer, getting her B.F.A. at the Rochester Institute of Technology, moving back to the Springs after college, her beginnings in curation, her first gallery space, her upcoming solo exhibition, her documentary project “Lucere”, the Colorado Springs art community and its small business community, Curate Your Space and the services they offer, the decision and catalyst to join forces with Gundega Stevens to form Auric, the balance of their partnership, their exhibition calendar, advice for people thinking about starting a gallery, exhibitions that she’s proud of presenting, and current and upcoming shows…
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. 168 Marisa S. White – Fine Art Photographer, Photomontage
Marissa S. White discusses pancakes, digital art, AI, art festival categories, photomontage, portfolio reviews, process, technology, the compulsion to create, the encouragement she received in her youth from her father, the support of her husband, Surrealism, Magritte, clouds, Carl Sagan, meditation, spirituality, sizes of work, fear, goals, gallery representation, business tips, social media, art scammers, commissions, Art Store Fronts, PX3, contests & awards, exhibitions, and boldness in photography.
Ep. 149 Edward Mapplethorpe – American Photographer/Artist
Photographer, Edward Mapplethorpe, discusses his early life growing up in Queens, his father introducing him to photography, his brother Robert and Patti Smith, his introduction to the darkroom and how it solidified his path in photography, his education at SUNY Stony Brook, going to work for his brother Robert, collaborating with Robert, Robert predicting Edward would be an Artist, Tom Baril, leaving Robert’s studio and moving to Los Angeles, assisting Playboy photographers, the catalyst for his series “Undercurrents”, finding his voice, the “Transmographs” series, process, ideas, Analog vs. Digital, his “One” series, commissioned portraits, polaroids and light meters, film stocks, his love of the darkroom, his abstract work, chemograms, “Timezones”, “The Cube”, Screw Magazine and silly putty, and his thoughts on his legacy as Photographer and Artist…
Ep. 148 Samantha Johnston – Executive Director & Curator of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Wes and Todd sit down with Samantha Johnston, Executive Director & Curator of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center. Samantha discusses the structure of CPAC, funding, being an educator and becoming the Executive Director of CPAC, her engagement with photography in her youth, her BFA and MFA experiences, CPAC’s Veterans Workshop Series, curation and exhibitions, the mission of CPAC, community outreach, CPAC’s programming, membership, the history of CPAC, CPAC’s permanent collection, CPAC taking the reins of Month of Photography Denver, the changing landscape of photography, CPAC’s new space, portfolio reviews, exhibitions to check out during Month of Photography, and what photographer was the biggest influence in her youth.
Ep. 147 Kary Janousek – Photographer, Wet Plate Collodion
Wet Plate Collodion Photographer, Kary Janousek, discusses how she ended up in Fargo, the historic building that houses her studio, her start in photography, how her millinery business informed her photography business, the catalyst to explore wet plate collodion, cameras, the process of wet plate collodion, working large compared to small, positive and negative plates, chemistry, safety, history of wet plate collodion, sourcing chemistry and materials, the expense, lenses, clean plates and imperfections, why she likes photographing people, vulnerability, perspective, social media, the time she shot a wedding, and keeping your word.
Ep. 146 Shadows Gather – Photographer of Alternative Nightlife Culture
In this episode, Shadow Gather discusses documenting Denver nightlife, Fuji Instax cameras, her beginnings in photography, Instagram tips, instant film, capturing humanity & fun, her routine when she photographs, Los Angeles, Austin, the Denver drag and punk scenes, scanning photos, artist talks, residencies, wheat pasting, pandemic parking lot parties, consent, selfies, the importance of her iPhone, Instagram banned photos, pup culture, zines and her exhibition “Shadow Banned” at Leon Galleryabstract work.
Ep. 142 Barbara Van Cleve – Photographer of the American West
Barbara Van Cleve discusses cowboy coffee, Montana and the Crazy Mountains, her family history, the Lazy K Bar Ranch, horses, her youth, her education, being a college professor, her beginnings in photography, Baja California, abstraction, Montana skies, spotting prints, equipment, photographing on horseback, Ranch Women, connecting to your subject, nude photography, zoom lenses, galleries, museum exhibitions, printing, shooting what moves you, her archives, workshops, the documentary “Barbara Van Cleve’s American West,” her books, ranching, work, and the solid virtues of honesty and integrity.
