Podcast appearances and mentions of john wentz

John Wentz leads Alpha USA. Alpha is in over 150 countries and in the past thirty years about 35 million people have participated in Alpha groups. Last year over two million people went through their program. Alpha works in a prison cell, a refugee camp, a bar, a school, a neighborhood home, or a church. The secret to their evangelism success is asking questions and caring for people. On today's episode of The Evangelism Podcast you will hear some amazing testimonies about what God has done through Alpha. The Alpha program creates a safe, non-judgmental space for people to explore the Christian faith through meals, short talks, and open discussion. Alpha has been effective at reaching people outside the church by genuinely listening to their questions and struggles. Testimonies show how the welcoming community and focus on relationship rather than doctrinal correction can lead to life-transforming encounters with Jesus, even among the most resistant participants. Alpha's approach of empowering ordinary believers to invite friends and create this kind of environment has enabled its rapid global expansion and lasting impact. Questions we talk about: What is Alpha? What are some of the hard questions that people talk about in Alpha groups? What are some testimonies of how people are being reached through Alpha and perhaps you could share some statistics about the impact Alpha is having? What is your testimony? How did you come to know the Lord? How did you get involved with Alpha? Describe the philosophy behind how Alpha functions.  How did Nicky Gumbel change Alpha from a course for new believers into a course for people outside the church? What is it about our culture today that makes Alpha's approach so effective? If someone wants to start an Alpha group or support your ministry, what would be the best way for them to get connected with you?

The sport of herding sheep with stock dogs is not going away any time soon. This month, the Crook & Whistle Stock Dog Trials competed for their 21st year in Wisconsin. It attracted more competitors than in years past. John Wentz organizes the competition. When he's not helping at a stock dog trial, he's raising the sheep to help train handlers and their dogs for the sport. He tells us about the tight-knit community of competitors and what it takes to be a champion. Wentz also says that need for stock dogs may grow as people start grazing sheep on solar farms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are joined by John Wentz. John Wentz is a contemporary artist whose work is an exploration of process and technique. Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to its core fundamentals: composition, color, and mark-making. Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer with an abstract sensibility.John joins us to talk about his artistic journey, techniques and the ideas behind his work.Learn more about John here

John Wentz is a contemporary artist whose work is an exploration of process and technique. Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to its core fundamentals: composition, color, and mark-making. Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer with an abstract sensibility.   John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel, he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator, and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue Fine Art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 5 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards. artistdecoded.com johnwentz.com instagram.com/johnwentz

This month, Ben sits down for a fascinating conversation with John Wentz, the CEO of Alpha USA. John shares the path that led him to this significant assignment and how we all need to hear, “You're not crazy!”, if we're going to pursue a big vision. We talk about getting the right why, what, and how people around our table. John explains that how you make your decisions is often even more important than what decision you make.

John Wentz, Executive Director of Alpha USA, spent the day with us to tell his story of how a desire to disprove Christianity ended up becoming a turning point for coming to faith in Jesus.

Wisconsin State FFA Honors Band Director Monte Dunnum is celebrating 25 years of supporting those young musicians. He works with 65 students each year. Students can be in the band for up to five years or until they turn 21 -- but he says the relationships last forever. "Come by!" "Lie down!" "That'll do!" are some of the phrases you'll hear during a stock dog trial. These border collies start training at around nine months and are ready to compete at around age two or three -- but it's handlers that need the most training, says trainer and sheep farmer John Wentz. Instances of cyber-attacks, ID theft and cyber crimes continue to rise. Last year, the FBI had a record number of complaints with potential losses reaching nearly $7 billion, explains Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance. The good news is that more people are becoming aware of their risk, including the ag sector. "I'm too young." "I'm healthy." "I don't want to pay that every month." These are common thoughts people have about life insurance, says Carl Ivey, life advisor with American Family Insurance. He walks us through scenarios where life insurance can help in farm transitions, retirement and taking care of your family if the unthinkable happens.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Come by!" "Lie down!" "That'll do!" are some of the phrases you'll hear during a stock dog trial. These dogs can only be border collies. They start training at around nine months and are ready to compete at around age two or three. But it's not just the dog that needs training, but also the handler. John Wentz raises 420 sheep in Portage to train dogs and their handlers for the sport. He does meat and wool on the side. Otherwise, 400 of his 420-head are traveling Wisconsin to be used in competitions or agritourism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Julia & Eric sit down with John Wentz, Executive Director of Alpha USA. Since joining the Alpha USA team in 2015, John has led the expansion of regional networks, has invested in the growth of context ministries (youth, prisons, Catholic), and has improved training nationally and internationally. John developed the hub church strategy and designed the core of Alpha USA's church engagement framework, both of which are now being implemented globally. Hear more of John's story which has helped him impact many churches, ministry leaders, and college students across the world.For more information on Alpha USA, visit: AlphaUSA.orgFor more information on Alpha at Vineyard Columbus, visit: AskAtAlpha.com

