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. 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. 135 Jon Francis – Painter, Photorealism, Urban Landscape Oil Painting
Colorado Springs Painter, Jon Francis talks about his early introduction to art, Floyd Tunson, Colorado Springs vibrant art community, finding his voice, Knox College, teaching, the catalyst that made him start painting again, urban landscapes, process, the importance of quiet moments, photography, power lines, routine, the crossover of teaching and art, setting goals, compulsion to create, Boxcar conversations, pricing, painting Colorado Springs landmarks, gallery representation, commissions, being a storyteller, music, The Look Up Gallery, cars and chrome, and advice to aspiring young Artists.
Ep. 134 Melody Epperson – Artist, Curator – Vote NO Vote, Bell Projects
Melody Epperson talks about the women’s suffrage movement, the exhibition “Vote NO Vote” at Bell Projects, how her research inspires her art, her work surrounding women’s voting rights, some of the work represented in “Vote NO Vote”, little known facts and the sacrifice of women that participated in the women’s suffrage movement, Quakers, the League of Women Voters, curation, the Institute of Sociometry, media, the internet and dissecting information.
Ep. 133 Mark Zimmerman – Painting, Ink Transfer Drawing
Mark Zimmerman discusses living in the Black Hills, his love of the Plains and wide open spaces, squares, being a South Dakota Arts Council Artist in Residence, working in rural schools and communities, the Art Center in Jamestown, the Suzie Cappa Art Center, go to work attitude, routine, pushing paint, rocking chairs, process, landscapes, Green Ink Gallery, dyslexia, writing, ink transfer drawing, searching for the visual language for his new work, synesthesia, climate change and the environment, Coneflowers, the Northern Goshawk, reducing lenses, passion, painting and prose.
Ep. 132 - Cody Kuehl – Artist, Curator, Gallerist – Kuehl Fine Art/A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art
Cody Kuehl talks about setting goals, how his 2021 shook out, Out West Art Fest, cost of doing art festivals, Art Fair Sourcebook, selling prints, how his style has evolved, creating a mural for the Greeley Stampede, Trinidad, selling prints, his routine, the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art, time management, archiving photos for the museum, curating shows at his gallery at the museum, and his vision for the gallery and collaboration with the museum on future projects.
Ep. 121 Gail Folwell – Sculptor, Designer, & Illustrator
Gail Folwell talks about her early career as a graphic designer, the catalyst for diving into sculpture, transitioning into doing sculpture full time, commissions and public art, being a professional, diversifying your business, manifesting success, airport art, the XOX Project, being and staying optimistic, affecting change through art, her Pro Football Hall of Fame commission, process, being a project manager, editions, pricing, Handle the Art hardware, and the hustle that you need to have for a successful art life.
Ep. 116 Dan Cameron – Acclaimed Curator, Art Writer, & Artist
Dan talks about his path to becoming a Curator, some of the exhibitions he’s been proud to curate, the rural art space that he’s helping to facilitate in Chiloé, Chile, how art is looked at in the Americas, the monetization of contemporary art, art fairs, art and the pandemic, his curation process, collecting ephemera and his archive, art appropriation, how art and artists are fundamental in terms of preparing us for the future, his collage and assemblage work, writing about art and what excites him for the future of art.
Ep. 112 Rose Fredrick, Curator - 2022 Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale
Rose talks about the importance of art conversations, curation, authenticity and vulnerability, Contemporary Western Art, her Artist talk series “Inside the Artist’s Studio.” Holding a safe space for people to experience art, the evolution of her vision for the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, and helping Artists define their “why.”
Ep. 109 Gered Mankowitz, FRPS – Iconic Photographer of Rock and Roll Royalty.
Wes and Todd sit down with Iconic Photographer, Gered Mankowitz, FRPS. Gered talks about Peter Sellers and the catalyst that sparked his interest in photography, the importance of his father’s guidance, his early history, finding his voice, his foray into working with performers and bands, working with film, process, the series Icon: Music Through The Lens, and shares stories of photographing Marianne Faithfull, Jimi Hendrix, Duran Duran, Bing Crosby and the Rolling Stones.