Ep. 131 Nicholas Kremske – Photographer/Mixed Media Artist
Nick Kremske talks about Norwegian round wood stacks, his move from Minnesota to Colorado and what it did for his art, comparing the Denver art scene to the Minneapolis/St. Paul scene, the evolution from Photographer to Mixed Media Artist, his process, the changing landscape of photography, figuring out his process to make the work intriguing, getting out of personal constructs, photographing roadkill, following your ideas and concepts, how to be an Artist, finding your voice, Baldessari, commissions, the idea behind his show “The Way Home,” making your art life go, social media, selling and pricing art, and incorporating video into his exhibitions.
Ep. 081 David Stevens – Photographer, Filmmaker, Videographer
David Stevens talks about his time at Kansas University, the catalyst for his interest in photography, his time in the Army, working as a photojournalist shooting news, his travels and experiences photographing in the Mississippi Delta and Hill Country, he also talks to us about some of the compelling photographs that he made on these trips, and discusses the group exhibition “Testimony: African American Artists Collective” that opens in June in Kansas City, Missouri.
Ep. 067 Anastasia Samoylova - Russian American Artist, Photographer - FloodZone
Wes and Todd talk with Russian-American Artist, Anastasia Samoylova. Samoylova talks about flooding in Miami, freedom of speech, naturalization, Russia, getting her MFA at Bradley University, being an early adopter of digital photography, teaching photography, her various projects, photo history, the catalyst for her book FloodZone, working with Steidl, Bloomberg commissions, gallery representation, and artist residencies.
Ep. 046 Jerry De La Cruz - Denver Art Legend
Jerry De La Cruz. De La Cruz talks about growing up in North Denver, being drafted during Vietnam, using his GI bill to go to art school, his early years as an artist in Denver, teaching at the Art Students League of Denver, art advocacy, producing Art Barn in 1987, owning a radio station in Pueblo, Art in Action Studios, the Denver scene...
Ep. 045 Melissa Richardson Banks, Photographer
Melissa Richardson Banks, President and Founder of CauseConnect, a consulting firm, servicing clients nationwide in the arts. She is also a photographer that has documented the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles and is known by the moniker Downtown Muse. Melissa has produced, marketed, managed, and toured museum exhibitions of Cheech Marin’s Chicano Art collection.
Ep. 036 Garrett Ellwood - Sports Photographer, Denver Nuggets
Wes and Todd talk with sports photographer Garrett Ellwood. Ellwood is the team photographer for the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Rapids and photographs numerous other sports. Ellwood talks about how he got his start photographing sports in Los Angeles, the different sport markets he’s worked, some of the highlights of his career photographing sports icons and championships, the business of sports photography and talks the logistics of photographing an NBA game.
Ep. 035 Lee LaBier - Installation Artist
Wes and Todd talk with Denver artist, Lee LaBier. A multidisciplinary artist, LaBier creates with photography, video and installation to fully interpret specific projects. LaBier defines the work as autobiographical confessional art, mainly composed of self-portraits, exploring identity, its formation and transitions.
LaBier investigates the self, gender, physical, factual, illusory, artificial, and why certain identities are acquired. A method of introspection, LaBier contrasts dark subject matter, such as trauma, veiled by beauty.
Ep. 033 Louise Martorano - RedLine
Wes and Todd talk with Louise Martorano, Executive Director of RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, Colorado. Martorano talks about the mission of RedLine, it’s history, it’s work for social justice, community outreach, art grants, the Colorado Artist Relief Fund, and RedLine’s Artist-in-Residence program.
Ep. 032 Todd Gustafson
Wes and Todd talk with world renowned wildlife photographer, Todd Gustafson. Gustafson talks about growing up in Tanzania, how he became interested in photography, going on safari and how it led him to start his own company leading photo safaris all over the world.
Gustafson also talks about his conservation work and his documentary series “To the Ends of the Earth,” composing the music, producing the companion books of his wildlife photography for the series and getting Dr. Jane Goodall involved in the project.
Ep. 027 Lisa Siciliano - Concert & Documentary Photographer
Wes and Todd visit with renowned Boulder photographer, Lisa Siciliano. They talk about documenting the icons of Rock & Roll for her various clients, concert photography etiquette, business, giving back to the community, and her awe-inspiring new work called the Lumin Project.