John Wentz is a contemporary painter born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel, he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator, and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue fine art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards. Show Notes: Cultural nuances John's shift towards digital artwork Imposter syndrome The effects of COVID on people's consciousness NFT's The background to John's latest gallery show, “Liminal Spaces” at Stolen Space Gallery in London The Liminal Space Grieving The concept of “ritual” How painting has changed for John over the years The idea of self-expression Voice and style Intentionally living The future of gallery exhibitions Wrap up www.artistdecoded.com www.johnwentz.com www.instagram.com/johnwentz

The Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival was a success this year, and one of the elements that made it a success was the stock dog trials that were held.  What does it take to raise/train a successful stock dog?  Aaron Zimmerman talks with John Wentz, exhibitor at the show, about those elements. Use equipment prices continue to climb as we get closer to the harvest season.  Ashley Huhn with Steffes Auction Group explains that interest is not just within the U.S. but all of North America. Today the WI Soybean Boards will be meeting in Arlington.  One item of business they'll be focused on is the upcoming WI Corn/Soy Expo.  Steve Trzebiatowski is a board member and soybean grower who's excited to see the return of the event.  He talks with Pam during the WI Soy Pod Update. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patreon and Paypal link – Another Uncut Podcast. In this episode, I am chatting with artist, John Wentz in California. John answers your questions on a variety of subjects. To find out more about John and his work go to: https://www.johnwentz.com/ John’s Instagram @johnwentz   Thanks for listening! Click here to support the podcast. Subscribe […]

This Podcast is with John Wentz and his son Luke, on the rhythm of Hospitality. John is an Alpha USA Executive Vice President of Ministry. Alpha International Experience/Extend Church Engagement Lead based in the Chicagoland area.