Ep. 097 Valerie Savarie – Altered Book Artist, Book Sculpture
Wes and Todd talk with Altered Book Artist, Valerie Savarie. Valerie talks about how she got started sculpting books, working parameters, making art for yourself, process, inspiration, old books, commissions, public art, Edward Gorey, collaboration, pricing, Valkarie Gallery, and advice to aspiring Artists.
Ep. 096 Hayley Richardson – Director, Dikeou Collection
Wes and Todd talk with Hayley Richardson, Director at the Dikeou Collection. Hayley talks about her education and path to becoming the Director at the Dikeou Collection, background of the Dikeou Collection, Zing Magazine, Devon Dikeou, collecting, and the importance of networking and internships.
Ep. 094 Topher Straus – American Impressionistic Landscape Artist
Wes and Todd check in with their friend, Artist Topher Straus. They talk about what’s been going on since last year during the pandemic, his evolving style, Grand Teton National Park, Hawaii, gallery relationships and their importance, commissions, dealing with rejection, charitable work, wineries, art fairs, marketing, collectors and he shares with us a powerful story. We finish up with another special visit with Topher’s son, Oliver, and what’s been going on with his artistic endeavors.
Ep. 093 Sue Oehme – Artist and Master Printer
Wes and Todd travel to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to talk with Master Printer, Sue Oehme. We talk with Sue about printmaking, her work, Oehme Graphics, how the pandemic affected her studio, and a plethora of other subjects.
Ep. 092 Cipriano Ortega – Low Rock High Art, Queer Noir
Wes and Todd talk with Musician and Artist, Cipriano Ortega. They talk music, two-string bass, Morphine (the band, not the drug), painting and Cipriano and Vitaliy Minyaylo regales us with some low rock!
Ep. 079 Brooke Einbender – aka Mindbender Art, Pioneering Artist in the XR art space.
Wes and Todd talk with the pioneering Artist in the XR art space, Brooke Einbender. Brooke talks about her incredible art experiences while attending Wake Forest University, her experience of VR and how it led her to incorporate AR into her work, her journey to Telluride, the idea of doors and how it plays into her work, her multi-faceted project “The Unknown Zone," Non-fungible tokens (NFT’s) and multitude of other subjects.
Ep. 076 Richard Ingersoll – Oil Painting, Digital Painting, Candydeth
Richard Ingersoll talks about Alejandro Jodorowsky, oil and digital painting, process, subconscious and narrative, Carl Jung, psychology, influences and voice, music, Wichita, anima and animus, slot machines, self-censorship, Mouth House, storytelling, Sam Tallent, being a single Dad, time management, album covers, art during the pandemic, his upcoming book “Candydeth”, technology and evolution, art and science fiction, looking at art, pricing, and leaves us with advice for those that want to become a full-time Artist.
Ep. 075 Annie Decamp – Mixed Media, Encaustic Painting
Wes and Todd talk Contemporary Oil Painter, Rochelle Johnson. Rochelle talks about the group exhibition that she’s a part of at BMoCA – “From This Day Forward”, her pieces in the exhibit, eliciting an emotional response with art, responding to Covid-19 and 2020 with her art, art sales in 2020, pandemic art, narrative in art, empathy and painting, painting as a prayer…
Ep. 073 Rochelle Johnson - Contemporary Oil Painter
Wes and Todd talk Contemporary Oil Painter, Rochelle Johnson. Rochelle talks about the group exhibition that she’s a part of at BMoCA – “From This Day Forward”, her pieces in the exhibit, eliciting an emotional response with art, responding to Covid-19 and 2020 with her art, art sales in 2020, pandemic art, narrative in art, empathy and painting, painting as a prayer…
Ep. 071 Adri Norris – Artist/Activist
Wes and Todd talk with Artist, Activist and Leader, Adri Norris. Norris talks about being an Artist in Residence at Redline Contemporary Art Center, immigrating with her family from Barbados to Montezuma, New Mexico via New York, attending United World College…