Austin Art Talk Podcast

"We are fed with this idea that we have to be so much. And of course it's not true because each of us has a specific talent or specific things we are good at. I finally feel at this place of my life that I'm enough. I'm tying to do my best with the little corner of what I know how to do. So my goal is to keep passing this message and hoping that it's going to effect the life or the way of thinking of certain people." Anne Mourier is a conceptual artist who was born in France and is now splitting her time between the east coast and Italy. We met many years ago in NYC and during my travels I made a point to visit her and sit down for an interview. Some of the themes she explores in her artworks are the feminine archetype, motherhood, quiet simplicity and beauty, home and the chores of domestic life, and maybe most importantly the environment and respect for life and nature. I'm so impressed with her wisdom, groundedness, her dedication to research and a commitment and openness to using any medium which might best communicate what she is trying to say with her work. She also has a series of separate performances called Taking Care were she prepared meals for people, washed and item of clothing, and washed their feet. Of the work she states “I strongly believe that “Taking Care” is important and may possibly be the only way to mend our broken society:  Taking Care of our planet, Taking Care of things instead of replacing them, Taking Care of each other…” As she says so well on her website her goal is “A harmonious future, free of its dualistic and antagonistic visions; a holistic future that would acknowledge the fluidity of the masculine and the feminine principle living in harmony within each of us, in nature, in art, in everything we touch, smell, and see.” https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/cJ0TwoTV.jpg Taking Care: The Feet - Photo by Maria Baranova https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/yJQCWgkI.jpg This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The podcast is sponsored by Ivester Contemporary (https://ivestercontemporary.com/) and East Side Picture Framing (https://eastsidepictureframing.com/) Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I think it's so important that we accept each other for our differences, and just come together like brothers and sisters. We're stronger as a unit. We're stronger together. Again, community is so important." Adrian Armstrong is a multitalented and multidisciplinary artist who creates powerful figurative portraits primarily by combining painting, collage, and circular strokes of a ballpoint pen, as well as working with printmaking and creating music. One of his goals to combine all of the mediums he works with into one cohesive experience. And as he states on his website “He aims to portray what it means to be an African American living in modern America” We had a wide-ranging conversation about his life, starting with growing up in Nebraska and the importance of his family, to moving to Austin and creating a new community here to participate in and help to support and grow. I'm inspired by Adrian's work ethic and dedication to creating great work, pushing himself to be better, while also helping to support others as much as he can. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/WTgrzrEG.jpg This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“I feel like by becoming an artist it's helped me to become who I am. And it's helped me to accept my body. Not that I didn't love my body, but going to figure drawing and drawing every type of persons body was such a powerful thing for me. To realize that every body really truly is beautiful.” Painter Sara Jane Parsons specialty is realistic portraits of people, landscapes, still lifes, and figure studies, all rendered beautifully in graphite or watercolor, although she did recently start learning how to work with oil paints. The incredible thing is that she creates all of her work while holding the paintbrushes and pencils in her mouth. At the age of twenty, a spinal cord injury left her paralyzed from the neck down, but that did not stop her from getting a law degree, working jobs combining legal and social work to help hundreds of people, traveling broadly, and pursuing anything that interests her and cultivating a life that is joyful and creative. She is a proud member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, a great organization that helps artists with disabilities support themselves through creating artworks that are placed on products sold far and wide. Sara Jane is such a sweet, driven, and passionate artist, and it was a joy to talk and spend some time with her and be inspired by her story, her resilience, and her dedication to being an artist. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/OBq4pYWC.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/B1umnNBz.jpg "Helen", Watercolor, 13.5" x 18" By the courtesy of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Worldwide This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The podcast is sponsored by Ivester Contemporary (https://ivestercontemporary.com/) and East Side Picture Framing (https://eastsidepictureframing.com/) Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

As an artist, educator, cultural activist, mentor, and all-around great human being, Sam Coronado, created opportunities for and changed the lives of many people before passing unexpectedly in 2013. One of his bigger accomplishments was The Serie Project, a non-profit serigraph printmaking residency that lasted for over 20 years and worked with hundreds of artists from around the US and the world, at all stages of their careers. I worked with Sam for many years, have always thought very highly of him, and decided I should do a special episode celebrating and talking about his life and work. I'm grateful to his wife Jill Ramirez and the master printers Pepe Coronado and Jonathan Rebolloso for speaking with me about Sam, sharing their stories about him, how he changed their lives, and the legacy he has left behind. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/RPLzacbu.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/-wU0Q9xJ.jpg Sam at his retrospective at Mexic-Arte Museum in 2011. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/S14kJWNr.jpg Sam doing a demonstration for students at Coronado Studio. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/QrmmjhJy.jpg Sam working with artist Lacey Richter on her Serie Project print. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

As artist Amy Scofield states on her website she is investigating the relationship between things. And the things she is working with very often are discarded objects or what would typically be recycled. The interaction between nature and the human-made world and our effects on the planet also figure into her intentions and concerns as she captures and manipulates what catches her eye into something more curious and brave. Like many artists, she has a compulsion to create and she uses her intuition and powers of observation to find the next opportunity or subject for the curation of her unique, refined, and thoughtful images and sculptures. Moving forward her focus is shifting more to impermanence as she considers what is real and what is not and the ephemeral nature of everything. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/vPen_XXQ.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/Y8Xi96P3.png amy scofield Un/Common Thread May 14th - June 24, 2021 Lydia Street Gallery (https://www.lydiastreetgallery.com/) 1200 E. 11th St #109 Austin, TX 78702 Saturdays & Sundays 12-5 during exhibitions, no appointment needed. Weekdays by appointment: email (mailto:LydiaStreetGallery@gmail.com) or DM in Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lydiastreetgallery/) This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"Oh, I can still learn something from scratch, totally different from what I do in my world. I find that is so rejuvenating. It makes you feel good!" This week's podcast guest is Gladys Poorte. Her work for many people appears to be very otherworldly and fantastical, maybe even sci-fi inspired, but in fact, it is all based on real-life objects and 3D models that she creates in her studio to draw and paint from while controlling the light and mood to ultimately create space and depth. The inspiration often comes from observing, processing, and reacting to real-life events that have happened in the world, and concerns about the future. I’m very impressed with Gladys' willingness to keep pushing herself to learn new skills and gain knowledge to enhance and evolve her artwork over time. We talk about her life growing up in Argentina, working as an educator, transitioning to living in the US, and her many years of diverse art classes and schooling to evolve her style and craft to where it is today. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/TDUOtJaV.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/Ilem-Aya.jpg (https://www.davisgalleryaustin.com/) Nuevo Mundo Gladys Poorte At The Davis Gallery (https://www.davisgalleryaustin.com/) May 1st - June 12th Davis Gallery & Framing 837 West 12th Street Austin, TX 78701 512-477-4929 Gladys Poorte's "Nuevo Mundo" debuts at the Davis Gallery. Exploring the new settings wherein which we find ourselves during an unprecedented time, Poorte helps us transition into seemingly foreign yet familiar landscapes within her interpretation and style. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“As much as art is about creating an object, it’s also about learning about yourself. My art has always been this tool for which I decipher the world, and my place in it, or who I am and how I learn and what I see. It’s the medium though which I decipher everything.” Artist Tom Jean Webb grew up in England but knew from an early age he wanted to live in America. His mother and grandfather helped to inspire his creativity and if not for a chance visit to a contemporary art gallery as an adult, he would not have realized that what he wanted to say with his own art was valid and possible. After many trips and back and forth from the United States to England he finally committed to fulfill his dream and made the US his home. The work he creates is heavily inspired by the colorful and rocky desert landscapes of the southwest and are explorations of space and his own personal reality. As he consistently strives to create his distinctive artwork he prioritizes being open and present, staying playful, having fun, and letting go of control and preconceived ideas. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/aF5SqEC2.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/ij4khpvF.jpg Together From Afar I & II, 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 75 x 53 in See Tom Jean's work in person at Ivester Contemporary (http://ivestercontemporary.com/artist/tom-jean-webb) 916 Springdale Rd Bldg 2, Suite 107 Austin, TX 78702 (737) 209-0379 This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“That’s my ultimate goal. When I’m done here I want to have temples built in a lot of people's hearts. Not, oh Chris was so awesome. But because I gave them something. Because I meant something to them. Because I gave them a piece of my heart” Wow! Can’t believe we’ve made it to 100 episodes. I could not imagine a better guest to celebrate this milestone. Chris Rogers is an artist who specializes in portraits that capture a person's true essence, live painting sessions at events, and large and colorful murals that adorn many walls around Austin with their inviting and galvanizing truths. All of this work hopefully leads to conversations, connections, and a realization as Chris says in the interview, the cure is us. How can we heal our fractured system and relationships, let go of control and give over to the moment, and find our way to truth, honesty with ourselves, and learn to speak from the heart? Chris really brought the vulnerability and bares all as we talk about his lifelong artistic practice, alcoholism and recovery, and the huge impact his late mother continues to have on his life. This conversation was so moving and inspiring to me as I hope it will be to you. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/H2pBfOjL.jpg We speak about the two murals pictured below in the interview. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/bMFW_x_E.jpeg If He Can't Breate, We Can't Breathe - George Floyd mural at Native Hostel (https://g.page/Nativehostel?share) https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/_AgrEYob.jpeg Mural at 12th & Chicon (https://goo.gl/maps/4BS3fXtoVnsnbooR7) This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"Out of the million brush stokes on this painting, I like this brush stroke. So it was worth the 20 hours I spent on it to learn this one stroke. Then I would take that stroke into the next piece. Then that piece didn’t feel right but there was a second brush stoke also that I liked. And then eventually I got the point where I liked all the brush stokes on the canvas. That’s when I’m like OK, now I can start making art." Manik Raj Nakra is an Austin Based Artist who creates colorful and mythic-looking artworks influenced by his extensive research of cultures, ancient art, and architecture from all over the world. All that he absorbs through books, travel, and online research gets melded and transformed into his own unique but somehow universal visual language. I’m impressed with Manik’s boldness and commitment to his art practice and willingness to spend years out of view to refine his subject matter, experiment, and learn and improve his creative techniques, taking the quality of what he is producing to the next level, and then back into the world. Please enjoy this interesting and often humorous conversation with Manik and be sure to check out his Big Medium exhibition this month. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/EA0AGqfc.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/8uJ2LtEX.jpg MOTH, 2020, Oil paint, acrylic paint, spray paint, ceremonial bindis on canvas and wood, 96 x 67 in. Manik Raj Nakra WILDLIFE March 13 – May 1, 2021 Big Medium 916 Springdale Rd, Bldg 2, #101 Austin, Texas 78702 512.939.6665 info@bigmedium.org Appointment hours: Thursday – Saturday, 12 – 6pm To allow for social distancing, appointments will be scheduled every 30 minutes, with a maximum of 10 guests at a time. Scroll down to schedule an appointment with at least 24 hours advance notice. Masks are required at all times. Text courtesy of the BIg Medium Website "Inspired by stories of nature regenerating and reclaiming space during the Covid19 pandemic, W I L D L I F E examines what happens when humanity removes itself from the natural world. The exhibition also introduces a new material for the artist—the ceremonial bindi, worn for centuries on the forehead in Indian culture for spiritual, traditional, and fashion reasons. It can be seen as a third eye creating an opening to infinity or as a symbol of femininity. For the natural world depicted in the paintings, the renewed and rejuvenated flora and fauna are anthropomorphized with hundreds of bindis as wildlife reincarnated with third eyes. The twinkling of the jeweled bindis carry remnants of memory. The severed animal heads from which the new nature grows are depicted upside down to represent self-sabotage and the mistakes of the past. Influenced by the architecture of ancient forts and palaces of Indian Mughals, Iran, Oman, and Pakistan, the paintings are installed in window frames handmade by the artist. The pieces look out onto a world from isolation with new wonder, new honesty, and new beauty. At first, the viewer encounters these windows from the “inside looking out” but with bindis all over functioning as eyes, they equally become the “outside looking in” giving the paintings an existential feel to reflect on these uncertain times and space. Manik Raj Nakra’s work has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout Texas and San Francisco, a member of the 2019 Crit Group program with The Contemporary in Austin, TX, The LINE Residency with Big Medium in 2020, and a client list that includes Converse, The Oxford American, The LINE Hotel, Facebook, Urban Outfitters, amongst others." This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I used to think I had all the answers. I believed it. I don’t believe that at all anymore. I have all the questions. I’ve got all of them. And I don’t really need answers anymore. I’m in it for the questions. And that pretty much rules my day, every day. Just endless questions." This is part two of my interview with artist Brian Daly. If you haven’t heard Part One I would recommend going back and starting with Episode 97 where we cover his epic life story before he got sober nineteen months ago. Part Two goes more in depth into his current life and practice as an artist. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/FS0lNVXK.jpg This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

Sometimes it can take a lot to ask for help. Artist Brian Daly realized nineteen months ago that even though he had already survived hitting bottom a few times before, this time might be his last. Through years of ups and downs, Brian acquired the skills to create almost anything as a fabricator while also from a young age continuing to further his drafting and artistic talents. In this first part of two episodes, he shares in vivid detail, reminiscent of his drawings, the epic and tumultuous journey he has been on, up until getting clean and sober and focusing his energy and recovery into his art. The paper and ink drawings he creates as a literal meditation, are beautiful and precise in their rendering, allowing him to share a glimpse of his inner world, imagination, and lifelong fascination with tools and the mechanics of objects. The second part of our conversation, Episode 98, goes into more detail about his current life and artistic practice. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/r5PSdJYz.jpg This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"Let’s continue to make beautiful things. Let’s respect ourselves and think about the future. Let’s make some money. Let’s be generous with our money. Let’s protect ourselves and the planet. Let’s be more responsible. Let’s be more grateful." Nick Schnitzer is very passionate about art and helping artists thrive. That's in addition to his love of architecture, woodworking, teaching and mentoring young people, travel, his family, and most of all living an aware, considerate, humble, and generative life. He's a talented and capable craftsperson who can design and create almost anything he puts his mind and body into. His public art and exhibitions often highlight environmental and political challenges and strive to build community and connect people and ideas towards a goal of improving their lives and raising awareness of important issues in our culture and society. I love Nick's energy, focus, integrity, and the way he strives to improve himself and those around him. He has a big heart and it's very obvious in the interview. Please enjoy! https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/KIL-G-FJ.jpg Nick with his daughter Edie Rose. Nick's website about text "As modern technology leads to increased connection to the world, we’ve never been more disconnected from each other. I create sculpture and site-specific architectural works that seek to create new modes of empathic communication – to use technology to augment the way we interact; to break down the barriers that exist between people; and to provide an emotional overlay so we can more deeply understand each other as people. By subjecting objects and people to various scientific and relational processes, I construct a dialogue that questions our relationship to the material world, our internal psychological landscapes, and our very dynamic planet. I’m most interested in the things we hide, repress, and deny, as I believe these to be our greatest gifts. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung theorizes that in order to become fully engaged with ourselves, each other, and the world we live in, we must learn to incorporate things that can be difficult to grasp. I appeal to our vanity and curiosity, often through the use of reflective surfaces, interactive technology, and traditional construction techniques. In an increasingly complex world, the minimal nature of the work is tailored to create a focused experience for the viewer, resulting in a contemplative moment of careful consideration amongst the surrounding chaos." This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