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel's sermon for Eastertide Evensong brings together preteen questions about the Seven Deadly Sins, ancient Greek philosophy, Emmanuel Kant, the arts, and a very powerful set of very good friends. All to remind us who we are, whose we are, and how we live into it. This evening's readings are: Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-8:1 Matthew 7:7-14 Readings may be found on Mission of St. Clare Officiant: The Rev. Barbara Ballenger Preacher: The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel Crucifer: Riley Prell Director of Music: Tyrone Whiting St. Martin's Vocal Ensemble: Krystiane Cooper, Alyson Harvey, Ross Druker, John Wentz, Martha Crowell, Jean McConnell, David Cybulski, Ralph West Lectors: Leni Windle and Harry Gould Liturgical Support: Cathy and Gary Glazer Tech Director: Daniel Cooper Altar Guild: Tina Bell In the Same Breath Sermon by the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel for Eastertide Evensong Sunday, May 2, 2021 Using readings from the Daily Office [Introductory Music] [The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel] Please join me in a spirit of prayer. Blessed Creator God, we give you thanks for the gift of your Sophia, your wisdom that pervades all you have made with your love and your goodness. She reflects your eternal light. She is a spotless mayor of your workings. She passes into holy souls and makes us friends of God and prophets, for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, welcome back to Evensong! Isn't this great? Except for the 16 layers of clothes I'm wearing, it's fantastic. So, at our church, there is a junior high student who loves to engage me in theological and ethical discussions. I relish his engagement. Nothing quite tests a seminary education like a preteen. His favorite recent topic - drum roll please - is the seven deadly sins. Today he asked me the profound question, “Jarrett can you rank them in order from the worst to the least bad”, certainly not the best. “Which deadly sins are more serious than the others?” he asked. “That is hard to answer,” I replied, “After all, they are all deadly. It's hard to get worse than that.” So I asked him, “Which ones are you concerned about?” He replied, “Pride and sloth. Pride is just being proud of yourself,” he said, “what is wrong with that?” “Well,” I said, “Yes, that's very good. Here's how I think it works: healthy pride is in the middle. That is, when we mirror God's delight in us and our delight in ourselves much like Sophia, on the one end there is too much pride and on the other too little pride. It's on the edges where sin comes into play,” I said. “Same with sloth. That's a fun word to use. Healthy leisure is in the middle that God delights in, on one side is too much indolence and on the other side of the spectrum we're overworking and addicted to our work.” He accepted this answer with a thoughtful look and I spared him the footnotes. You get the footnotes. What I taught him, and this is crucial to my sermon, comes from Thomas Aquinas. And before Thomas Aquinas it came from the great Greek philosopher Aristotle. Healthy Christianity has this long, healthy, happy history of productive relations with reason, philosophy, science, logic, and all the liberal arts and I want to celebrate that. I want to celebrate that connection at this evensong where we have a glorious passage from the Wisdom of Solomon and we have the Golden Rule from the Gospel according to Matthew. Let's take that Golden Rule and the categorical imperative as a place to start. “Act as you would want all other people to act towards all other people,” says Immanuel Kant. “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the law and the prophets,” says Jesus. “Using pure reason alone, the great philosopher arrives at the same truth as Jesus speaks from tradition and revelation. And I'm not the first one to point out that Kant setting out to strip away all tradition and revelation still manages to discover 18th century Protestant theology in the process. For the attentive reader of the Bible, this should be no surprise at all. We know that God speaks the lean language of reason. God speaks the logos. God speaks the Sophia. God speaks in tradition, in story, revelation, science, poetry, and all the arts in the same breath. The name of that breath is Sophia, and she is celebrated as an emanation, an outpouring of God's inner life, in this gorgeous passage from the Wisdom of Solomon. Using the language of middle Platonism, the unknown Egyptian author who is masquerading in this book as King Solomon, lays out the gift of wisdom for an imaginary audience of all the world's leaders. So, not only does God's wisdom exist in everything, it's available to all people. Wisdom is God's voice speaking through all of God's creation, showing us order, purpose, meaning, and process. Ultimately showing us a loving God who delights in all that God has made. The whole world communicates. The world is intelligible to us. The world is impregnated with God's loving presence and we are part of God's communicating abundance as learners, listeners, explorers, thinkers, singers, worshipers, scientists, on and on. I love this so much because we have an image here of wholeness. An image that brings all parts of humanity together. Reason and knowledge are not merely for dismantling, they're not merely for disintegrating. Stuck in the terms of stale 19th-century reductive rationalism, we can be caught thinking that when we take a car apart we prove there was no car in the first place, just a lot of parts. Stuck in a stale 19th-century debate we think science and religion are incompatible. We react to a reductive science with an equally reductive fundamentalist religion and we go nowhere. Stuck in 20th-century scientism we think knowledge is the sole province of the scientific method and while it is so abundant in truth, there's a more-than. There is room for more and there is this wonderful web of liberating, loving, communal wisdom we hear praised in the Wisdom of Solomon and gorgeous poetry. Every spring I start flowers from seed under a grow light in my mudroom. Nothing fancy. My favorite flower is the morning glory. First, two leaves spring up and then two more come after that. By this week we have a vine growing at a rapid pace, two or three inches a day, that finds the nearest vertical structure and starts climbing it, at least in my mudroom, in a counterclockwise direction. I want to know if in Argentina it goes the other way. But that's the curiosity we're talking about here, right? The world is wonderful! What if it does go clockwise in Argentina? That is God's whimsy, I would say, and gravity and something else. It's all good, see? It all works together. Without eyes, this plant has no eyes, it finds this vertical support, searches out, grabs it and climbs it while reproducing cells at an astounding rate. I would love to hear the complete biological account of this plant behavior. I really do want to learn that and, and this is an and, I want to delight in it. I want to take joy in it and wonder from observing it and I want to thank God for it, all in the same breath. All in the same breath, the breath of Sophia, where all knowing comes together as God's mystery, spoken so we can receive it. Now, you'll excuse me but we're going back to Kant. And I love Kant. He's hard to argue with, God forbid I would try. Yet he almost got it right. Almost. There's a more. You see, if you start off with a false dichotomy you end up with half of an answer, or less. When you split tradition and reason you lose something, something is lost. It is absolutely true that we owe to others what is owed to us. In our humanity, however we resist it, and we do, however we violate it constantly, reserving it for family and friends, reserving it for people we like and people like us, reserving it for local people and not people far away, and on and on and on, but here's what Kant misses: God owes us nothing. God gives us everything without owing us one thing at all. This is grace. We are not entitled to God's freely-given forgiveness, or God's freely-given love, or God's freely-given son. Only through what God graciously gives us are we restored to live the grace of the Golden Rule. To live the grace of the categorical imperative. That is God's dream of wholeness that God breathes into us. God's dream of humanity reharmonized with creation and reason and every other way of human perception and discovery. God breathes God's reconciliation through it all. And her name is grace. And she is a very good friend of Sophia. Amen. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187. All rights reserved. Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org

