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. 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. 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. 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. 167 Gina Teichert – Painter, Desert Noir
Wes and Todd sit down with Gina Teichert to discuss Tik Tok, Napa County, growing up in Nevada, National Geographic Kids, the influence of her Artist grandmother, “Hearts in SF,” her experience as a studio assistant, her piece “Atomic Madonna,” self-portraits, Magritte, pricing, freelance writing, the relationship between art & society, and her mantra.
Ep. 161 Chris Long – Painter, Landscape
Painter, Chris Long discusses RVing and living on the road with his family for 11 years, FOMO, wanderlust, equating RV life as that of a hunter-gatherer, the pandemic, his former life as a Sculptor, the catalyst to start painting, teaching himself to paint, selling paintings in New Orleans, how his foundation as a sculptor informs his painting, magazine nomenclature, street criticism, energy & impact, something or nothing, looking for that moment of magic, painting paintings of paintings, irrational believability, what drew him to landscapes, his business model, simplicity & consistency, being a Daily Painter, pricing, gallery representation, commissions, his biggest support, Legos, and inspiration.…
Ep. 145 Steve Morrell – Figurative Painter
In this episode, Wes and Todd sit down with Painter, Steve Morrell. Steve talks about his current work, New York, moving to Colorado, advertising, copywriting, Chat GPT, NFTs, ADD, psychedelics, MDMA, LA, Miami, Art Basel, trampolines & models, nudes, voice, art in his youth, painting denim jackets in the '80s, street art, working large, commissions, color palette, pricing, prints, process, and abstract work.
Ep. 143 Adrienne Stein – Painter, Magical Realism
Adrienne Stein discusses her new work, social media, works in progress, Agnes Pelton, Hilma af Klint, New Mexico, being deliberate, color in the Southwest, Alaska, mushroom foraging, bones, pheasants, Pennsylvania, Atelier training, family/work balance, time management, importance of passion, being true to your voice, art education, gratitude, nudes, Ladew Topiary Gardens, still life, painting as offering, accountability, being married to another Artist, magical realism, being open to a paradigm shift, gallery representation, commissions, art in hotels, and her motto.
Ep. 141 Tricia Zimic – Sculptor, Porcelain – Painting & Etching
In this episode, Wes and Todd sit down with Sculptor, Tricia Zimic. Tricia discusses her first connection with Art, painting vs. sculpture, being a narrative Artist, etching, owls, painting, telling stories with animals, Meissen, Johann Joachim Kändler, Sins & Virtues, porcelain, process, Kintsugi, Chacma baboons, Albrechtsburg Castle, Hunterdon Art Museum, shipping porcelain, conservation, environmental art, hope, Wildflower Sculpture Park, legacy & time, making your art a priority, illustration, Troma movie posters, selling art, and handling rejection.
Ep. 138 Jill Soukup – Painter, Contemporary Realism
Jill Soukup talks about her exposure to art in her youth, attending Colorado State University, her career as a Graphic Designer before becoming a full-time Artist, the crossover from graphic design to fine art, striking a balance between family and her art life, making money from her art in her teens, voice, foundation, being more free in her process, goal setting, revenue streams, mentors, collaboration, Ranchlands, bison, gallery representation, exploring mediums, teaching, workshops, horses, social media, routine, exercise and meditation, anxiety, the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, rejection, prints, and pricing.
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. 124 Vincent Cheap – Painter, Musician, Filmmaker
Vincent Cheap talks about his youth and the pivotal events leading up to a career in art, the influence of his parents, the compulsion to make things, his routine and his process of creating, road tripping, his decision to move to Ft. Collins from Denver, music, his DIY esthetic and its roots, his collaborative projects with his twin brother Charly, evoking emotion with art, legacy, being a lifelong learner, dreamscapes, influences, 3 Kings, Cabal, western noir, Colorvoido and zines, Fast Geek Boutique, narrative and storytelling, selling art, pricing, commissions, album art, Basquiat, and advice to aspiring Artists.
Ep. 106 Jen Starling – Painting, Collage – Mixed Media
Jen Starling talks about art co-ops, business, support for the Arts in the US as compared to other countries, the catalyst for becoming a full-time Artist, discipline, finding her voice, problem solving, transition, incorporating collage into her work, exploration, vulnerability, identity, her upcoming solo show “Confronting the Void,” art festivals, teaching, goals, and confidence.
Ep. 095 Brenda Stumpf – Contemporary Sculptor and Painter
Wes and Todd talk with Contemporary Sculptor and Painter, Brenda Stumpf. Brenda talks about growing up in a family of makers, quitting art school, Cy Twombly, poetry, mythology, trusting your intuition, process, finding beauty where you’re at, the Colorado art community, connection, cautionary tales, integrity of the work, and advice to aspiring Artists.
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. 089 Leith O’Malley – Australian Artist and Illustrator
Wes and Todd talk with Australian Artist and Illustrator, Leith O’Malley. Leith talks about living in South Australia, kangaroos, inspiration and ideas, intuition and process, tradigital, music and art, the circus, the dark and the light, misfits and characters, truth and authenticity, landscapes, pricing and selling art, and shares a bit of his philosophy about the joy in creating art.