As an adult, after working many jobs in the business world and raising her daughters' artist Joyce Howell decided to go back to school to study art and eventually achieved her master's degree. She started out painting in a very representational style but in graduate school found the encouragement and a strong desire to create abstract works that expressed more of her internal reality and how she processed everything in her world. For the last almost 25 years Joyce has been committed to her studio practice and has participated in many solo and group exhibitions. She creates colorful and often atmospheric abstract paintings that without a doubt contribute to the joy and beauty experienced through art that we all need in our lives and our homes. She has been represented in Austin by Wally Workman Gallery for over 10 years and has a solo exhibition there from March 6th -27th, 2021. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/GfkSqkof.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/2nUsIewy.jpg Mujer Pintada, 2021, oil on canvas, 42x42 inches Joyce Howell: Solo Show March 6-27, 2021 Wally Workman Gallery (https://www.wallyworkmangallery.com/) "Howell’s palette is informed by nature and its flux between calm and chaos. She describes it as an ongoing conversation. Each color and the mark by which it is applied to the canvas informs the next. Colors give the impression of physical weight. Colors become instruments, much as in a musical composition. As the work progresses, the painting becomes a collaborative, a dialogue between Howell and the canvas. This is her 8th solo show with the gallery." This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"For us, as artists, the pandemic certainly economically was hard for many people but I think we are probably better equipped because can we invent something that has not been done before. If somebody is used to having a routine and a certain structure and not used to inventing their life it’s harder when something like this hits. For us it’s like OK, it’s this, let's see what we can do with it. Let’s learn something new and create something different." The podcast guest this week has had such an interesting and diverse life. Artist Valerie Chaussonnet now works full time as an artist and teacher but previously spent a big part of her life as an anthropologist, studying Russian, and raising her two sons. Now her two primary mediums are watercolor and sculptures made from raw pieces of welded steel. A lifetime of influences in the realm of art and many diverse cultures all culminates now in the stories she tells with her colorful paintings and spirited sculptures. I love the joy Valerie brings to life and I’m inspired by her adventurous, playful, and rich way of life. Please enjoy this very fun interview! https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/-y8f6-qv.jpg Photo by Scott David Gordon Current & Upcoming Found February 26 - March 27, 2021 Georgetown Art Center (https://georgetownartcentertx.org/calendar/found/) "Found presents recent artworks by three area artists. Each artist relies on random discovery and found materials as a starting point. Chaussonnet recuts recovered industrial scrap steel, then forges and welds stylized busts, landscapes, and abstract sculptures. Rolfe is an assemblage artist whose narrative relief sculptures and shadow boxes are composed primarily of reclaimed vintage household furnishings. Webb faithfully uses acrylics to portray abandoned trash piles left at the curb for bulk collection." This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

Lauren Hunt is one of the rare artists who works with glass, and she has been at it for over 10 years. After college she worked for 7 of those years at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York with the Hot Glass Show, on land and traveling all over the world on cruise ships doing live and educational demonstrations. Eventually she made it to Austin where she has continued her practice making functional, whimsical, and sometimes purely artistic works of beauty out of molten glass. Lauren is a hoot and we had such a fun conversation. I’ve always wanted to learn more about glass blowing and what it’s all about and Lauren did not disappoint. Check out the shop on her website laurenhuntglass.com and see if there isn’t something there that strikes your fancy. Support local artists and fill your house with beautiful handmade objects by people you know. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/yJ9llSN0.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/WKKf6iaV.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/ckCpHlCB.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/umObhxIO.jpg Photos by Scott David Gordon This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

What does it take to open an art gallery and frame shop in Austin during a pandemic? A lot. For Kevin Ivester, owner of Ivester Contemporary and Eastside Picture Framing, these businesses are the culmination of a long-term dream and years of working in all aspects of the art world including, galleries, auction houses, restoration, conservation, handling, framing, and appraisal. Now with the potential of both endeavors and his well-rounded years of experience, Kevin wants to help artists further their careers, sell their work, and raise the profile of Austin as a town where you can buy great art and from any of the numerous talented people that call it home. We talk about what it took for him to get to this point and his intentions going forward. He’s genuinely interested in adding value and helping to further the awareness and understanding of visual art and the artists he represents. What a great mission and now he has the means to see it through. Ivester Contemporary (http://ivestercontemporary.com/) 916 Springdale Rd Bldg 2, Suite 107 Austin, TX 78702 (737) 209-0379 Make An Appointment! (http://ivestercontemporary.com/make-an-appointment) About The Gallery Ivester Contemporary is an Austin-based contemporary fine art gallery committed to connecting people with leading local and regional artists and ideas. Rotating exhibitions are focused on creating a context for contemplation, deepening appreciation for the visual arts, and facilitating a dialog between the artist and their viewers. Ivester Contemporary is located within the Canopy Creative Complex in East Austin, a central hub for artists, gallerists, and other creative types. East Side Picture Framing (https://eastsidepictureframing.com/) 916 Springdale Rd, Bldg 4, Suite 105 Austin Texas 78702 (512) 520 8031 Open Monday - Friday 11am-4pm and by appointment https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/wir-lEAy.jpg Photo by Scott David Gordon This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

Elizabeth Hendley is an art therapist at Dell Children’s Medical Center and a part of what is called the Expressive Therapies team. We spoke back in March of 2018 and went in depth to explore her origin story, how she became a therapist, and some of her experiences working with children that illustrate how powerful art therapy can be. If you have not heard that episode I highly recommend checking it out. It is my second most listened to interview at just over 1300 downloads. In this update we talk about how the pandemic has affected her job at the hospital and she shares some new stories of the types of work she is doing now. Again I am so impressed with her and what she does and I’m so glad to know someone like her is doing what she does. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/fw4uxH5a.jpg Elizabeth facilitating a game together with the music therapist. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/8mK7z_oj.jpg This collaborative self-care staff project is mentioned in the interview. Elizabeth mentions donations of art supplies in the interview. Here is the list and contact info if you want to donate anything. Josie Day Jday@ascension.org 512-324-0146 Small/medium canvases (or canvas boards) Watercolor paper Watercolor brushes Acrylic brushes (stiffer) Tube watercolors Paper plates Small plastic cups Stamp pads Model magic (small pkgs., white or color) Scrapbook embellishments (flowers, stickers, gems, washi tape, etc.) The banner image consists of on the left a 6”x6” square for a large Covid-19 collaboration facilitated by ArtAustin. Kevin Ivester at Davis Gallery asked Elizabeht and many others to contribute. It’s supposed to be a light blue color palette, to honor healthcare workers. The image on the right is a Covid stamp-carving. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast) This post could contain affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

"What’s the thing that people turn to when you are in the middle of this confusing and terrifying time, and whats the thing that brings relief? It’s Art. It’s music, it’s seeing films, it’s watching TV shows, it’s looking at visual art. These are the things that can bring us out of all of these feelings that can be really overwhelming, and can bring us into the current moment. Which is really where a lot of peace lies. I think the arts are essential, especially during this time.” Elizabeth McQueen is a singer-songwriter and the host of NPR’s This Song (https://www.npr.org/podcasts/467077597/this-song) podcast. Growing up in a family of visual artists, she eventually found her own creative practice and voice in the pursuit of performing and creating music. For over eight years she was the lead singer for Asleep At The Wheel until she retired in 2014 to focus more on her kids and eventually start her radio career. For the last six years she has had the chance to interview some of the best musicians in the world and hear their stories. A few of the subjects we cover in our conversation are the importance of art right now, her aggressive positivity, her sisters artwork, the origins of This Song (https://www.npr.org/podcasts/467077597/this-song), and some great lessons she has gleaned from various artists about their own creative practices. We finish with the question she puts to every guest on her show. Can you share a story of a song that has transformed your life? What a powerful and moving answer she gives! I was so happy to finally interview Elizabeth after knowing her for so many years. She is a super talented musician, interviewer, and very positive force in the world. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/P0Ki4IbZ.jpg Elizabeth playing at a JBG potluck in 2014 This Song From KUT 90.5 (https://www.npr.org/podcasts/467077597/this-song) Musician, composer and radio host Elizabeth McQueen wants to hear about transformational songs. In conversations and interviews with fellow musicians and artists, McQueen talks with them about life-changing songs, inspiration, creativity and so much more. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/zE0xdKFD.jpg This is the transformational song Elizabeth shares her story about at the end of the interview, the version sung by Nina Simone. See link below. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) My baby never treats me sweet and gentle the way he should; I got it bad and that ain't good! My poor heart is sentimental not made of wood I got it bad and that ain't good! But when the weekend's over and monday rolls aroun' I end up like i start out just cryin' my heart out He don't love me like i love him nobody could I got it bad and that ain't good! Like alonely weeping willow lost in the wood I got it bad and that ain't good! And the things i tell my pillow no woman should I got it bad and that ain't good! Tho folks with good intentions tell me to save my tears I'm glad i'm mad about him i can't live without him Lord above me make him love me the way he should I got it bad and that ain't good! The banner image behind the title was taken as a part of Scott's Panorama 365 series, of Elizabeth and her family next to the Four Seasons around 2011. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"Anytime I am stuck in life, I will usually do a project on it. Trying to understand, and just to try and move through it. It really helps me move through something. All of my work is basically things I am trying to figure out and move through in my own life" This interview is with Suzanne Koett (https://www.suzannekoett.com/), who’s ongoing photo project captured on film, PANDEMIC, is a series of portraits of quarantined families and individuals in the places they reside. I could relate to so many of the ways that Suzanne thinks about and lives her life and what impressed me most is her very intentional dedication to self growth through her art creation. Be sure to visit her website, to see all of her various series, and the obvious, and not so obvious path she has been on for the last decade. Please enjoy this conversation with the very talented and thoughtful Suzanne Koett. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/pVVsVWa7.jpg About text courtesy of Suzanne's website Suzanne Koett (https://www.suzannekoett.com/) is an artist, contemporary photographer, and art educator from Austin, TX. Her work centers around the human condition and the shared collective experience. Through her art she aims to demystify life experiences and shows what it means to be alive and to bravely exist. Suzanne holds a BFA in Studio Art (concentration photography) from San Francisco State University. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/d8vColdf.jpg Metaphysical Libertarianism - from the The Study of Aloneness series. LInks to some of the specific subjects we discussed: PANDEMIC series on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/suzannekoett/) Suzanne's blog post from Jan 2020 (https://www.suzannekoett.com/blog/2020/1/1/going-into-2020) Suzanne's series The Study of Aloneness (https://www.suzannekoett.com/#/thestudyofaloneness/) Suzanne's series dedicated to her father after his passing (https://www.suzannekoett.com/#/nacht/) What is Reparenting and How to Begin (https://yourholisticpsychologist.com/what-is-reparenting-and-how-to-begin/) Suzanne's series To Record Only Water for Ten Days (https://www.suzannekoett.com/#/torecordwater/) Suzanne's morning affirmations: "What great thing is going to happen today?" "I am here for you when things go really well. I am here to help celebrate you. And I am here for you if things don't go well" https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/RDQhHmsi.jpg Track 6: Remain, Digital collage & Vandyke brown print on archival watercolor paper, 8"x"8, 2019 from the series To Record Only Water for Ten Days https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/KYgH9xIp.jpg Image from PANDEMIC series. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Ways to support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“Don’t lose your authenticity. Keep honing your skills to become a better artist. Don’t just copy what someone else is doing, go beyond it. Find what really speaks to you in your soul as an artist and start doing that.” After I started reading An Artful Life by John P Weiss (https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1546996907/sdg07d-20), I just knew that I had to try to interview him. The stories are inspirational and have been helpful to me during this time of stress and the unknown. Our conversation was everything I hoped it would be. John's thoughtfulness and life experiences put him in a position to be able to share the kind of perspectives and wisdom that are sorely needed in the world today. Hope you enjoy the interview and be sure to check out his artwork, cartoons, book, and other writings online. All of the artists and books that are mentioned are listed at the end of the show notes along with links to John's work. Enjoy! https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/Ty2N3ogf.png About text courtesty of John's website John P. Weiss is a former police chief and editorial cartoonist who retired early to become a full-time artist and writer. John studied landscape painting extensively with American painter Scott L. Christensen. Using a limited palette and strong abstract designs in his representational work, John captures quiet scenes of land and nature. Wisdom from a 26-year law enforcement career and lifetime of reading informs John's poignant short stories and insightful articles. John writes about life lessons, personal growth, and the creative arts. John's written work appears in: The Guardian, NBC News, Becoming Minimalist, Thrive Global, Goins Writer, Elephant Journal, and more. Read John's full biography here (https://johnpweiss.com/blog/74379/about-john-p-weiss). Over 38K followers enjoy John's weekly articles, which he illustrates with his whimsical, fine-lined cartoons. Click here and subscribe (https://johnpweiss.com/email-newsletter) to get on John's email list. You'll receive the latest creative work. No spam, always free, privacy respected. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/bsiU_y03.jpeg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/UooMBq4R.png https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/1Sr_i982.png This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Click on this affiliate link or the ones below before making purchases on Amazon. An easy way to support! (https://www.amazon.com/b?_encoding=UTF8&tag=sdg07d-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=f8514f703149bd58ce3f0ef2cfb1a234&camp=1789&creative=9325&node=1)

For over 15 years the Fusebox Festival has been delivering an amazing array of curated performances and artists from all over the world and bringing them right here to Austin. Since the festival will not be able to go on as planned as a live event, the organizers had to pivot the whole event online into what they are calling the virtual edition. Join me for a conversation with Executive & Artistic Director Ron Berry and Associate Artistic Director & Curator Anna Gallagher-Ross to talk about how that played out and what we can look forward to experiencing this year. www.fuseboxfestival.com Instagram @fuseboxfestival (https://www.instagram.com/fuseboxfestival/) Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd5l0WJrBaeEJpZl8M_HDxQ) Below text courtesy of the Fusebox website The Festival In light of the COVID-19 crisis, it is not possible to hold Fusebox Festival as we originally planned. Our Festival isn't canceled, it's re-imagined as a virtual space where our community, both local and global, can come together to experience the work of Fusebox artists and participate in an exciting array of virtual events and activities. Fusebox Festival 2020: Virtual Edition is a weekend-long broadcast taking place April 24-26. Think public access TV meets international block party meets live performance! We see this as a platform to explore what it means to gather together and celebrate adventurous art, online. This Virtual Edition will feature: Live-streamed performances Conversations Artist Studio Visits Interactive Activities Happy Hours Cooking Shows Exhibitions and much more! Please mark your calendars for April 24 – 26, follow us on social media, and we will be in touch soon with our artist lineup and schedule. Thanks to you, our Fusebox Family, we are able to bring our artists and community together in a much needed time for celebration. We appreciate your support! This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