Most Christians in the Bible belt are prepared to answer the question, “what must I do to be saved?” The problem is, no one is really asking that question anymore. John Wentz, ministry director for Alpha USA, joins Jonathan for a conversation about sharing the truth our culture really needs and standing together in unity for the sake of the gospel. Alpha creates a space for conversations among friends about faith, life and God.

Most Christians in the Bible belt are prepared to answer the question, “what must I do to be saved?” The problem is, no one is really asking that question anymore. John Wentz, ministry director for Alpha USA, joins Jonathan for a conversation about sharing the truth our culture really needs and standing together in unity for the sake of the gospel. Alpha creates a space for conversations among friends about faith, life and God.

Lyrics by the Rt. Rev. Frank Griswold, set to the tune Puer Nobis. Did you know that we've got our very own version of a hymn about St. Martin of Tours? Every year we sing this song on St. Martin's Day. The lyrics were written by the Rt. Rev. Frank Griswold when he was the Rector of Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The hymn tells the full tale of St. Martin of Tours' encounter with a beggar one day along the roadside - the encounter fabled to have turned his path toward Christ. Recording from St. Martin's Day celebration, Sunday, November 15, 2020. Dr. Lyn Loewi, piano Alyson Harvey and John Wentz, cantors St. Martin's Handbell Choir

Steven Assael (born in 1957), is an award-winning American painter, credited most for his masterful artistry within his figure work and modern re-envisioning of the neo-classical, naturalist, and romantic techniques of old.  Being captivated with what the human form and image represent, ever-changing and seemingly random elements and deeply rooted emotional intelligence, Assael traverses what it is to be human, and the subtleties included within an organic connection.  Assael’s latest work includes his collaboration between himself and his represented gallery titled “Now We Meet Again” which focuses on individuals presenting images of loved ones, or individuals of significance to Assael through Zoom calls. Working through the purpose of the painting, Assael paints not only the image, but interweaves the very emotional framework and intentions the recipient presented beforehand.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: Seeking out advantages within painting and connecting with people during quarantine Separation bringing us together The intimate process of working with models and how they directly or indirectly affect the painting Allowing for change within his overall creative vision Teaching painting over Zoom What makes a good teacher The search for finding the right questions to ask Experience motivating change and providing a renewal of what you want Creating situations of exploration for oneself Extracting the right vocabulary while creating The element of control and power that children express when drawing different objects Understanding the dynamic of copying a subject while painting, and how that evolves into a deeper exploration of shapes, tone, atmospheres, and the figure itself.  Giving breadth to form  A great work of art being infectious The nature of romanticism Working from life being an “inquiry into your own humanness”  The idea of questioning and rebelling within a visual outlook Human nature The environment of New York throughout the last forty years, and how it has changed The importance of theatre and the work of actors Symmetry and asymmetry, and its importance within artform and observation “Everything is everything” approach to life Learning what to see flowing into learning how to paint Nature being sporadic, and how we must become “like water” in order to succeed in our strategies in life A commercialized outlook within the art world Art becoming entertainment Faith and doubt Questioning of spirituality and existence www.artistdecoded.com

John Wentz is a contemporary painter who was born and raised in San Francisco, California but now resides in Paris, France where he has spent the last eight years of his life exploring art and sound. His work draws inspiration from psychologist Carl Jung and several realism artists. In 2019, he was Artist in Residence at the Arthouse Holland/Project 1606 in Leiden, Netherlands. John is also the host of Lo-Fi Podcast, where he interviews artists, musicians, and actors to talk about their journey and their perception of art. In this episode… Creating something new can be intimidating. Whether you are just starting or have been an artist for the last thirty years, the feeling remains the same. The desire to draw inspiration from your environment and place it on canvas lies dormant within all of us in some form of creative appeal, and for contemporary painter John Wentz, exploring his artistic voice on canvas with newly defined parameters to guide his art to new heights of distinction has been nothing but gratifying. In this week's episode of Pencil Kings, Mitch Bowler interviews fellow artist John Wentz, a contemporary painter known for his deep tones and contemplative style, about exploring his style and self-taught art. John also discusses the importance of creating parameters to guide your creativity to new territories of exploration and why people need to re-evaluate how they approach stimulation. Stay tuned

We continue our series on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) by discussing duct cleaning with expert duct cleaner John Wentz. He shares with us about what all is involved with duct cleaning, why it is important, how it fits into a building's IAQ, and more.

A joyous celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Eucharist with music including familiar Easter hymns; a song by parishioner, Scott Robinson, recorded by Mandala; and St. Martin's Treble Choir. The Rev. Anne Thatcher, Celebrant The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, Preacher The Rev. Carol Duncan, Deacon Readers: Michael Blakeney and Michelle Williams. Psalm 118 sung by Carolyn Green. Intercessor: Marsha Blake. Krystiane Cooper, Adenike Webb, John Wentz, musicians. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today - EASTER HYMN. Words and Music - © OCP Alleluia No. 1 descant and harmonization - Betty Carr Pulkingham, Music - ©1979 Celebration. Sung by Molly Kanevsky. Everlasting Love by Mandala Interfaith Kirtan. Words from the Book of Isaiah. Music by Scott Robinson. From the CD Deep Mystery, available at CDBaby.com and iTunes. Used with permission. Joy is come! - Andrew Carter, Words and Music - ©1998 Oxford University Press. Sung by St. Martin’s Treble Choir. The Day of Resurrection - ELLACOMBE, Words and Music - © OCP Contributing videography by William Previdi. Contributing audio work and video for music by David Loewi. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187. All rights reserved. Photographs and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

This liturgy combines music and prayer as we hear the Gospel of John's account of the Lord’s trial, suffering, and death. We will engage in intense intercessory prayer for the church and for the world. It was on the cross that Jesus made his full intercession for us, and we are united with him through Baptism in that intercession. The final portions of this liturgy take place before a cross, where we praise Christ for his love, which he demonstrated on the cross. St. John’s Passion, setting by Erik Meyer, sung by St. Martin's Choir. Soloists: Alyson Harvey, John Wentz, Krys Cooper, Matthew Vickers, and Lyndon McNall. Used with permission. The Rev. Barbara Ballenger, preacher. The Rev. Anne Thatcher and the Rev. Carol Duncan, solemn collects. Were you there (harmonization) (Hymn #172) - C. Winfred Douglas, Music - ©1961 Church Publishing, Inc. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187. All rights reserved. Photographs and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