Becca Borrelli (https://borrel.li/) is an illustrator, teacher, story teller, and part of The Lemon House (https://www.lemonhouseatx.com/) where she has her art studio, which will also be hosting an upcoming Process Over Product Art Series. (https://borrel.li/blogs/news) Becca also just launched her own podcast Secret Sauce (https://borrel.li/pages/secret-sauce-podcast), and I highly recommend you check it out. We talk about her journey as an artist, teacher, and small business owner, and talk a lot about how sensitivity can be reframed into a strength instead of a weakness. The following text is courtesy of Becca's websites Becca Borrelli is an admirer of doodling, and art teaching. Since graduating with a MA in Art Education from The University of Texas, she has been working as an art teacher at The Contemporary Art School in Austin, and establishing an illustration business. She is inspired by the invisible connections between all things, and her work aims to be a playful, bright, and hopeful interpretation of the world's whimsical and magical sides. She has fallen in love with her hometown in Austin, TX where she spends free time exploring the town with her husband and their super-pups Layla and Rose. Becca's new podcast "Secret Sauce" Welcome to Secret Sauce (https://borrel.li/pages/secret-sauce-podcast), a podcast about the secret ingredients in life and work, hosted by Becca Borrelli. Secret Sauce explores artistry as a helpful framework for inspiring meaning and understanding in our everyday lives. (https://borrel.li/pages/secret-sauce-podcast) The Lemon House The Lemon House (https://borrel.li/pages/secret-sauce-podcast) is a working studio for three Austin based artists: Katherine of Bliss Kid Yoga (https://blisskidyoga.org/), Allie of Stampworthy Goods (https://stampworthygoods.com/), and Rebecca of Rebecca Borrelli Illustrations. We are of the mind that just because you are a solo entrepreneur does not mean that you can’t have the same community of co-workers you would in an office. We work along side each other in our studio, but also open our studio for open house shopping events, potlucks for makers, and other community events. 1713 E 12th Street Austin, TX 78702 Instagram: @lemonhouseatx (https://www.instagram.com/lemonhouseatx/) This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

This is a quick update to talk about how things will proceed with the podcast after adjusting to the pandemic. Upcoming guests: Becca Borrelli/Illustrator & Teacher Ron Berry & Anna Gallagher-Ross/Fusebox Festival Photographer Suzanne Koett Susannah Morgan/SKM Art Advising catch-update Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I think art for me has always been about giving someone an image that they can get absorbed into, and that takes them to a place that is sort of hyper-real. You know it’s not reality but you also can’t quite pin down what it is or where it came from. I see that in the tintype process as well. It’s quite arresting as a modern person to be photographed in a tintype because it puts you in this other world where you know it’s you and you know it’s modern photograph. But you’ve never seen anything like it and it breaks you out of that pattern of being so well versed at looking at imagery." Adrian Whipp is a passionate and driven photographer who has chosen to pursue more rare, challenging, and unconventional ways of making images. He is probably best known for his family heirloom level of portrait making in the form of tintypes that he captures in his custom mobile photo studio at the back of the French restaurant Justine's Brasserie here in Austin. When not doing that he is full on pursuing the creation of his own version of stereo photography, manifest soon in something called The Daydream Society (https://thedaydreamsociety.com/stereos). What I see is an inherent fascination and generosity in what he creates and shares that is really intriguing and inspiring. I encourage you to tune in and keep and eye on what he is up to. If you make it over to have your tintype made, which I highly recommend, make sure to let Adrain know you heard the podcast. And definitely check out the beautiful work on his website, adrianwhipp.com (https://www.adrianwhipp.com/), and be sure to specifically check out the daydream society and sign up to get email updates. Please enjoy this wonderful conversation with Mr. Adrian Whipp. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/rF6M6yor.jpg Lumiere Tintype portrait Lumiere Tintype Photography (https://lumieretintype.com/) Studio located behind Justine's Brasserie (https://www.justines1937.com/) 4710 East 5th St, Austin, TX, 78702 Hours - Thursday - Sunday, 6pm until 11pm https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/e5onDlYE.jpg Lumiere Tintype portrait Some of the subjects we discuss: Photography Cathedral of light Fixing images Preserving time Slowing down Finding photography Discovering tintype Portrait studios Ease of digital Losing analog Quick turnaround Lumiere tintype Family tradition Justine’s clients 15,000 so far Out in the world It’s not about me Portrait photogs My domain It’s an experience Stereo photography Mostly forgotten The Aleph 3D images Making glass slides Looking at things Breaking the pattern Cave paintings Translating experience The art world Banksy shred Miami banana Co-creation Generosity The cookie Look at this John Coffer Mexico trip/travel Daydream society Making slides Where to find him https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/We6MBj52.jpg https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/nvPHRqRT.jpg Stereos - The Daydream Society Adrian's bio couitesy of his website. Adrian is a photographic artist based in Austin, Texas. Born in the UK, Adrian received his Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication before moving to the US in 2007 to pursue photography. In 2013 Adrian founded Lumiere Tintype, the world's only traveling tintype portrait studio. Lumiere serves as an attempt to make honest, timeless portraiture that helps people to reconnect with the lost alchemy of a handmade photograph. In the past six years Adrian has shot over eleven thousand tintype portraits, images that he hopes will be cherished for generations to come. Outside of Lumiere, Adrian’s photographic work plays with the idea that our notions of photography are beginning to detach from the rules of perspective. As digital technologies continue to reshape our understanding of what a photograph can be, we are discovering immersive new ways to become transfixed by the power of an image. For example, in Adrian’s cathedral of light, we see that a photograph can be elusive and ephemeral - impossible to capture or ‘fix’. It can exist only as a luminous play of light and color across ground glass - we meditate upon the image in the same way that we watch time pass. A photograph can also exist without a single, fixed viewpoint. Inspired by Chinese scroll paintings, Adrian built the Aleph - a projected photographic landscape that can never be viewed in it’s entirety, only in sections. Each viewer charts a different course as they explore the image plane, leading to very different interpretations and memories of the same work. Adrian’s latest endeavor - the daydream society, explores the aperspectival realm of stereo photography - a technique that uses the viewer’s own visual cortex to blend two fixed perspectives into one fully dimensional image. These fascinating, three dimensional (four if you include the duration of exposure!) images can only exist in the imagination of the person viewing them - in the material world they are merely two flat photographs, sitting alongside each other on a two dimensional plane. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/3dm7brc4.jpeg Photo of Adrian by Jonathan Canlas This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I think it’s ok to be in a space of feeling lost at points in your life. That’s actually a great place to be." Two years on from our first interview, Episode 18 (https://www.austinarttalk.com/18), which I highly recommend listening to before you proceed with this one, I recently had the privilege of a tour of the new home and art studio of Roi James (https://roijames.com/). It was great to have the chance to further the dialogue and talk more about Roi’s successful career, where he finds himself now, and where he might be headed. And just like in our first conversation there is no lack of vulnerably on Roi’s part, as he shares his thoughts about being in an in-between place, recuperating and settling into the rhythms of his new space, finding inspiration, and contemplating the necessity to take his whole life and artwork to the next level. We also notably discuss the likely reasons for his success, pricing artwork, portraiture, art market challenges, and we go a little more in depth about loving more deeply and how that manifests in his life. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/mKfm-Hy_.jpg Portrait of Roi on the roof of is new home. Photo by Scott David Gordon Bio courtesy of Roi's website The Story Of My Work I was 28 when I realized I wanted to become a painter. Until then and to this day, I had never studied art nor had any formal training. I’d always had the “gift” and recall my kindergarten teacher showing my mother my drawings and expressing how advanced they were for my age. But art was not a realistic occupation as I’d been indoctrinated into the “tragic artist” mythology, that to become one was to lead a sad and ultimately unfortunate life. So quite by accident, at 28, I attended a life drawing class and within the first 30 seconds of the first drawing, in the most supernatural way, I was was transformed. It would be another seven years before I had my first gallery show. Between then I poured over books of the techniques of the old masters and immersed myself in tens of thousands of images, slowly developing a rich visual vocabulary. I became enamored with the painters Titian, Vermeer, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, among others and with the romantic landscapes of Claude Lorrain, J.M.W. Turner, and Caspar David Friedrich. It was the majestic beauty and drama in these artist’s paintings and the long tradition of disciplined study and technique that attracted and inspired me. It would become the holy grail of what I would hope to find in my own work. And so my early paintings were infused with the dramatic play of light on human bodies and landscapes. I achieved a degree of success with this early work which in 1998, allowed me to quit my full-time job as a graphic designer at Dell Computer and focus entirely on painting. Though I continued to work in the traditional style of layered glazing in oils, I was already feeling a pull away from convention and a desire to explore painting’s greater possibilities. Where it had been a hunger for tradition and discipline that established my foundation, I was now compelled by a meditative thoughtfulness in being present and a desire to release myself into the uncertain world of abstract and conceptual painting. This began a ten year transition away from one style and method and into the new. However, my interest in form and beauty never wavered. Even the method of applying layered glazes continued to instruct my new work, though from a very unique and self invented process. My new paintings are spontaneous and abandoned Meditations, appearing as quiet spaces or joyful dances on the canvas. My Constructs are architectural explorations of color and surface, simultaneously both painting and sculptural relief. Fundamentally, despite their dissimilar surfaces and the contrast to my earlier romantic period, this new work remains true to my commitment to beauty and form. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/-V7sJDZe.jpg Architectura 01.14.20, 2020 Oil on Panel 30 x 30 in Current/Recent Exhibitions Spectrum New Work by Roi James JANUARY 18th - FEBRUARY 22nd, 2020 Davis Gallery (https://www.davisgalleryaustin.com/) 837 West 12th Street Austin, TX 78701 512-477-4929 Davis Gallery is proud to announce Spectrum, Roi James' first solo exhibit in Austin in nearly a decade. In this new collection, James presents works ranging from brilliant, undulating polychrome constructs, to delicate oil paintings contemplating the expanses of the open sea. Over the course of his career, James has boldly shifted his artistic vision, reinventing himself many times over and enjoying consistent success along the way. His mastery of several mediums and styles has attracted national attention and local fame. Spectrum, represents his latest triumphs, and delivers a complete series of diverse, significant work. This exhibit will be on view from January 18th through February 22nd, 2020. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/bKQpRDOh.jpg I Am Forever -framed, oil on canvas 35.25 x 27.25 in. Not for Sale Some of the subjects we discuss: The last two years Getting used to new space Arriving and landing Confronting voices Parasite movie Not one or the other Talent from the start Marketable work Driven to learn and grow Getting help Selling work Leaving a gallery Changing landscape Connecting in new ways Democratizing art New collectors How to price work Current prices Spectrum at Davis Portraiture Self portraits Fonda San Miguel Working in new space Feeling lost Feeling empowered Unsure about interview Thinking about cancer Loving more deeply Creating moments To the next level Getting rid of things Different choices The gift of song Violon D"ingres https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/EMMgl6Zo.jpg Roi looking at the view from his new studio. Photo by Scott David Gordon https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/INa_DBQA.jpg Roi looking at the view from his new studio. Photo by Scott David Gordon Contact Roi https://roijames.com/ (https://roijames.com/) rjstudio@roijames.com This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“You don’t just believe in yourself, You behave in a way that you can believe in yourself, trust yourself. You have to show up. You have to show up everyday in the studio. You have to put in your time to make this unreal thing real.” Naomi Schlinke is an visual artist who after many years as a professional dancer, decided to shift her energy primarily to painting. But dance and movement still inform the spirit of her work and the way it is created. As Naomi says in the interview, she provokes the conditions where her work comes to life through many specific choices, but also leaves much up to chance and strives to push the elements of each piece until the whole is activated by the limitations of the extent of the chosen frame. Her most recent body of work, Being Mobile, expresses the movement and iconic form of entities and symbols that seem familiar but also mysterious, elusive, and timeless. Naomi was just a joy to speak with and we laughed quite a bit. I love talking with artists who are so thoughtful about their work and who have such an interesting life journey and experiences to share. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/5E6Rt3am.jpg Big Blue 2019 60” x 48” ink on mulberry paper collage mounted to panel Bio courtesy of Naomi's website In the 1970’s and early 80’s, Schlinke danced with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and the Joe Goode Performance Group, both based in San Francisco. At that time, the San Francisco art and dance scene were strongly influenced by new concepts flowing from artists such as Merce Cunningham, John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg, many of whom emerged from the hot house for avant-garde work at Black Mountain College, North Carolina. Much of Schlinke's approach to painting is founded on the experiences that she absorbed as a dancer in those decades. Before moving to San Francisco, she received a B.A. and M.A. in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently a resident of Austin, she grew up in Dallas, Texas. Since relocating to Austin, Texas from San Francisco in 1994, Schlinke has exhibited her work at numerous venues including the Robert McClain Gallery in Houston, The Dallas Contemporary and the MAC, Women & Their Work, Texas State University in San Marcos, D Berman Gallery in Austin, D. M. Allison Gallery in Houston, the Dougherty Art Center in Austin, and Northern-Southern Gallery also in Austin. Before returning to Texas, she exhibited with the Braunstein-Quay Gallery in San Francisco. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/HM9xi2tb.jpg Coil Up 2019 48” x 36” ink on mulberry paper collage mounted to panel NAOMI SCHLINKE and JAMES TURNER Steps on Steppes now showing at NORTHERN-SOUTHERN GALLERY (https://northern-southern.com/2019/steps-on-steppes/) 1900-b East 12th Street near Chicon / Austin, TX 78702 Phillip Niemeyer, curator Show Run: January 11 - February 15, 2020 Gallery hours Saturdays Only: Jan 18, Jan 25, Feb 1, Feb 8, Feb 15 3:00pm - 6:30 pm or for appointment, contact: the gallery: hello@northern-southern.com or the artist: naomi@naomischlinke.com Some of the subjects we discuss: Resonating work Creating an environment REM-Gensler Daydreaming Immersion Studio visits Describing new work Religious art Abstraction/movement Beginnings of dance Studying dance Touring and performing Writing and painting European art tour San Fran in the 70’s Dance experiences Mind of another time Foundational influences Slowing down Engaging with materials Print with Coronado Starting to use ink Quoting myself Ink and mulberry paper Creating a life Loft in SF/showing work Move to Austin Adventurous spaces Collectors/prices Chance/choice Making paintings Aesthetically rewarding Arranging the pieces Name and titles Northern-Southern Thanks This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"You know what, all that matters is that you find a way, however you have to do it, to just keep making your shit. Whatever that is. Just don’t stop. Any creative person. It’s so easy not to. Just find a way. Just don’t stop. You have to give yourself that opportunity. It’s a lot easier now than ever. So by whatever means you have please take advantage of it and go make your stuff, because you’re not getting younger." Rohitash Rao makes cool stuff. Funny stuff. And a lot of it. Lucky for us he recently moved to Austin to take a teaching job as an assistant professor at the Stan Richards School of Advertising. Since childhood Ro has been a prolific creator, drawing and painting on anything he can get his hands on. Studying at Art Center in LA gave him a chance to try all different types of art creation and also learn how to pitch ideas and tell stories. Over the years he has worked as an award winning art director, illustrator, animator, has made a documentary, short films, music videos, stop motion, has co-written seven children's books, has exhibited his art numerous times, and is about to release an album of songs that he will be performing live with his band. Through his art creation he explores his personal experiences and also shares his often humorous commentary on the state of the world, with the belief that comedy and art are therapeutic and can lessen the weight of life. Keep smiling and make your shit. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/h-WXoGCF.jpg OF COURSE I'M HAPPY Spray paint and acrylic on found wood 38 x 48 inches Bio courtesy of Rohitash Rohitash Rao’s art is a reflection of our culture. His work reflects our over-consuming society, often made on the very things that we throw away. His work is a conceptual (and often funny) take on the way we live. As a friend put it, “Ro's art puts our society up against a funhouse mirror into which the dog of irony continually dives at its own reflection.” Rohitash Rao is an award-winning art director, animator and director. He has co-created and illustrated 7 children’s books published by Harper Collins, made an animated TV pilot for 20th Century Fox and has had 12 solo shows as a fine-artist. He currently works as an assistant professor at the Stan Richards School of Advertising at the University of Texas in Austin. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/_MKWqYcc.JPG YOUR PROBLEMS ARE NOT CONVENIENT Spray paint and acrylic with cut out eyes from magazines on found fast food cup Roughly 4 x 6 inches Upcoming group exhibition I Picked You A Flower (https://www.facebook.com/events/996217374078148/) Opening Reception Feb 7th, 7-10pm February 8th - March 14th Vault Stone Shop 4361 S. Congress Ave, Suite 103 Austin, TX 78745 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/9-0h-MFF.png FLOWERS WILTING IN GLASS BOWL Acrylic on wood 24 x 24 inches Some of the subjects we discuss: Confidence The 100th painting Very specific/organized Calculated spontaneity Just steeping stones Found objects Being intentional Marlboro box story Art for beer Canopy studio Rancho Cucamonga Interesting upbringing Being American Hobby and Jobby Art as career? Chemistry class Art Center everything Building a portfolio Art director job Move to NYC/filmmaking Directing/storytelling Documentary/spec reel Switch to animation Battle of the Album Covers Poison music video Curious Pictures Move to L.A. Book deals/Studio Commitments Starting to teach Advertising at UT American culture & creativity Working with students 6th & Lamar assignment Talking trash on trash Humor and laughing Early influences More serious work Ro Hit Records I drive and I eat Videos for songs Why stop motion The books Social media Make your shit This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I have a huge interest in empathy and compassion and humanizing people. That’s been a big part of my work and my life." Annalise Gratovich is a Texas printmaker who uses a lot of different tools and a supportive community to create small to sometimes very large prints. She can often be found carving carefully and meditatively out of wood, scribing into metal, or hand dying paper, the goal being to breathe life into the various beings, objects, and plants that inhabit the totemic and endearing world she has created. A world inspired by her family heritage and a desire to engender empathy and wonder. Everything is revealed when the paper is pulled from the intricately crafted and inked matrix. All of the hard work culminates in a print that will live on the walls of art lovers and collectors who appreciate the care and compassion that comes through in her work. She also travels to many other print shops as a guest artist and lecturer, is on the board of directors for Print Austin, and works the Blanton Museum of Art. Annalise Gratovich – Through the Dusk, a Light Recspec Gallery (https://recspec-gallery.com/) 4825 Weidemar Lane #700, Austin, Texas 78745 (map) (Facebook Event) (https://www.facebook.com/events/861446307640715/?active_tab=discussion) Opening Reception Saturday, January 25th – 5-9pm On view through March 7th and for PrintAustin Works on paper about the places for which the heart yearns by printmaker and artist Annalise Gratovich. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/M-tsJ8L_.JPG https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/fLXgE9lm.jpg About text courtesy of Annalise's website Annalise creates her finely crafted prints by hand from start to finish, carving wood, etching metal, dyeing paper, and using manual printing presses to create multiple originals. Each piece is printed on the finest archival papers using oil based inks and hand dyed papers she produces in her studio. Annalise operates as a self publisher out of Austin, Texas and travels frequently across the country as a visiting artist and speaker and to publish prints with highly esteemed print shops. Annalise begins each of her pieces with a drawing and a love for technical and artistic experimentation. She meticulously carves wood blocks with hand tools or carefully scribes into wax on the surface of a copper plate that is then dipped into an acid bath. Once these matrices are complete, sometimes after months of carving or a dozen dips in the acid bath, she begins her color development. Starting from color swatches she dips and tests in her studio, she dyes in bulk sheets of thin yet strong mulberry paper in a wide variety of colors and patterns. These sheets of dyed paper are then carefully cut out and applied to the wet ink on each woodcut or etching during the printing process, at which time the ink, papers, and pressure all combine to create the prints you see here. Annalise Gratovich was awarded the title of Creative Ambassador of Visual Arts in 2019 by the City of Austin and exhibits extensively nationally and internationally, most recently in Buggenhagen, Germany, New York, NY, Dawson City, Youkon, San Antonio, TX and Austin, TX. She was most recently a guest artist and lecturer at Egress Press, Edinboro University, Pennsylvania, and a guest artist and juror at New Leaf Editions in Vancouver, B.C. Her most recent publications were produced by Mixed Grit in Denver, Colorado, at Egress Press in Pennsylvania, Evil Prints in St. Louis, Missouri, and Cannonball Press, Brooklyn, New York. She has work in numerous private and public collections, the most recent acquisition going to the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. She is a member of the Board of Directors of PrintAustin, a month-long, city-wide printmaking event for which she has helped organize exhibitions and special events, curate the PrintAustin Invitational, and has participated in artist and curator talks, and panel discussions. Annalise’s ongoing and largest series to date, Carrying Things From Home, is comprised of eight 3x5.5 foot hand-dyed chine collé woodcuts. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/f4zzPFmP.jpg Annalise at the 2018 PrintAustin Expo PRINTAUSTIN (https://printaustin.org/) January 15th - February 15th, 2020 PrintAustin’s mission to the Austin art community and galleries is to share our enthusiasm for printmaking by helping galleries curate, exhibit, and promote works on paper and to engage a wider audience through in-house artist talks, signings, panels, printmaking demonstrations, and print-focused art happenings. With several professional print shops, nationally recognized university printmaking programs, internationally acclaimed print collections, and a thriving printmaking community, Austin is a hub for printmaking in Texas. The PrintAustin team is working with organizations and individuals throughout the Austin visual arts community to showcase fine art prints during this annual event, January 15-February 15. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"There is nothing wrong with failing. Failing is a learning moment. If you failed and you took the time to reflect and learn why you failed, and what you can do to change that course, and who can help you with that, most importantly, then you haven’t failed. You’ve just learned something." Oen Hammonds is a Design Principal at IBM here in Austin where his job focuses on employee experience design. As early as High School he found himself designing for others, and after an eight year stint in the U.S. Army, he picked up where he left off and studied design in college. The jobs he has had since have all challenged him and have added to his skill set in different ways. He talks a lot about his path to the success he has found today and how important it is for a designers to have humility in their work. We delve into the subject of Design Thinking and all the ways that framework can be adapted to peoples careers and everyday life. Oen has also been sharing his knowledge as a teacher for the last fifteen years and is married to accomplished artist and teacher Hollis Hammonds. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/nSdUvcB-.jpg About text courtesy of Oen's website Designer | Advocate | Educator Knowledgeable Design Principal with solid grasp of development, implementation and optimization of communication and leadership skills. Goal-driven Graphic Designer successful at applying technical skills to create work that informs and engages customers. Clear communicator and collaborative team player with an eye for detail and skill in customer relations. Ready to bring 20+ years' experience to dynamic position in fast-paced environment. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/b9zOLRVt.jpg Some of the subjects we discuss: Designer Advocate Teacher Student diversity Art vs Design Humility/Ego Mad Men Meeting needs Telling a story Buyer loyalty High school Mac Classic Getting paid? Joined the Army College/NKU Design style Early influences Benchmark From large to small Move to Austin Y&R experience Agency vs In-house Move to IBM 4 different roles Design Thinking Team activities Empathy map Useful in life Being reactive Constructive meetings EDT development Open source/badges It’s a Framework The Loop Observe Reflect, Create Solving a problem Loosely held Courage/slow down Oen’s career course Failure/goals Mentorship Using EDT in life Year end review More time for fun Personal work https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/XpGVa4YG.jpg This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“My passion is around art because I know how wonderful it is to create. There are lots of fabulous programs for people to have food and shelter. Very Important. Very Important. But we as human beings need to have our souls fed. That’s what I see happening with Art From The Streets.” Heloise Gold - Founder and Board Member At Large "We have about 35-40 artists that are actually there at a booth, that you can communicate and talk with and get to know and hear stories. I think when you take things back home that’s the best part of the art, the story that you have about the person or what it was about or what it meant to them.” Kelly Worden talking about the 27th Annual Show and Sale For the last 27 years Art From The Streets has helped artists who are currently or have previously been homeless to have the supplies and a safe space and window of time to just create. The work is then sold and the artists receive 95% of the proceeds. This interview consists of the voices of four different people involved with the organization. First Executive Director Kelly Worden speaks to the overall scope and mission, responds to quotes from four artists, talks about how this work has changed her life, and hopes for the future. Next, one of the original founders Heloise Gold talks about how it all started and it’s impact on her and others. Having been a weekly volunteer for the last 8 years, Katrina shares details about the open studio sessions, things that she has learned working with a homeless population, and about creating hope and success. Lastly we hear from Hugh, a formerly homeless artist who shares his story and how AFTS has helped him. Please visit their website to see how you can help this very important organization! Art From The Streets 27th Annual Show and Sale December 7th & 8th 11am-5pm Austin Convention Center 500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, Texas 78701 Ballroom A Text courtesy of the AFTS Facebook event page The mission of Art From The Streets is to provide a safe and encouraging environment where the positive spirit of homeless and at-risk people is nurtured through artistic expression, offering them a pathway to self-determination as a source of pride, achievement, social connection, and income through the creation and sale of their work. AFTS is celebrating its 27th year! YEAHH!! We provide a 4 times a week Open Studio for the artists to come and create throughout the year which culminates in this AMAZING show! There will be thousands of pieces of artwork for sale for you to choose from for all budgets! Many of the artists themselves will be attending to chat with you about their artwork and inspiration. Come and invite your friends, colleagues and family to support this program but most importantly the artists!! Suggested $5 Donation at the Door to support AFTS! Austin Convention Center Ballroom A Entrance on Cesar Chavez/Red River - Fairmont Hotel Entrance Be reminded 95% of artwork sales goes DIRECTLY to the artists. Some of the subjects we discuss: Kelly Worden-Executive Director Description of AFTS Annual art sale How to help Artists quotes Life changing Heloise Gold-Founder/Board Member At Large The beginnings Making art with us First show Open studio classes Getting organized Divisiveness Feeding your soul Success story Preconceptions Finding a space The work is good Meeting the artists Katrina Meredith-Volunteer Volunteering Trinity center open studio Artists have jobs Assumptions Interacting Veterans Transformation Blanton visit More interaction Finding joy Support themselves Creating hope/success Hugh Miles-Artist Coming to Texas Art talent as a boy Sharing knowledge Positive state of mind Looking forward We are not labels Love/action/truth They can relate Resentments Always had art Enough is enough All I have is today Not looking down Don’t fit in/judgement How AFTS helps This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“As any conceptual artist you feel like you are a reflection of the people around you. It’s not like you do what people want. It’s more like you try to just feel, what is the concerns or what is the highlights of your society. And how to connect people. And how to connect with people. And that’s what I love making through art.” Rehab El Sadek is a conceptual artist who’s work often has the aesthetic of objects discovered in the course of an archeological dig. And even though the work may have been just created, the mystery of it’s provenance and age allow the viewers imagination to expand and explore all of the rich and intriguing possibilities. Rehab’s work gets inspiration from all of the different places that she travels and from the people that she meets and what she can discover and learn from them. Her work evolves through time as she converses with those who view her exhibitions. There in those dialogues she finds the next steps of growth and reaction. Her newest exhibition, Transient, explores how we can better learn to understand each other and what it is to belong and where you call home. What a delightfully sincere and thoughtful conversation this is. Please enjoy and be sure to check out Rehab’s work online and in person if possible. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/7wKj2ZeL.jpg The Memory Palace exhibtion at Big Medium, June 2019 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/92mEf3m4.jpg The Memory Palace exhibtion at Big Medium, June 2019 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/UQ3GUjQ6.jpg The Memory Palace exhibtion at Big Medium, June 2019 Statement & Bio courtesy of Rehab's website Statement I value the opportunities art provides me to connect with people on an emotional and intellectual level. Meditation on interior space, immersion into unique overlooked outdoor places, and examination of alarming social and political trends taking place in the world inform the artistic inquiries of my practice. Bio Austin-based/Egyptian-born Rehab El Sadek is a conceptual artist whose career has spanned over 25 years. Meditation on space and immersion into overlooked places inform the artistic inquiries of her practice. She has initiated workshops and creative social practice interventions on issues ranging from women’s rights in Sinai to the challenges facing disadvantaged children in Nairobi. El Sadek has participated in group and solo shows at Lumen Travo Gallery (Amsterdam), Borusan Art Gallery (Istanbul), Ashkal Alwan (Beirut), the L.A. Freewaves Festival at MOCA Geffen Contemporary (Los Angeles), La Photographie Africaine (Bamako), and The Women's Museum (Dallas). In 1999, she was chosen by Jannis Kounellis for his Pavilion at Biennale Dei Giovanni Artisti (Rome). In 2009, she was part of “Rebelle: Art and Feminism 1969 - 2009” at Museum voor Moderne Kunst (Arnhem). Her awards and residences include the UNESCO-supported Artists’ Bursaries at Gasworks Artists Studios (London) and the Thami Mnyele Residency Award (Amsterdam). She is also the recipient of an Installation Prize at the Sharjah Biennale (Emirates). In 2017, El Sadek was named the City of Austin’s first Artist-in-Residence, exploring environmental and social issues embedded in the city’s Watershed Protection Department. Her current, deeply personal work draws inspiration from ancient and classical architecture, modern architectural theory and explores broad themes of immigration, belonging, communication, and language. El Sadek holds a degree in art from the University of Alexandria (Egypt). Current and upcomming https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/zN6ZhjrD.jpg Thin City, 2019, Mixed media on paper, 28 x 37in Rehab El Sadek: Transient Prizer Arts & Letters 2023 E Cesar Chavez St (512) 575-3559 Through January 4th, 2020 With Transient, artist Rehab El Sadek continues her exploration into issues related to immigration, belonging, communication and language. Utilizing sound installation, photography and the written word, El Sadek meditates on residential spaces and our relationship to them and to each other. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/16iCJKCe.jpeg Transient at Prizer Arts & Letters Some of the subjects we discuss: Artist statement Inspiration Positive change Support for the arts Fathers influence Archeology Human culture Aged objects Feedback from viewer Life as a child Always by the window Art school/painting Beautiful time of life Working in fashion 1st Cairo exhibition Book sculptures Traveling from Egypt London-Empty Shapes Moving to the US Self preservation Being an immigrant Moving to Austin Artist in residence Watershed protection The Memory Palace Architectural projections Building the pyramid Transient exhibition Different voices Community involvement Making connections Prizer/EAST This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"It’s always scary to stop doing something. But if you don’t stop doing something, you can't do something new. Every time I’ve stopped doing something other opportunities came, or I had time to try something new." Keith Kreeger loves clay. For the past 25 years he has dedicated himself to forming and shaping various types and colors of that material, into beautiful bowls, vases, plates, and many other objects that are intended to be used and enjoyed. After college he set up his first potters studio in Cape Cod, where he grew and honed his artistic and business skills. Then a move to Austin shifted the aesthetic of his work to more simple forms with subtle lines. The look and profile of his business has also evolved over the years as he has strived to stay in tune with his core values and maintain a balance between work, family, what feels right, and what makes sense. His customers are people who care about where the things in their life come from and how they are made. Objects matter. Keith and I talk a lot about his business but also delve into his history in ceramics and his philosophies about his art, his customers, and how he figured out where he is headed. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/UKdPFt78.jpg Photo by Chad Wadsworth Text courtesy of Keith's website. Meet Keith Besides being the proud owner of 32” paella pan, Keith is an artist, designer and maker. Hailing from the East Coast, Keith got to Austin as quickly as possibly with this wife and three children. Previously he had a studio and contemporary craft gallery on Cape Cod for 12 years. Keith’s aesthetic comes from the singular idea that “objects matter,” and his work reflects that simple phrase, exemplifying clean, polished and modern design. A past-president of the board of Big Medium, the arts nonprofit that produces the East Austin Studio Tour, West Austin Studio Tour and the Texas Biennial, Keith currently sits on the board of the Austin Food and Wine Alliance, the advisory board of Austin Bat Cave and is an active supporter and advocate for the Andy Roddick Foundation. When he’s not behind the wheel, he can be found making strong espresso, epic playlists, hosting as many rad events in town as possible and driving his kids to their soccer games. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/dRWhGyTi.jpg Keith's Austin showroom Normal hours - Wednesday-Friday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm 916 Springdale Rd Bldg 3-104, Austin, TX 78702 EAST AUSTIN STUDIO TOUR November 16–17 & 23–24, 2019 12pm-6pm Some of the subjects we discuss: Canopy Labels Making the shift Instagram Standing out What drives him Being a potter Traditional path True fans/new people Working with chefs Selling wholesale Something new Art of the pot Convention life Supportive partners Anniversary Sharing the work Social media Fun opportunities Connections Hand of the maker 1000 years old In the moment Capacity Something lasting What we are making Defining for yourself Largest order Re-evaluating College in NY In love with ceramics Success/failure Toshiko Takaezu Working with a legend Do it now Cape Cod Studio Collectors/tradition Reduction firing Change of aesthetic What is porcelain Move to Austin Getting established Cobra stuidos/EAST Functional objects Dinnerware Made to order Using molds Expectations Size of studio Making decisions Starting/finishing This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“My goal has always been to make a painting breathe with realism, but when you get up to it you can really see the brush quality. That is what I’ve always been drawn to when I look at work. That has been my obsession since I was very young.” Karen Offutt is a figurative realist painter and one of the founders of Austin’s own Atelier Dojo, a professional arts academy offering classes, workshops with visiting artists, open studio sessions, and a new intensive study program starting next year. After growing up with a love of drawing and art, it took Karen quite a lot of searching to find the instruction and community she desired. After many years of serious study which eventually led to teaching others painting, she has made a respected name for herself in the realism community and also through the growth and reputation of the school she started with fellow painters, Jennifer Balkan and Denise Fulton. We talk about her practice, about the school, and what she has learned in all of her different roles including motherhood, and how her work continues to evolve. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/wNhv3tuT.jpg Wallflower ‐ Oil ‐ Panel ‐ 24 x 20 Bio courtesy of Karen's website. Karen Offutt was born and raised in Dallas, Texas by a creative family who encouraged her to explore her artistic talent from an early age. Her father was an artist and her mother is a designer and owner of a needlepoint company. Throughout her formative years, Karen excelled in art classes and participated in several art exhibits. As a young adult she sought a more serious outlet for her talent. Not finding the ultimate education for the type of realism she sought, Karen found art related jobs to keep her motivated. Learning to paint with oils was her goal and found that opportunity Austin Fine Arts Classes where she learned a more classical approach. From there, she attended workshops from nationally re-nowned artists and from there began to find her own path in her creative journey. From her studio in Austin, Karen approaches her paintings with an atmospheric sensitivity combining shape, tone line, and color. The inspiration of her preferred subject matter comes ultimately from the figure. "I have always loved painting people whether in natural surroundings or in a more staged setting." “As and artist, I am very aware of my environment which invites me to be a constant observer. I see potential in everything and my emotional reaction guides me to the specific inspiration. There are different aspects to my painting, for example technical skill, creative freedom and emotional truth. My goal is to create work that guides all these elements in a direction that moves me." https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/97tZ0bxX.jpg Offspring ‐ Oil ‐ Panel ‐ 30 x 20 Atelier Dojo (https://www.atelierdojo.com/) 916 Springdale Road Building 2, Suite 106B Austin, TX 78702 (512) 220-1058 info@atelierdojo.com Some of the subjects we discuss: When we met Type of painting Less is more Abstraction How you feel Many layers This moved me That’s really me Model Meeghan Wallflower painting It doesn’t end Capturing a moment Liking your old work Striving to improve Evolving the work Drawing growing up The right brain Modern art influence Austin Fine Art Classes Jennifer Balkan Painting community Idea for Atelier Dojo Motherhood Taking a break Personal aspects/People Painting sons Working with models Building a composition It’s all a blur at first Teaching painting Encouraging students You have to want it Guiding students Fear and pressure Piecing together skills Realism vs. Modern Connecting to now Having the skill Recognition Favorite things Selling work The business side Austin/Atelier Dojo Foundational skills Dojo Academy Classic structure How to get started Expanded world EAST events This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"The nature of the business is relationship building. With clients, with artists, with framers and installers. The people that make up this whole ecosystem we call the art world. Even people who come and pack the work and ship it, even they need to understand. Building up trust with all of these people I think is important. So in building relationships you have to be true to who you are as a person. I think it is something we re-learn even on a personal level, is just being true to who you are and knowing who you are. And I think you will be more successful if you have a good handle on what that is." Susannah Morgan’s passion for art began with inspiration from her grandparents, and has followed her through college, working at a gallery in NYC, running a gallery in Austin, and art consulting for corporate clients on sometimes very large projects. A year ago with all of that experience and knowledge under her belt, she ventured out on her own to work directly with collectors and artists in a broader and more personal way. I think most any artist who listens to this conversation with get something out it. Susannah really knows her stuff and is not afraid to share. We go into great detail about what she offers as an adviser and some of the tips you can take and run with. I really enjoyed speaking with her and hope that some of you will be inspired by this conversation to seek out her help or someone like her. To get organized, to get a proffesional perspective on your work and the industry, and to hopefully find the success and freedom that most of us desire in our careers as artists. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/pe5ZV7xc.jpg Headshot photography by Jonathan Morgan Photography Text courtesy of Susannah's website SKM Art Advising is a vital resource and partner for collectors, designers, and artists. Relationships are central to our mission, and our clients’ vision is our primary focus. We work closely with collectors across the United States to build meaningful art collections, interior designers to put the finishing touch on their gorgeous projects, and artists to understand the business of art. By working with SKMAA, our clients gain access to our positive industry relationships, and benefit from our extensive industry experience. Founder Susannah Morgan has built a career in New York and Austin both in the residential and commercial sectors as an art consultant and gallery director. Susannah founded SKM Art Advising with the goal of connecting collectors and designers with meaningful artwork. She is active in the community, building strong relationships throughout Austin, Texas, and the United States with artists, gallery owners, and collectors. In her free time, Susannah enjoys gardening, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her dog Maddy. She also volunteers her time with the Girls Advocacy League, a division of the Girls Empowerment Network in Austin. SKM Art Advising (https://www.skmartadvising.com/) susannah@skmartadvising.com (mailto:susannah@skmartadvising.com) 512-299-3062 Austin, Texas Current and upcomming 2019 Exhibition Series (https://www.skmartadvising.com/exhibitionseries) The Spaces Between New works by Larry Goode Opening Reception - Tuesday November 5 from 5:30- 8:00 Exhibition - October 30- January 6 Paris in a Bite 3801 N Capital of TX Hwy, Suite D-180 Austin, TX 78746 SKM Art Advising is proud to be mounting a series of curated exhibitions at The Gallery at Paris in a Bite in the Westlake neighborhood of Austin, Texas. Our intention with this series is to create a space of dialogue and to showcase work that we believe in. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/IIqtMrY9.jpg Larry Goode - Aiiric 48” x 48” Oil stick, oil on wood panel Coffee Chat: Susannah Morgan (https://www.bigmedium.org/events/coffee-chat-susannah-morgan) Thursday, November 7, 2019 9:00 AM 10:00 AM Big Medium 916 Springdale Rd, Bldg 2 #101 Austin, TX 78702 Join us for our November Coffee Chat with Susannah Morgan, an art consultant and artist advisor. Susannah will share insights into collector behavior and best practices for artists learned through her experience in the field. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/0GZ8KfTc.jpg Rebecca Jewell - Multicolored Songbirds, Hand-printed and coloured goose, turkey, dove, and pheasant feathers with hand-printed tissue on archival mountboard, 33x35” SKM Art Advising is the exclusive broker for Rebecca Jewell’s work in Texas. We talk about this piece in the interview. Some of the subjects we discuss: SKM art advising Collectors Artist advising The conduit Love of art Biographies Grandparents Publishing Co. College at UT Move to NYC Volunteering at Met Insurance job Rebecca Hossack Intentional practice Working at the gallery Move back to TX Starting over Davis Gallery Skills learned Relationships Art + Artisans Corporate clients Learning the business Artists approach Out on her own Business coach Working w/collectors Questions/Research Presenting options Within reach Rebecca Jewel Collection management Getting organized Pricing work Gallery prices Knowing value Artist statements Customization Contacts/Goals Accountability Like a therapist I need help What is your job Referrals/Resources Girls Advocacy League The Austin market Artists she likes Paris in a Bite Work at a restaurant CS Coffee chat This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“The things that I think people don’t understand or misunderstand about me is that sometimes when I’m hanging out with friends or hanging out with piers, I can't help but make a joke or a comment about race. Because it is literally always there. It’s just always there. It’s an odd thing to constantly have that in your face all of the time. It’s heavy. I think it’s why black men die sooner than everyone else. That psychological weight is always there. And sometimes I wish I could explain to my friends what that's like. I wish there was a way to convey to people, and maybe that’s what I am trying to do with the art, what that constant pressure feels like, because it is literally constant” Dave McClinton is an artist and graphic designer who after doing design work for decades decided to funnel his life experiences, ideas, and emotions into often provocative, graphically intricate, and colorfully rendered, digitally collaged portraits and landscapes. The artworks aim to tell stories, start hard conversations, and to help visually define current and historical black identity and inner life. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/nqfTx2Rt.jpg Lo and Behold IV Statement's courtesty of Dave's website. ARTIST STATEMENT | as it pertains to the culturally based imagery. In the African American community, we are slowly rediscovering our history that has not been fully illustrated. It’s my job as visual communicator to review historical information and inform the community by bringing these concepts to life and help visually define our identity. And to distribute these stories about the strengths and trials of the African American community. I want to illustrate the life-cycle of the inner life of a black person. From innocent to informed. From recklessly defiant to determined. How the weight of American history can either crush you or harden you. And, how either result often has to be hidden from view just to get through the day. The anger of the African-American community is often portrayed as a threat. The anger of “traditional’ communities is depicted as righteous. This paradigm feeds stress and despair back into black lives and thus stokes the fires we try to simultaneously hide and harness. Currently, there is a newly intensified wave of empathetic consciousness in all forms of artistic output. I want the community to seize this moment in history to create work that tells a story and compels them to seek out empathy and activism for the sake of others. My hope is the work I’m creating can help do that. I want to spark conversations that have, historically, been hard to start. ARTIST STATEMENT | Concerning the landscapes. I create free standing crumpled paper still lifes, then photograph them and manipulate the images until I’ve created something that straddles reality and fantasy. I want to show you something familiar and then alter your perspective. These shapes and “views” are familiar but I want to you conjure up places you have been and seen. Not simply reproduce a vista for it’s own sake. I combine my love of photography, art and graphic design to create works that speak to the viewer by communicating something specific and obvious but also harboring subtexts that require repeated viewing or discussion. My work as a graphic designer has been to communicate quickly and efficiently through logo and branding work. That economy of message can be applied to art. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/lr0_Vv0X.png Resurgence Current and upcomming Laura Caffrey and Dave McClinton: CARRY THE REMAINDER October 11 - November 17, 2019 Atleier 1205 1205 E Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX 78702 Gallery hours: 11am-6pm, Thursdays and Fridays, by appointment on other days and evenings Meet the artists during the first weekend of East Austin Studio Tour: 11am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday, November 16-17 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/qxrI4zdu.jpg 2019 Texas Book Festival Weekend Saturday, October 26th 10:00AM – 5:00PM Sunday, October 27th 11:00AM – 5:00PM Saturday - 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM Meet 2019 Texas Book Festival Poster Artist Dave McClinton The Contemporary Austin-Jones Center (700 Congress Avenue) Meet the official 2019 Texas Book Festival Poster artist, Dave McClinton, as he shares his work, including the dramatic image for this year’s poster, Burgeoning, a mixed-media digital collage made from crumpled paper, photographed and rendered as a mountain landscape. The idea for McClinton’s crumpled paper series was sparked when he noticed the discarded gift wrapping on his kitchen table looked like a miniature mountain sculpture. Some of the subjects we discuss: Questions/reactions Experiences/stereotypes New conversations The mission Cultural work Code switching Textures/bodies Facial elements/features Eye contact/defiant Generational trauma Conflicting messages Addiction/genetics Using historical texts Replacing the nouns The word “likely” Graphic design Rewriting texts The Landscapes Crumpled paper Scars on the land Vietnam Memorial People as resources Other Art Fair Crowd reactions Tough conversations Bulletproof explanations Defending the work Who gets the work Woman at WEST Suit and noose Talking point piece Studying art in school Influential teachers Printing fascination All the names Starting to make art Using the skill set Story importance Evolution of work Showing emotions Sense of injustice Dealing with life Using humor Pride/embarrassment Me too/All men Righteousness Thomas Jefferson 3/5ths of a person The 1619 Project Texas Book Festival DJ Stout/Pentagram Atelier 1205 Landscapes Get out there/friends Davis Gallery show New plexi work Branding/logo work Creative freedom This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"At this point what makes me the most excited about the business, is trying to figure out how to build something that can be a sustainable platform for a number of different artists. It’s so hard to make a living in Austin as an artist or musician. Being able to bring people in and have us all working together on this thing has felt incredibly satisfying. To be able to stand back and watch these items being made by these people who I care so much about. I’m so proud of them and am excited to see where it will go because I am so inspired by them and all of their hard work." Kathie Sever founded her company Fort Lonesome almost 20 years ago, which creates custom chain stitch embroidered western wear for local Austinites as well as musicians and celebrities flaunting their elaborate wears all over the world. In the interview we talk about her artistic origins and upbringing, her time living on a ranch in Montana, how she ended up finding and learning chain stitch embroidery and what that is, the many challenges she’s faced both professionally and personally growing the business, her awesome team of employees, and how she never really gets to meet the celebrities they work with and she’s OK with that. I love how candid Kathie is about the struggles she has had growing her business and how inspired she is by the people she works with everyday. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/gfScSAGU.jpg Kathie and I at the Fort Lonesome shop in East Austin. Text courtesy of the Fort Lonesome website. About Fort Lonesome is a design-forward custom western wear and chain-stitch embroidery studio based in Austin, TX. We work collaboratively with our clients to create works that capture the stories of their wearers, in an effort to create pieces that slowly and carefully consider the symbiosis of art, narrative, and technician-ship. Our process is led by considerations of necessity and sustainability, and our designs are inspired by the natural world and its visible and invisible energies. Story Company founder Kathie Sever began working in western wear in 2000. She found herself spending a fair amount of time returning to her attempts to rebuild and make functional a hundred-year-old chainstitch embroidery machine she’d purchased. These machines have a legacy of connectedness with much of western wear’s most famous tailors. At that time, information about or mentors in the use of these machines was near to nil, so the learning curve was long and slow. But after many years of tinkering and communicating with some far-away fellow comrades, the gifts these machines, and their ability to confer the energy and individualism of their operators, resulted in the birth of Fort Lonesome in the fall of 2012. In the coming months and years the team at Fort Lonesome grew to include first Dana Falconberry, then soon after, Christina Hurt Smith and Amrit Khalsa, each of whom brought to the table strong backgrounds in diverse art and design, and whose collaborative approach to working together grew into a shared aesthetic and style. Since then the company has continued to evolve and grow, but slowly and always with the intention of pushing the boundaries of this long lost art form. Some of the subjects we discuss: Intro Having a platform The spotlight/feedback Having employees Sacrifices/skills You have to go through it Finding your way Staying connected Building a business Multiple voices Unseen aspects Ego/being a leader Who am I without this Self growth/help Growing up in Cali Parents and the outdoors Dad’s photography career Mom’s sewing influence Studying art in school Painting/teaching? Montana experience Western wear Being in to clothes Austin/marriage/children Starting to sew Childrens clothing line Business got too big Learning chain stitch Re-brand/Ryan Rhodes CSE vintage machines How chain stitch works Everyone on the team Help with the business Growth vs’ reacting Next phase/Saying No Valuing the work Feeling deserving Sustainability Dealing with celebrities Putting creativity to work Love of the team Getting back to making This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I’m going to continue to push my work forward. The work has always come first. It has to be the work, because it’s no good if it’s not. That’s my philosophy. I don’t push that on anyone else. That’s just always been my thing. That the work has to do what it needs to do." In this highly anticipated followup to my first interview with Deborah from March of 2018, we sit down to talk about all of the wonderful and sometimes challenging aspects of her amazing career over the last year and a half since we last spoke. From grants to residencies to gallery representation in Los Angeles and London, it has been a will ride. But don’t think she is an overnight success. Her work ethic and passion have carried her though over four decades of pursing art to where she is now. As they say, luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Deborah shares how her work has been evolving and where it is headed, her studio practice, as well as giving us a peek into some ideas for her upcoming one women show at The Contemporary Austin a year from now. I think Deborah proves that hard work, integrity, and persistence can change your life and the lives of others in a positive way. She is even planning to start a foundation to help other artists get the help that she so dearly needed to grow