(00:00-09:43): Vanessa Bryant expressed grief and anger in an Instagram post Monday as she copes with the deaths of her husband Kobe Bryant, their daughter Gigi and seven other people in a helicopter crash last month. Brian and Ian discussed this and the importance of expressing emotions during times of grief. (09:43-37:54): We are joined by the Ministry Director for Alpha, John Wentz. He shares his remarkable family origin story as he grew up in the carnival. His father built a funnel cake stand and would travel from carnival to carnival selling cakes. He did not grow up in the faith, and never experienced Jesus until his senior year of high school. John then talks about the purpose behind Alpha. It is a platform for people to come and express their doubts and questions about their faith. He discusses the role of prayer in Alpha, and how it takes a back seat on the forefront, but the leaders pray behind the scenes. They want to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. (38:57-49:37): David Brooks writes “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake” in The Atlantic. The family structure we’ve held up as the cultural ideal for the past half century has been a catastrophe for many. It’s time to figure out better ways to live together. (49:37-59:54): Courty Christenson and Ben Irwin write “How to Wage Peace in the Comment Section: 7 Things You Should Do”. Brian and Ian discuss how to engage in peaceful conversation on social media. (59:54-1:10:08): We love Tim Tebow on this show, and this story only confirms it. He honored 'kings and queens' with special needs in worldwide prom. "We have decided to go out of our way to make the biggest, the most special night of the year for people with special needs because they're worth it and they're special," (1:11:11-1:18:22): Brian and Ian’s “Weird Stuff We Found on the Internet”: A new species of savage otter was discovered in Florida, and Hell is for real. Apparently modern art is worth a lot of money, especially if you destroy it. Meanwhile, wolves are super desperate for love and probably make better emotional support animals than chickens.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our first 3 way Voxcast with artist Lisa Alonzo! We discuss her upcoming solo show, "Cool World", and have guest appearances by Sergio Lopez, John Wentz, and Mia Moore!

Join artist John Wentz and myself as we embark on the very first VOXCAST together. John and I began this conversation via Voxer (a free app) on October 7, 2019 while he was at an artist residency in Holland. We are currently still recording the conversation and decided to put out part 1 while part 2 is still in progress. While similar, this is not like a traditional podcast, John and I are conversing at different times of the day, in different locations, over the course of many weeks and months. What follows is a raw, intimate conversation that cuts out the performance aspect found in many podcasts and paints a larger, more complex picture of what it means to be an artist alive and working in our current time and society. We hope you enjoy part 1.

AD Non-Weekly Round Up #6 with Yoshino and guest John Wentz Topics Discussed: “The Plant” an artist collective and residency based in The Netherlands co-founded by artist Daniel Martin Pondering life lessons Trying to be more positive Unconditional Love Utilizing gratitude in your daily practice Using organizational apps such as Google Keep, Evernote, Notion, and Trello in your daily practice Books: Mastery of Self and The Four Agreements Films, Documentaries, TV Shows: Brightburn, The Great Hack, Rashomon, Luce, Swamp Thing, Hereditary, Rosemary’s Baby Philosophers: Jean Baudrillard and Jean-François Lyotard www.artistdecoded.com

John Wentz is a contemporary painter whose work is an exploration of process and technique. Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to it’s core fundamentals: composition, color, and mark making. John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards.  Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/johnwentz In this episode, John discusses: -How he landed in fine art after his foray in illustration. -How a Gerhard Richter exhibition changed his life and remapped his brain. -Art being about discovery and experimentation. -The power that comes from disconnecting in order to do some soul-searching. -Cave paintings and how we have always been creating art, and even risking our lives to do so. -How he has struck a balance from his former lifestyle of a donut a day and being disconnected from friends and family. -How he picks his subjects and how he paints them. -How he was taught that he should never paint anybody that he knows, and why he is rebelling. -Why he purposely doesn’t analyze certain aspects of his process in order to maintain some of the magic. -Why and how he started creating his assemblages of his art, photography and reclaimed items. -The story behind his series, “Navigation Unknown.” -How he chooses which ideas to move forward on. -The dark ways in which social media platforms are controlling your creative process. -Dealing with anxiety. -Turning your list of priorities upside down so that you get to your creative passion before all of your other “needs.” -His new course at the NOH/WAVE Academy. -The differences between living in Paris and the United States. John's Final Push will encourage you to do the thing that you need like oxygen… and remind you … DON’T BE A DICK!   Quotes: “For me, making art is about discovery and experimentation.” “Just unplug and take time for yourself.  It’s okay to not be connected.” “There are certain aspects of my process that I don’t analyze too much because I want to keep that unknown to it.” “Making it is only fifty percent.  The other fifty percent is getting it in front of an audience and creating a dialogue.” “On paper, being a painter is the worst business plan imaginable.” “The people that I end up working with and being friends with are great people to be around and they ignite something inside of me.” Links mentioned: John's course on NOH/WAVE/ACADEMY John Wentz on Artist Decoded Pale Blue Dot (Carl Sagan) Connect with John: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter On the next episode: Suzanne Clay : Website / Goodreads Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

John Wentz is a contemporary painter whose work is an exploration of process and technique. Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to it’s core fundamentals: composition, color, and mark making. Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer in a way that only painting can. John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue Fine Art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards.  Topics Discussed In This Episode: Giving up Gerhard Richter Tech affecting art Barriers between museums and the public Would you make art if the world ended? Wentz moving to Paris Advice to artists and creatives Movies “Naive” painters Get 15% OFF on all Four Sigmatic products: foursigmatic.com/artist-decoded www.artistdecoded.com

John Wentz returns to the podcast to talk to us about his year in Gay Paris, how people taste, and what’s the point of painting, anyway? We also talk about shipping for an international show, European notions of art as a career, public art as it relates to community, the preciousness of art, oil painting’s relevance today, the documentary “Struggle,” and more. John shares a story about getting caught in a riot at a Parisian McDonald's. We compare Americans and Europeans some more before we get into Sergio's Question Corner! We open up the floodgates of hate on David Hockney and discuss who is the most overrated artist. Catch John's show at Hashimoto Contemporary before it comes down on February 23rd.

Show Notes Ep 57 - Ben Quilty discusses the importance of telling your own story. Why Yoshino started the podcast and what he’s learned over the years Ep 1 - Casey Baugh on being fearless Ep 30 - Daniel Sannwald talks about doubts and anxiety Ep 2 - John Wentz tells us about art being a life long commitment and how Gerhard Richter’s retrospective at SFMOMA saved him from dropping out of art school Ep 63 - Adam Lee on incubating ideas and meeting self-imposed deadlines Ep 20 - Julius Onah on ideation in isolation Ep 64 - Elly Smallwood on why we create Ep 100 - Justin Daashuur Hopkins and Yoshino on collaborating and creating good partnerships Ep 105 - Tunde Adebimpe on figuring it out along the way www.artistdecoded.com

Hey guys. We put together this Best-Of show to help promote the show. Here are some moments that stand out, whether they are funny or insightful, that showcase what the podcast is about. If you're a fan of the show and want an easy way to share it with your friends you can link them to this episode! If you've been a guest on our show and want to share a snippet, you can also link them to the part in this show that you appear. Thanks so much if you share this! We're really psyched to see this show keep growing and you can help us out a lot with your share. Thanks to all of our guests, whose stories and insights have made this show so fun to do! Intro: Nate Van Dyke Hates Waiting To Dry 0:01:07 Episode 1: Joshua Lawyer and Sergio Lopez 0:06:00 Episode 2: MJ Lindo 0:09:00 Episode 3: Jason Avery 0:21:56 Episode 4: Monty Guy 0:25:57 Episode 5: Nate Van Dyke 0:43:53 Episode 6: Leon Loucheur 0:47:36 Episode 7: John Wentz 0:58:34 Episode 8: Judson Monroe 1:10:42 Episode 9: Joshua Mays 1:17:29 Episode 10: Ozi Magana 1:26:51 Episode 11: Glenn Arthur 1:36:43 Episode 12: Joshua Lawyer and Sergio Lopez 1:42:00 Episode 13: Aaron Nagel 1:49:19 Episode 14: Emilio Villalba 1:55:11 Episode 15: Joshua Lawyer and Sergio Lopez Outro: Ozi Magana Hates Waiting To Dry