her career early on. If you haven heard our first conversation that covers the history of her life and career before last year, have a listen to Episode 19. Artist statment and Bio courtesy of Deborah's website. ARTIST STATEMENT Whether I was aware of it or not, otherness has been at the center of my consciousness since the beginning of my artistic career. My early ideals of race and beauty were shaped by and linked through paintings of renaissance artists and photographs in fashion magazines. Those images were mythical, heroic, beautiful, and powerful and embodied a particular status that was not afforded equally to anyone I knew. Those images influenced the way I viewed myself and other African Americans, which led me to investigate the way our identities have been imagined and shaped by societal interpretations of beauty. Having one’s identity dismantled, marginalized and regulated to non-human status demands action. This led me to critically engage image-making in art history and pop-culture, and ultimately grapple with whatever power and authority these images have over the female figure. My art practice takes on social commentary, critiquing perceptions of ideal beauty. Stereotypes and myths are challenged in my work; I create a dialogue between the ideas of inclusion, dignity, consumption, and subjectivity by addressing beauty in the form of the ideal woman, the Venus. By challenging Venus, my work challenges the notion of universal beauty—making room for women of color who are not included in this definition. Wading through my work, you must look through multiple layers, double meanings and symbols. My process combines found and manipulated images with hand drawn and painted details to create hybrid figures. These figures often take the form of young girls. I’m interested in the way young girls symbolize vulnerability but also a naïve strength. The girls who populate my work, while subject to societal pressures and projected images, are still unfixed in their identity. Each girl has character and agency to find their own way amidst the complicated narratives of American, African American and art history. BIO Deborah Roberts (American, b. 1962) is a mixed media artist whose work challenges the notion of ideal beauty. Her work has been exhibited internationally across the USA and Europe. Her work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York, New York; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California; The Block Museum of Art, Evanston, Illinois; Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas; Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia; Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, New Jersey; and The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, New York. Roberts is the recipient of the Anonymous Was a Woman Grant (2018), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2016) and a Ginsberg-Klaus Award Fellowship (2014). She received her MFA from Syracuse University, New York. She lives and works in Austin, Texas. Roberts is represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects. Some of the subjects we discuss: The first interview New studio Since the last interview Painting vs Collage Romantic/Americana Flat and fixed Work about boys George Stinney Where the work goes Tamir Rice shooting Evolving the work Boys with pink shirts Using fist imagery Do you see the subtlety Sculpture work/Books Lot’s of work to be done The first year/Car analogy Taking control/Staying true People working with her Keeping up the level Missing women Volta/Being prepared Having inventory Who gets the work Meeting new people Paying the bills Time to grow the work The work was fracturing Fear of changing Grants for artists A little bit of help Not an overnight success It’s not easy/Stress Hours a week Rauschenberg Residency Studio manager Contemporary installation Why not be preachy Getting back to people New book release Big Goals Talk at Blanton Upcoming Events October 4, 2019 6pm-8pm Book Release/Signing of "Deborah Roberts: The Evolution of Mimi" (https://www.facebook.com/events/704608353284801/) George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center 1165 Angelina St, Austin, Texas 78702 October 8th, 2019 6:30pm Artist Talk: Deborah Roberts and Robert A. Pruitt (https://54061.blackbaudhosting.com/54061/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=96ab230d-5226-4669-a7de-fa5c891fcb28&fbclid=IwAR3JJAPW80Xbd9gyo1rBtpgpzuqtJoe84HLKmIjM0U-Z9sqo4hAeg8-6_hc) This event is free to the public but pre-registration is recommended. Blanton Museum of Art The University of Texas at Austin 200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Austin, TX 78712 Banner image - Deborah Roberts LET THEM BE CHILDREN 120" x 45" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas 2018 This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"There are all these pressures and talks about how do you make your career. How do you make a living? How do you make it sustainable? How do you be an entrepreneur as an artist. And they are all great sounding, very trendy. But at the same time I want to come back and say, why did you want to be an artist? And what makes you want to wake up in the morning and run to the studio and make that thing. At the very beginning it was never for money, it was never for fame. It was something that’s driving you, that’s eating you inside. You have to get it out. How do we hold ourselves accountable? How do we know we are doing something that’s meaningful to ourselves first? And therefore it is meaningful for our viewers. If I am spending hours and weeks and months to make this thing, why am I making it. And what does it mean to people when they are seeing it. It has to be beyond, wow this is beautiful, or this is really cool. It has to mean something. To me and to them." Beili Liu is an installation artist who for most of her practice has focused on the use of space to create transformative experiences for herself and the viewer. She experiments with and puts a lot of emphasis on the exploration of materials, process, and time. Drawing from her life and cultural memory the works often explore issues that she relates to on a personal level and often highlight the importance of feminine strength through the use of meaningful repetition, mending, healing and resilience. And as a teacher who is a working artist she is also able to guide and inspire her students with the wisdom she has gained doing installations and exhibiting her work all over the world. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/BBLiRoC1.jpg Beili installing AMASS at University Gallery, Texas State University, San Marcos in 2013 Photo by Scott David Gordon (http://www.beililiu.com/Amass) https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/fbMq47hZ.jpg Lure/Rise, Chinese Culture Foundation, San Francisco, photo by Frank Jang (http://www.beililiu.com/Lure) Bio courtesy of Beili's website Beili Liu is a visual artist who creates material and process-driven, site‑responsive installations. Oftentimes embodying transience, fragility, and the passage of time, Liu’s immersive installations are engaged with multifaceted dichotomies: lightness contrasted with heft, fierceness countered by resilience, and chaos balanced by quiet order. Working with commonplace materials and elements such as thread, scissors, paper, stone, fire, and water, Liu manipulates their intrinsic qualities to extrapolate complex cultural narratives. Liu’s work has been exhibited in Asia, Europe and across the United States. She has held solo exhibitions at venues such as the Hå Gamle Prestegard, Norwegian National Art and Culture Center (2016, 2011), Hua Gallery, London, UK (2012), Galerie An Der Pinakothek Der Moderne, Munich, Germany (2011), Elisabeth de Brabant Art Center, Shanghai (2009), and the Chinese Culture Foundation, San Francisco (2015, 2008). Liu’s work has been showcased in group exhibitions at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. (2012), Hamburg Art Week, Germany (2012), the Kaunas Biennale, Lithuania (2011), and the 23rd and 25th Miniartextil International Contemporary Fiber Art exhibitions in Como, Italy (2015, 2013), among many others. Beili Liu is a 2016 Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant recipient. Liu has been designated the 2018 Texas State Artist in 3D medium by the Texas State Legislature and the Texas Commission on The Arts.Born in Jilin, China, Beili Liu now lives and works in Austin, Texas. Liu received her MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is a Professor of Art at the University of Texas at Austin. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/hINjti7C.jpg The Little House Stands on the Prairie, Permanent Installation, Adobe bricks, wood, straw, newspaper, glass, hardware, 7'x14.5'x10.5' (http://www.beililiu.com/The-Little-House-Stands-on-the-Prairie) Art Farm, Nebraska (http://www.artfarmnebraska.org/) https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/FqgcFLds.jpg The Mending Project / 补缮工程, 2011, Iron scissors, Fabric, thread, needle, mixed-media, at Women & their Work. Photo by Blue (http://www.beililiu.com/The-Mending-Project) Some of the subjects we discuss: Intro Material/Time Play/Studio practice Red Thread Each and Every Migrant children Growing up in China Sewing and working Lost generation Separation from parents Move to Shenzhen Made in China Migrant workers What we share Art growing up Love of writing English-Chinese Culture shock Resilience Taking for granted Being a teacher Advice to students Graduate program Encouragement Just do it Di-Da installation Parents support Little house/Art Farm House in China Building the house History/meaning Timeframes Perfection/enough Sanctum/Fathom Migrant deaths Feather meaning Tar and feather Related installations Women & Their Work The Mending Project Scissors Feminine strength Joan Mitchell Center Banner photo by Scott David Gordon. Part of the Panorama365 project. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I think artists are extremely inspirational people. You need a lot of mental discipline to continue to affirm the role of creativity and your voice in the conversation. That’s why I think artists are so important because it's just a really important point of view and perception in this cacophony that we hear. Especially now it's really good to bend your ear towards maybe more nuanced, more complicated, more complex murmurings and conversations about issues that artists are giving us." Chris Cowden is the executive director of Women & Their Work, which for over 40 years has pioneered elevating and exhibiting the work of women artists from all over Texas. They have presented over 1900 artists in all disciplines (dance, theater, music, film and visual art) since they started, and have produced over 130 color catalogs with commissioned essays about the artists they have shown. They have programs to educate the public and especially children about art, through various commissioned performances and many other exhibitions and events. They also provide fiscal sponsorship and technical support to artists in creating their work. Chris has to be one of the biggest champions of artists I have spoken with. She is really passionate about her job and getting people to experience, understand, and collect art. I love this conversation. I had been so curious to learn more about Women & Their Work and about Chris and her job and this interview does not disappoint. Text courtesy of the Women & Their Work website. Women & Their Work is a visual and performing arts organization located in Central Austin that serves as a catalyst for contemporary art created by women living and working in Texas and beyond. For 40 years, Women & Their Work has brought groundbreaking art to Austin, with exhibitions, performances, and educational workshops. Known for its pioneering spirit, embrace of artistic innovation, and commitment to Texas audiences and artists, Women & Their Work’s goal is to enrich the cultural experience for Texans by: Emphasizing the value and excellence of art by women Educating audiences of all ages about contemporary art Equipping artists with financial and technical support Engaging the community through diverse exhibitions, performances and other programs Admission to the gallery is free. Donations are appreciated. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm Saturday Noon to 6pm. 1710 Lavaca Street Austin, TX 78701 512-477-1064 General Inquires info@womenandtheirwork.org (mailto:info@womenandtheirwork.org) https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/tKG7jXd1.jpg Red Dot Art Spree 2019 Opening - Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:00pm – 10:00pm VIP Pre-Spree 6:00pm – 7:00pm Looking for tickets to the party on opening night? Click here. (https://e.givesmart.com/events/dDN/) Exhibition - Fri Sep 13, 2019 - Sun Sep 22, 2019 For art lovers in Austin, Women & Their Work’s Red Dot Art Spree means red-hot buys on original works of art at $750 or less and a paint-the-town-red night. Join us on Thursday, September 12th from 7- 10 pm. This year’s event will feature over 150 works by some of the best contemporary artists in Texas. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, prints and mixed media works will be priced $750 and below, and all shopping that night will be tax-free. A silent auction will offer items and services ranging from art-inspired travel getaways to gift certificates from some of Austin’s most sought-after establishments. There will be fabulous fare and cocktails making this the perfect occasion for artists, collectors, and creatives to come together for a night of artistic celebration! Some of the subjects we discuss: Chris’s job Art in the US Experiencing art W&TW beginnings The name/evolution Women in the arts Inclusivity/being seen Different facets Visual art exhibitions Performance commissions Education Program Kids at the gallery Fiscal sponsoring Different events Austin museums Being an art center Art collectors High profile grants Thirst on town lake Sources of funds Sale-ability of art Richard Serra Living with the art Exposure to art How it speaks to you What it means/rules Shana Hoehn’s work Ballet in NYC Keeps you curious Imposter syndrome Working with artists Banking/other careers New show every 6 weeks Social media immediacy Looking forward How to support This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“I’m always trying to be tranquil. I’ve experienced a lot of sadness and crisis and trauma in the last 10 years. I think there is a part of me that could have gone that direction and you would have been able to see it in my work. I have done some small pieces where they do look angry. But as far as the larger pieces, I would always feel like if I was working on something that gave that message that it didn’t really calm me. It didn’t really work for me as art therapy which is at the time what I wanted it to do. I wanted it to be able to take me to a quiet place. A thoughtful place. I wanted it to be about love and community, not anger or separation.” Watercolor artist and teacher Jan Heaton is this weeks guest. We met seven years ago when I was working on a photo project capturing artists in their spaces. That experience enhanced my desire to spend more time with creative people and explore their lives and work. Our conversation covers her creative childhood and her art and teaching career through until present day, which is typical of my interviews. But the main impetus for this episode is to share her late daughter Kristin’s story and the upcoming Davis Gallery group exhibition and fundraiser that celebrates her life. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/ybvMByuv.jpg Pink - 60" x 40" - Watercolor on paper Big Pink Blanket of Love Work by Jan Heaton & Friends Opening reception: Saturday, September 14th | 7-9 pm September 14 – October 12 Davis Gallery & Framing 837 W. 12th Street Austin, TX78701 Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm | Sat 10am-4pm 512-477-4929 In partnership with the Peabody Fund and Dell Children’s Medical Center, Davis Gallery is honored to announce a unique group show in support of Davis’ own Jan Heaton, one of Austin’s premier watercolorists. In February of 2019 Jan’s daughter, Kristin Peabody, was taken by an aggressive cancer she had battled for ten years. In place of the solo exhibition that was scheduled for Jan, Davis Gallery and Austin’s artistic community are banding together in solidarity to fight cancer and find strength. Over sixty artists have contributed 4x4 inch squares of their own original artwork in an overall pink palette that will be hand-stitched together to create a pink quilt, symbolizing the community’s compassion, strength, and friendship. The idea for the pink quilt is derived directly from Kristin's feeling that the love she had been shown over the course of her treatments felt like a "big, warm, pink blanket of love". In addition to this collaborative quilt, an extended group show focused on love, gratitude, and family will feature original artwork by Jan Heaton and over twenty other artists. Ten percent of the proceeds raised during this four weeklong exhibit will be donated to the Peabody Fund, a project set up in direct response to Kristin Peabody’s ambition to help develop innovative work in cancer research through the San Diego Center for Personalized Immunotherapy. The “big pink blanket of love” collaborative quilt will be donated to the Dell Children’s Medical Center’s fundraiser, “The Art of Giving”, an annual fundraiser dedicated to providing art and music therapy for thousands of young cancer patients. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/7jt4o45Q.jpg Panorama of Jan from 2013 when we met. Artist statment courtesy of Jan's website My paintings are personal observations of color, movement, relationships and forms in nature. I prefer the watercolor medium, as I love paper, and the tactile manner in which the pigment integrates with the paper. Painting on cold pressed 100% cotton paper I patiently build translucent, veiled layers of color, allowing the forms and values to evolve in a detailed and orchestrated manner. I normally work in a series, which permits the wet color to dry thoroughly between layers. The images are not restricted by the paper’s edges. Every random mark is there because it needs to be there. The reputed “happy mistakes” (that watercolor legend reports often occur in this medium) are planned and controlled. The circular orbs in my current work are simple, bold, direct, sensual, playful and often mysterious. The sphere recalls harmony, rhythm, movement, patterns, and boundless symbolic metaphors. In my work the circle exists independently and in groups, referencing water patterns on a shore, or a rising moon, rounded fruits, or the shape of a flower. The circle reminds me of family and friends, who are very important to my creative process. The times spent in a circle, talking, eating, dancing, playing, telling stories and solving the problems of everyday life. The memories of this connection to the circle are important to me. My intention is not to impose a specific message to the viewer. I often hesitate to title my paintings, for fear that they will be translated only according to my vision and close a door to the viewer’s interpretations. I hope my paintings will allow the viewer to observe a familiar object in a new way. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/pM0JVI7r.jpg Panorama with Jan at Boggy creek farmstand in 2014. Some of the subjects we discuss: How we met Panorama project Farmers market series Ideas & editing inspiration Mary Oliver poetry Detroit childhood Jan’s parents Artistic family Calligraphy Thank you notes Various jobs Deadlines Painting/website Losing job/new path Approaching galleries Jace Graf portfolio Wally Workman Gallery representation Hiatus Spa/calming work Morning walk/looking Boundaries/introversion Validation/feedback Discipline/schedule The Art of Giving Elizabeth Hendley Art Therapy Being a teacher What is watercolor? Opportunities/learning Advertising experience Business of art Kristin’s story The Peabody Fund Davis Gallery exhibition Personalized cancer vaccine This interview 2nd/3rd opinions Medical advocacy Supportive friends & family What’s different Gratitude This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"My most recent work there seems to be more of an embrace going on between parts as opposed to these diverse parts fitting together, maintaining their diversity. They seem now to be more a part of each other. That’s a mystery to me." Sydney Yeager is an artist who describes her current painting style as gestural abstraction. She also teaches drawing and painting at Austin Community College. Teaching has been a part of her life from early on, but it wasn’t until after she had kids and decided to go back to school that she committed to studying art in a serious way. We talk about her history and what motivated her early work and how that has evolved over the years. We also touch on materials, teaching, being a huge art history fan, the Austin art scene and more. Statement courtesy of Sydney's website I keep returning to a beautiful quotation which has become something of a touchstone for me. The quotation is from Italo Calvino’s book, Mr. Palomar, and is a description of a flock of blackbirds flying over Rome. The narrator describes the flock as a “…moving body composed of hundreds and hundreds of bodies, detached, but together forming a single object…something…that even in fluidity achieves a formal solidity of its own.” This idea of independent parts coalescing into a whole, only to collapse again into singular units, is one that has interested me for many years. Inherent in this idea is a sense of continuity, but a continuity constantly threatened with disintegration. It also suggests a state of suspension, where hierarchy yields to endless associations and connections. In addition to these conceptual interests are more concrete references. Some are from the world around me: geologic formations (specifically the unstable limestone walls so common in Central Texas), pixels, and atoms. Some are artistic references, including Italian mosaic, pointillism, process painting, and pattern and decoration. These diverse influences hold in common the theme of fragmentation. The question is whether these fragments are nostalgic reminders of a past presence, or conversely, the beginnings of a new form. The answer is never clear, which is why I remain interested in the question. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/SCAswB-Y.jpg swimmer | oil on linen | 60x72 | 2019 https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/eC2xAfcM.jpg naiad #2 | oil on linen | 72x60 | 2019 Some of the subjects we discuss: Introduction Galleries Photo use Painter? Early history Back to school Growing up Gang mentality Narrative work Limited art world Informal class Elisabet Ney Supportive friends Imposter syndrome Art school Transgressive work Feminism/anger Changing direction Life & death work Interior view/mortality Towards abstract Arabesque Disintegration People seeing work Being open Materials Figure ground The blank canvas Jumping in Flow state Stopping Love of paint Style evolution Teaching Art history Women & Their Work Teaching in overseas Studio in Elgin What’s next Austin art scene Generational gap Being an artist This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I just think that we have a greater strength en masse. The more we can come together and support each other the greater our potential. Don’t build walls. Don’t tell people they cant do it. Show up for the people you think that you can, and you have the strength to." GD Wright (http://gdwright.com/) is a sculptor, fabricator, and design consultant working most often with metal, cast concrete, and blown glass. He also consults with other artists to help them realize their own visions and has collaborated on and managed many monumental scale artworks and constructions. After growing up and attending college in the midwest he then made a career and a name for himself in Oakland, CA. Recently he relocated to Austin to start his career anew and be closer to his young son. His personal work is often a reflection of himself and his desire to confront what might be holding him back and to dismantle the cages we all create for ourselves. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/frjOQXVU.jpg “GD Wright: Impossible Until It’s Done” Through Aug. 18 Dimension Gallery www.dimensiongallery.org 979 Springdale Rd Austin, TX, 78702 512-479-9941 open Thursday through Saturday from 12pm to 6pm https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/PHB5j2uX.jpg Artist Statement​ for Dimension Gallery Fellowship My sculptural work is driven by the goal to arouse a deep visceral response in the viewer. I work to achieve this by creating a heightened tension in the interaction of two systems, defined as rigid and fluid. Steel structures, once assembled into a specific form, are fixed and unchanging. The fluid systems they contain introduce a temporal element in which there is no longer a definite object, but a shifting one. The use of a steel mold elicits the feeling of an unchanging model, yet the bulbous forms interact with this foundation in abstract, organic, and often unexpected ways. I draw inspiration from larger systems found in nature and society, which represent the push and pull of containment and expansion, strength and fragility, and change and inertia. This interplay creates a push and pull that is dynamic, as perception of the work becomes reliant on the individuals own deep emotive response as they perceive it. I began this body of work by capturing air, water, and soft pliable materials within my rigid structures to really focus in on the change and enertia that couldn’t be stopped in their interaction. This created a movement in the work I really loved. As sculptures would melt from within, deflate, or slowly wither away, I found the audience would interact with them in interesting and dynamic ways. The work was never static. During the next phase of this work’s evolution I transitioned into glass as my mode of movement in the hopes that the pieces would represent a more fixed object and potentially increase their ability to be collected. During this next phase within my studies I aim to employ my more developed skill set and experience with creating high end craft to realize them in a new and even more dynamic way. I plan to use materials such as castable resins, fiberglass, and maybe even concrete, to increase the scale of these works as I work my way to the monumental. I have done the experiments, now I need the funding to make them big. I would like to produce three to five, 6’-12’ works this year, as well as an installation built from the culmination of several smaller pieces that could wrap and move around the gallery space. Some of the subjects we discuss: Introduction Bubble cage guy Complex craft Fitting into shapes Cages/mirrors Upbringing College/art classes Punishment/repairs Object vs Craft Deadlines Working with water Beginnings in Oakland Working with glass Desire to teach Anything is possible People around you Projects/business partner Bus conversion Greater impact Facebook Move to Austin Ghost ship fire Austin so far CI grant/HS students Art collectors Cultural arts division Diversifying income Helping artists Being a dad Burning man The temple and loss Sacrificing for others Dimension gallery Message to artists This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

“I’m not solely an artist, that’s not my identity. I’m not just an artist, I’m a vessel. You are not defined by your occupation. You are not defined by the person that you spend your life with. You’re a creation that’s meant for more than just being an accountant, or a photographer, or a painter, or a carpenter. You’re meant for much more than just that. You are meant to use that as a place to help people.” Dallas based artist Matthew Brinston (https://brinston.co) categorizes his very distinctive painting style as something like descriptive realism that leans toward the abstract. The characters in his works come confidently right out of his imagination with each decisive brush stroke and seem especially unique and attractive in an odd way. Over the last 6 years since he was involved in an almost fatal motorcycle accident that changed his life, he has been painting in earnest and feels that his purpose is to create art to make the world a better place and to help others, primarily directed by his faith in God. Be sure to check out the work and also his very distinctive self branding, social media approach, and marketing style that as he states in the interview is aimed at getting people to take a pause. About text courtesty of brinston.co (https://brinston.co/about/) When death leads to life, art is inevitable. And art, as creation, is a reflection of its creator. Brinston and his work consistently grapple with the revolution of death and life and death again. The cacophonous symphony of color and shape, rhythm and structure that compose his work is all at once chaotic and calm. Just as the artist himself is an amalgam of mania and peace. The composition of art and artist is indistinguishable… just as his art is an extension of himself, the artist has become an extension of his art. For the artist, art is valuable in its making life worth living. Art has given him purpose and meaning, the people he loves, the places he’s been, literal survival, a future. Art is everything. And now with everything, the artist seeks to share this existential gift through collaboration and demonstration. Impact the world through connection. Inform himself and those around him through interaction. Art is the universal teacher. And the artist’s goal is to help people find little bits of themselves through personal synergy with the art. The artist’s path from life to death and back to life again has not been without pain. But the vision of Christ plus the inevitable clarity of death have afforded him balance amidst chaos and a wealth of generosity through selfless invention. The artist creates not for glory, fame or control… but because he is an artist. And an artist creates. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/3pN1deR8.jpeg Photo courtesy of brinston.co. Photographer unknown. Some of the subjects we discuss: Introduction Art growing up Early music career Motorcycle accident Miracle survival Meeting Christ Recovery/painting Finishing school First works Self inspiration Studio art/marketing Emotions in the work Getting to know the self France residency Daily routine Studio practice The blank canvas Confidence Daily prayers Vulnerability/wisdom Momentum Identity/purpose Daily clarity/adventure Gratitude Marriage/growing love The world you create Preacher paintings Brinston brand Pause/perception Art vending machine Leaving art in city Creating urgency Dallas community Sense of career Success & money Nurturing relationships Protecting yourself Mentorship Christ’s presence Cheat code Listening to your path This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"All of us as artists have inspiration that comes from a myriad of places. I felt just through a couple situations that had occurred, where I had not intended to do something, that the art had taken a life of its own separate from me. And I had seen the positive aspects associated with it, so it encouraged and motivated me to work hard to stay out of the way and to allow the inspiration to take place. And then once I acted on it the next piece was available to me. I think that’s one of the reasons I have been so prolific is because I was open and receptive to the inspiration and I didn’t question it and I acted on it." Werrick Armstong (https://www.instagram.com/werrickarmstrong/) is somewhat of an outsider artist who spent most of his life in business, but then retired and shifted his focus to art for the last 20 years. With his wife of 50 years he splits his time between Spicewood just northwest of Austin, and Marfa (http://marfachamber.org/#history), an unassuming art and architecture mecca in far west Texas visited by people from all over the world. Werrick creates large and often physically and emotionally elaborate 2d and 3d works that deal with a variety of subjects that he is passionate about. Ultimately he feels he’s really just a tool to create the art, guided by his faith and a higher power. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/tksmvssM.jpg Werrick in his Spicewood stuido with a piece about mass shootings. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/ZOfCFmNl.jpg King of the Jews https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/u_WDlhIS.jpg Werrick and your host, Scott David Gordon! Some of the subjects we discuss: Meeting in Marfa Dad & Vietnam Leaving business world Starting to paint Fear and risk You need to just see it Staying out of the way An attitude of faith Piece of Christ Intent of the piece Having faith There’s more inside Challenges Artistic skills Success Marfa/gallery Worldly visitors Architecture A real oddity Holocaust piece Relationships Using your words Humility and pride Pastors coin story The art world Stewardship Guided practice Marriage/giving up Spirituality/soul How to contact Thanks https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/qh9qocly.png WERRICK Art gallery in Marfa, Texas 100 East San Antonio Marfa, TX 79843 512-563-9403 Werrick.armstrong@gmail.com Contemporary art by Werrick Armstrong. Hours are variable–look for the “open” sign or by appointment This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I think more and more now people are interested in this conversation of the intersection of art and culture with social movements. Art & culture have always been a part of social movements, but being strategic with artists inside of campaigns and things that we are trying to move forward, there’s a really rich conversation that’s happening now. It’s just really exciting to be in a place where I can be both-and. Because it has felt separate. There is something about being in tune with your imagination and creativity that allows for some creative thinking that can support what it is that we all want to move forward which is a more equitable world for us all." This Ain't A Eulogy: A Ritual for Re-Membering from Taja Lindley on Vimeo. Bio courtesy of Taja's website An 80’s baby born in New York and raised in the South, Taja Lindley currently lives in Brooklyn, New York working as the Managing Member of Colored Girls Hustle. In 2007 she received her B.A. from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study where she designed her own major, concentrating in public policy and knowledge production with a focus on health and women of color. Lindley is a memory worker, healer and an activist. Through iterative and interdisciplinary practices, she creates socially engaged artwork that reflects and transforms audiences, shifts culture and moves people to action. She uses movement, text, installation, ritual, burlesque, and multi-media to create immersive works that are concerned with freedom, healing and pleasure. She is currently developing a body of work recycling and repurposing discarded materials. Her artwork has been featured at Spring/Break Art Show, Brooklyn Museum, Hammer Museum, Philbrook Museum, New York Live Arts, the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX), the Gallatin Arts Festival at New York University, WOW Café Theater, La Mama Theater, in living rooms, classrooms, conferences and public spaces. She has received coverage in the New York Times, VICE, ELLE, Blouin Art Info, Art Zealous and Artnet News, and ARTSY. In 2014 she was a Create Change Fellow with the Laundromat Project and selected to participate in EMERGENYC - an artist activist program of New York University’s Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics. In 2015 she was a Fall space grantee at BAX. Her 2017 residency at Dixon Place Theater culminated in the world premiere of her one-woman show "The Bag Lady Manifesta" in September 2017. This work is currently on a nationwide tour in the United States. In addition to being an artist, Lindley is actively engaged in social movements as a writer, consultant, and facilitator. For over a decade she has worked with non-profits, research institutes and government on policies and programming that impact women and girls, communities of color, low/no/fixed-income families, queer people, youth and immigrants. Most recently, she served as a Sexual and Reproductive Justice Consultant at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, facilitating a community driven process that created The NYC Standards for Respectful Care at Birth. She continues her work at the NYC Health Department as the current Public Artist in Residence, a program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Her writing has appeared in Rewire, YES! Magazine, Feministe, Salon and EBONY. She is a member of Harriet's Apothecary and Echoing Ida. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/cSSLlEAp.jpg Re-Membering is the Responsibility of the Living: An Installation by Taja Lindley Closes Saturday July 27th, 2019 George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center 1165 Angelina Street Austin, TX 78702 Open Hours: Monday-Wednesday 10am -6pm; Thursday 10am-9pm Friday-10am-6pm; Saturday 10am-4pm Sunday-Closed. The Carver Museum & Cultural Center will present the work of New York-based, multi-disciplinary visual and performing artist Taja Lindley. Her mixed media installation, "Re-Membering is the Responsibility of the Living," will be on view from March 7, 2019, to July 31, 2019. Moved by the non-indictments of the police officers responsible for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, Lindley draws parallels between discarded refuse and the violent treatment of Black people in the United States. The artist uses re-purposed trash bags to re-member, honor and value the Black lives that have been lost due to state-sanctioned violence. In this post-Ferguson moment, Lindley is imagining how to recycle the energy of protest, rage, and grief into creating a world where, indeed, Black Lives Matter. Image and text courtesy of The Carver Museum This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"It’s about looking, and continually trying to hone that and develop an eye." Sev Coursen (http://arcaneworld.com/) is an artist working in multiple media including photography, sculpture, film and video. His work has been presented in exhibitions and screenings in the United States and Europe. ONE PLUS ELEVEN OBJECT SHOW Curated by Lauren Jaben APRIL 2019 Opening Reception Saturday 27 April, from 4-7pm AGAVE PRINT (http://agaveprint.com/) 1312 E Cesar Chavez Austin, TX. 78702 Open 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday. By appointment. Exhibition Artist Statement My lifelong fascination with architecture and the history of developing landscapes form the core components of my sculptures, photographs, films and videos. The signage, border markers and fragmented shapes of buildings and background structures in transitional zones within the built environments of rural, exurban, industrial and urban landscapes have inspired many of the forms and surface textures in my objects. Objects and artifacts observed in natural history museums have also been a lifelong source of visual inspiration. These items are often taken out of their context in their original environments and placed in formal display settings. This fascination has resulted in creation of objects that could be interpreted as functional devices, ritual objects, architectural models or as decorative items. There is an additional series I refer to as portable objects -– self-contained, collapsible pieces designed for easy transport and setup. Some of the portables are fairly simple hinged devices and others are more complex. Pink Portable has hand-milled articulated hinges that allow the piece to be collapsed or extended in multiple configurations. Recently I showed the newly completed Pink Portable to Lauren Jaben. She immediately suggested we display it in the window at Agave Print. The title of the current show “One Plus Eleven” refers to this initial selection and the eleven additional pieces she selected, including several objects that have not been previously shown. I have long wanted to present a sculpture show with a variety of work and I am grateful to Lauren Jabens and Peter Williams for the opportunity to show my objects in their beautiful space at Agave Print. Some of the subjects we discuss: Introduction Three chapters Childhood in Minnesota Observing the landscape Early art creation Robert Irwin The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Subliminal Mystery/layers Epiphany moments Dioramas Transitions Move to Boston Experimental music Creative collaboration Madison Hotel Drawings/documentation Move to Austin Media development Sculpture/object origins Craftsmanship Color/visuals Artistic practice stoplightanalytics Cuero Hotel story The last three years Turning points Reactions to work Why make art? Agave exhibition This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"If I close it off then it’s not right. If you look at it and there’s only one answer, then it’s not right. So when I was talking about my older work, maybe it’s not technically good, but it brings up a question that everybody would give a different answer to. And not just other people. Quite often I’ll go back and see something I haven’t seen in a while and it will set off a whole new chain of thoughts." https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/ieLcrF6e.jpg Eating Warhol's Lunch 2016 gouache & collage, 41 x 29 inches Upcoming Exhibitions Julie Speed: East of the Sun and West of the Moon Taubman Museum of Art - Roanoke, VA Saturday, August 31, 2019 - Sunday, March 15, 2020 Touring from the El Paso Museum of Art, Julie Speed: East of the Sun and West of the Moon explores the rich artistic production of Marfa, Texas, artist Julie Speed from the past five years, including many recent works previously unseen. Speed’s last museum show before East of the Sun and West of the Moon occurred in 2014 and was limited to works on paper. Featuring twenty-nine works, the Taubman Museum of Art's presentation of Julie Speed: East of the Sun and West of the Moon consists of diverse works in the artist’s favorite media of oil, gouache, collage, and combinations thereof. Resident in Texas since 1978 and in Marfa since 2006, the artist forged her own path early on by ending her studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and devoting herself to imaginative figuration coupled with consummate technique. Sometimes described as neo-surrealist, Speed’s art holds affinity with the figurative Surrealism of René Magritte, yet her work offers scenarios that are simultaneously more personal and more complex than Magritte’s visual puns. Her art melds a technical mastery rivaling the Old Masters with motifs created from diverse sources ranging from Renaissance engravings to Japanese woodblock prints. As critic and curator Elizabeth Ferrer has written, “The contemporaneity of her art is rooted in its emphatically open-ended nature.” Some of the themes examined in the exhibition and the accompanying catalog are Speed’s mixing of structured and spontaneous processes, her unique bridging of painting and collage, her playful dialogue with artistic tradition, and the intention and power of her art to spark myriad imaginings and narratives. The exhibition includes a “Close-Up Room” consisting of a three-channel video-and-sound installation designed by the artist and highlighting the processes and details of her art. Julie Speed: East of the Sun and West of the Moon was organized by the El Paso Museum of Art and will be on view August 31, 2019 - March 15, 2020 in the Bank of America/Dominion Resources Gallery. Text courtesty of Taubman Museum of Art website Some of the subjects we discuss: When we met Marfa/sin faucets Making things Pleasing arrangements Moments of clarity Cracking herself up/anger Atoms/amazons Behind the veil Focus on painting Putting in the hours Older paintings High standards Not perfect Time/gardening Building a life Spacial proportions No compartments Afterlife/questions Where socks go? Specific & open How to look at art Painting the Duck Forming images Assumptions Meanings changing Eating Warhol’s lunch Rules for collages Color/symbols Fairy tales/magic fish No words of wisdom Closeup room El Paso exhibition This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I feel that my capacity to create, in so many different forms of media, to step into my work as an activist, to speak in a very vulnerable way in the types of spaces I’ve been invited into, really began with writing about and sharing my deepest shame. And once I had finally illuminated that, and I had brought everything into the light, the things I was the most ashamed of, the things that caused me the greatest pain in my life, I was then able to speak and to explore my creativity in ways that I never had before because I didn’t feel there was anything I had to hide anymore. I think a lot of the fears that artists have, and many of the artists I have mentored over time, they tend to fixate on fears about the work, what work to create and how it’s going to be received. But I think really all those fears are a manifestation of shame. Because we don’t trust ourselves, and we don’t trust that we are enough, and that our truth is worth sharing. I think the remedy for that is healing relationships. Being in communities and in relationships with people that can finally reflect back to us, all of you is welcome here. And that if there is a truth you need to tell it will be heard, because you deserve to be heard." Bio courtesy of Brooke's website Brooke Axtell (http://brookeaxtell.com/) is the Founder and Director of She is Rising, a healing community for women and girls overcoming rape, abuse and sex-trafficking. Through her mentorship programs, retreats and workshops, Brooke helps survivors become leaders. She is passionate about inspiring young women to reclaim their worth and express their power to create a more compassionate world. Her work as a human rights activist led her to speak at The 2015 Grammy Awards, The United Nations and the U.S. Institute for Peace. She is a member of the Speaker’s Bureau for Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (R.A.I.N.N.), the largest anti-sexual assault organization in the U.S., and an Advisor for Freedom United, global initiative to end human trafficking. Her work as a writer, speaker, performing artist and activist has been featured in many media outlets, including the New York Times, LA Times, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal and CNN. Brooke has published several award-winning poetry books and released three CDs of original music to critical acclaim. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/3rC-v1VG.png From Amazon Beautiful Justice: Reclaiming My Worth After Human Trafficking and Sexual Abuse Paperback (https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Justice-Reclaiming-Trafficking-Sexual/dp/1580058248/) – April 2, 2019 A story of healing and a guide to seeking justice after sexual abuse from Brooke Axtell, one of the foremost survivor experts on sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking When Brooke Axtell was seven years old, her nanny subjected her to sex trafficking. Today, she is a champion and advocate for women around the world who have experienced sexual violence and trauma. Beautiful Justice shares Brooke's own gripping story, both the trauma of sex trafficking and also her pathway through healing, moving on, and reclaiming power. Along the way, she imparts warm wisdom for others who have experienced similar violence, providing lessons from her own life and from the thousands of women, advocates, and lawmakers she's spoken with. Relying on her own experiences and a keen awareness of public policy, she provides a clear-eyed awareness of the ways that our culture and government work against women experiencing violence around the world. Inspiring and powerfully redemptive, Brooke encourages readers to take part in a creative resistance as a path to justice. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"I was aware of the culture I grew up in, but I was unaware of the cost for other people, and also unaware of the cost for me. I think when you are raised in a culture like that you have definitions for yourself that feel very comfortable and safe and you’re not even really aware of that. And so you start thinking, why am I telling myself these things? Why is that true? Why does that have to be true? It started seeming like an impoverished narrative. Or like a small narrative that I wanted to step outside of. I feel like every time I step outside of a story I’m telling about myself I see another story. It just feels like that right now, and I’m trying to keep honoring that. So this show is really about that girl, me, and the woman I am, and trying to step into that and keep stepping into it." Elizabeth's artist statement about "Deconstructing Nostalgia" This work began with my exploring the reluctance among women in the deep South to perceive patriarchal and racial structures. I remember myself as a little girl in Mississippi covered head to toe in lace, anticipating being fussed over, wanting to be the object. It sets up an early feeling of being doll-like and not owning one's body. And it sets up a very pleasurable, safe existence that rewards not questioning the system. I am interested in the way I have maintained my investment in this system—partly out of the privilege of not having to be aware of it and partly out of a conflictual relationship to beauty--beauty as emotional safety. I started thinking about lace as a metaphor for this experience, the obfuscation of ugliness--a representation of the gentility and graciousness of the South made possible largely by a history of graceless and dark systems. This obfuscation is highly effective in maintaining the status quo of both the oppressed and the idealized. This work is also about the portrait and my identification as a figurative painter from the South, an identity I find both rewarding and problematic. The Southern portrait is often a signifier, a status symbol, a decorative object, or a kind of pre-Instagram posting. I am using neon (unraveling and lit) and plexiglass (crystallized and glowing) as "lace"--neither bonnet nor halo, but playing with both. I made large ruffled "pillow" paintings and stuffed figures--fringed or in altar-like configurations with mirrored plexiglass and glitter clouds, re-interpreting the "trophy" room, woman as trophy, a type of padded cell of Southern culture, church altar. I am attempting to have a conversation with this girl I was and am, partly a confession, partly a blessing. I am also trying to expand the portrait beyond the confines of ego and decorative object, challenging the culture of gentility and nostalgia which is rooted in and particular to the South, but whose questions of privilege and beauty as both safety and entrapment are universal. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/zhLptRk2.png Still Explosions acrylic on canvas, 72 x 48 inches, 2018 Current/recent exhibitions Elizabeth Chapin: Deconstructing Nostalgia March 2-31, 2019 Wally Workman Gallery 1202 West 6th Street Austin, Texas 78703 512.472.7428 Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Sunday 12pm to 4pm. Chapin’s large scale works reference her Southern upbringing and the conflicted nostalgia surrounding the gentility and graciousness of the South. Chapin views much of this culture as made possible largely by graceless and dark systems. This obfuscation of ugliness and the worship of appearance is the theme that runs throughout her new body of work. Using the idea of lace as a metaphor for this experience and referencing historical religious painting, she explores beauty as safety for both the oppressed and the worshiped and idealized. Halos of fabric, acrylic and neon surround Chapin’s paintings. Some of the pieces are stuffed like giant decorative pillows, epitomizing the comfort of beauty as well as referencing the trophy room. With these works, Chapin has exposed Southern portraiture as a pre-Instagram status symbol and examines the pleasure and willful ignorance derived within it. Some of the subjects we discuss: Podcast origin Dana Schutz What to say Lace/the south Adoration/cage Racism/systems Portraits Living into it hard Emotional journalist Use of color Restricted pallet Watercolor College Being awake Self definitions Creating the new work Ultralight beam Boys/Henry Kanye/worship Understanding men Women/consent Other works in show Bonnets/young women Portrait of Henry Alabel/modeling Tablecloth & cake Sam is everything Privilege/permission Daily struggle Focus/discipline Taking yourself seriously Our one opportunity What’s next This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"When I was eleven I said I was going to be an artist, it’s just part of the process. You have to make bad work sometimes, it’s part of the deal. If you are not willing to make bad art then you are not willing to take chances. You have to make bad art to get to the good stuff. It’s just part of it." Text courtesy of Stella's website Stella Alesi (https://www.alesiart.com/) has resided in Austin, Texas for the last 25 years. Her work has been exhibited in commercial and university galleries throughout Texas, as well as being purchased for many private collections. Her most recent exhibit took place in November as part of the "Femme Abstract" exhibit in Austin. Currently a full time painter, Stella taught photography at the Austin Community College and ran a successful photography business for over 15 years. In 2005 she was awarded a Brown Foundation Full Fellowship to attend a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. She and her husband, Leon, founded the in-house gallery BLACKBOX in January of 2012 , and have curated and produced 12 exhibitions of emerging Austin artists. In addition they exhibit and promote their own work during Austin's open studio tours. Born on Long Island, New York in 1963, she was raised in New Jersey. She began her undergraduate work at Parsons School of Design in New York City, with stints in Paris and Los Angeles, and finished at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Her graduate work was completed at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/4/41335247-836c-4f4a-8a8b-aeca55f3227a/gJmZInaQ.jpg Number 270 from the Journeying series, 48x48 inches, oil, cold wax & bookbinding tape on oil paper mounted to panel, 2019 Prizer Arts & Letters 2023 East Cesar Chavez St., Austin TX 78702 | (512) 575-3559 OPENING RECEPTION: Journeying, featuring new work by stella lj alesi. FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 7pm to 10pm Visit the gallery on Saturday, March 23rd from 2-5pm for an afternoon respite. The artist will be present. We can sit and be with the paintings, exchange ideas and talk of art. Coffee will be served. Exhibition Dates: March 15th - April 13th Gallery hours: Saturdays, 12-5pm or by appointment. email: info@prizerartsandletters.org Prizer Arts & Letters is pleased to present: Journeying, new works by stella lj alesi. The exhibition will showcase hard edge, minimal abstract paintings that express the need for, and a path towards, balance and interconnectedness. Progressing from Alesi’s earlier highly detailed, long hand abstraction, Journeying moves in the direction of simplicity. Simple, monumental, stacked shapes speak quietly of the lived experienced and the constant micro adjustments made continuously as a need for balance and a recognition of interconnectedness is achieved. Within the lineage of hard edged painting from the late 50’s into the early 70’s, Alesi’s paintings bring a new narrative for a new time. These paintings are in direct opposition to the fast paced and visually overloaded times they were created in. The simple shapes and limited palette require the viewer to bring their own dialogue and experiences to the viewing. Stella writes, “I find that when living with these paintings that they quietly support; bring joy. They whispers answers to questions. They listen as well as speak. These paintings seep in, and serve as a quiet companion.” Stella Alesi grew up in New York and New Jersey and attended Parsons School of Design, the University of New Hampshire, as well as the University of Massachusetts in Amherst for her MFA. She has lived and exhibited her work continuously for the last 25 years in Austin, Texas. Some of the subjects we discuss: The podcast How we met Introduction Growing up/college Moving around Starting photography So many jobs Grad school Gender roles Being consistent Erotica work Berry paintings Shooting weddings Goal to quit Mandalas/yoga Getting into birds Meditative dots Working with color Moving to Austin Old & today’s Austin Undergrad work No fear/mistakes Paying attention Sketches/studies What do you see/hear? Channeling All about the visual Balancing act A happy place Digging for emptiness Using oil paper/tape Narrowing scope Make bad art Seeing work clearly Willing to show Editing/sharing Blackbox gallery Influences Journeying Staying calm/respite Current goals Rothko quote Who am I really Full time artist Feeling blessed Learning about yourself Ceramics New ideal job The prime spot Prizer exhibition The process Putting love first Being a woman This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)

"For me the success of a piece is if I’m able to create a weird sense of peace and disturbance to keep people there longer to sort of sit with it. Sometimes it can be hard because a lot of my work on the surface level you’re not able to see that research, you’re not able to receive that information. So a lot of it is the form and the experience with the form. I’m not necessarily interested in making didactic work. I’m very interested in using research and personal archives and communal archives to pull out some kind of poetic feeling that sort of takes from all of that research a feeling." Statement courtesy of Ariel's website Throughout Ariel René Jackson's (http://arielrenejackson.com/) family's history, land has been both a permanent reminder of systemic racism and temporal unfolding of possible transformations and outcomes based on individual and communal actions. Material remnants of a legacy of farming and traditions of black epistemology throughout the diaspora functions as a guide to sourcing materials and research. Jackson often uses installation to situate her practice into ideas of spatial matters as black matters understanding landscape as palimpsest, something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form. Jackson's installations incorporate physical, virtual, and aural elements. Jackson often encases found objects, embeds molds of material archives, and enlarge communal structures using naturally ephemeral materials like soil, clay, and chalk. Performance for Jackson is an opportunity to collaborate or engage with video projection, thinking of the body as both virtual and physical. In different and at times concurrent moments the body, materials, and objects become themselves and leave traces of themselves in Jackson's landscape(s). Ariel René Jackson (b.1991) grew up between New Orleans & Mamou, LA. She currently lives and works in Austin, TX where she is completing her MFA at The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been shown in New York City (Studio Museum in Harlem, 2016; CUE Art Foundation, 2018; SculptureCenter, 2019) as well as at the RISD Museum (Providence, RI 2017/2018), Depaul Art Museum, (Chicago, IL 2018), and the Contemporary Art Center (New Orleans, LA 2018). Some of the subjects we discuss: Deborah Roberts Introduction Masters at UT Research practice Grandparents farm Forty five acres Collecting/systems Grandmothers chair Palimpsests Use of soil/location Austin redlining Cage match project Artistic origins Grandmothers habits High school/college Confuserella/blues Grad school Dressing yards Mary Gilmore Being in the wake Chalkboards Education Grid machine Peace/disturbance Nod to the past Intuition Differences Awareness Upcoming: 2019 Studio Art MFA Thesis Exhibition (https://sites.utexas.edu/utvac/2019-studio-art-mfa-thesis-exhibition/) May 10 – 25, 2019 Visual Art Center The University of Texas at Austin Art Building 2300 Trinity St (directly north of DKR – Texas Memorial Stadium) This exhibition presents culminating work in a range of media by students receiving their master of fine arts degrees in Studio Art from The University of Texas at Austin. The opening reception is on May 10, 2019. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Intro music generously provided by Stan Killian (http://stankillian.com/main/) Support this podcast. (http://www.austinarttalk.com/supportpodcast)