Our theme song "Shane and Sonia Ride The Bus" was written and recorded by Shane IzykowskiShow Notes: Chillin' Productions: http://chillinproductions.com/Wonderland SF: http://www.wonderlandsf.com/Mission Local Article: https://missionlocal.org/2010/11/dress-code-wonderland-sf-on-24th-street/111 Minna Gallery: http://111minnagallery.com/Mezzanine: https://mezzaninesf.com/Juntos Somos One: www.instagram.com/juntos_somos_one/Alec Huxley: http://alechuxley.com/Luna Rienne Gallery: http://www.lunarienne.com/Modern Eden Gallery: https://www.moderneden.com/Jeremy Mann: http://redrabbit7.com/John Wentz: www.johnwentz.comHashimoto Contemporary: www.hashimotocontemporary.com/Eric Joyner: https://ericjoyner.com/Amanda Lynn: http://www.alynnpaint.com/Monty Guy: https://www.facebook.com/Monty-Guys-Art-205107252968168/Joshua Lawyer: https://www.instagram.com/joshuathelawyer/?hl=enMJ Lindo: http://mjlindo.storenvy.com/Art Opening @ WonderlandSF: https://www.facebook.com/events/133447780834552/Ian Reynold: https://www.ianreynold.com/Jeremiah Allen Welch: http://www.jeremiahallenwelch.com/Alexa Fourier: https://www.instagram.com/4eyay/?hl=enWaiting to Dry Podcast: http://www.waitingtodry.com/Sergio Lopez: https://www.themainloop.com/Olympia Altimir Gálvez: https://www.olympiaaltimir.com/  

With the impact of social media and the ability to get instant feedback from your audience and fanbase, an important question for artists to consider is “What are you willing to compromise?” If the majority of your followers don’t find your new experimental process or project interesting or if they go so far as giving you negative feedback, what do you do? Do you give in to popular opinion or do you follow your convictions? This problem is unique to the issue of having your artwork exposed to the public via social media. Artist John Wentz and I spent time going deep into this subject during our conversation. He has some great points to address when considering the level of engagement an artist should have with their digital audience given the difficulties that can arise. Social Media and the inability to Slow Down One of the drawbacks to living in such an increasingly modernized and advanced society is the impact of social media on our ability to slow down. Every spare moment can be filled by pulling out that smartphone and checking Facebook or Twitter. Can you imagine how this has impacted the way we think and process what should be quite moments in our lives? Consider the implications of not being able to slow down and be present, that can drastically change the creative and artistic process. My guest, John Wentz believes that the impact of social media has distracted us in more ways than we realize. He says that we need to be vigilant of this influence and work intentionally to create those spaces, especially as artists, to be present and at peace in mundanity and stillness. Appropriation vs. Influence What is the difference between appropriating art and being influenced by it? What does it mean to understand, appreciate, and respect someone's artwork and genuinely let it influence you without appropriating it? Artist John Wentz devoted some time in our conversation to this topic and how he sees it’s impact on the art world. He focused more on the meaning behind the use of an individual who sees work they resonate with and tries to incorporate that into what they are trying to create. John also posits the idea that maybe social media is the new art and we are more of a hive mind now rather than when we use to operate more as individuals. Our conversation was a fascinating one that I thoroughly enjoyed and I know you will too! The benefit of stepping away How do you take care of yourself creatively, emotionally, mentally, etc.? What is your plan to avoid burning out and getting turned off of the work that you do? If you don’t have one in place, it might be a good time to consider creating a plan to help you recharge. Artist John Wentz spoke with me about a recent period in his life where he was able to step away from painting and take a two-month break. John speaks of this break from the creative process as being extremely helpful and rejuvenating. He found that when he was able to step away for a period of time when he returned to his work at the easel, he was able to really reconnect to his inner place of motivation. The Draw of New York Many artists find themselves drawn to the city of New York. There are a number of factors involved with this draw, from the dense population to the history, and even the iconic nature of the city, what’s not to love? John Wentz devotes a large portion of his current work that is being shown in galleries to the city of New York. He tries not to be too “heady” with the concepts that he puts forth but you can tell in our conversation that his passion and fascination with city really shines through. I was able to really connect with John on this note because he mentioned that he enjoyed just sitting back in Union Square and watching people go by all day long. Outline of This Episode [1:40] My introduction to this week’s guest, John Wentz. [3:30] John talks about how he got started with art. [14:00] Where has the time to slow down gone? How does that influence artists? [19:00] Appropriating Art and the influence of Social Media. [25:00] John talks about taking a break from art work how that helped. [36:00] John’s process. [42:30] John and I talk about his relationship with abstract art. [48:00] What John is working on currently. [58:00] Following your convictions and passions even if it’s not popular. Other artists mentioned on this episode Frank Miller Brett Amory Kim Cogan David Choong Lee Adam Forfang Kevin Moore Ann Gale Ewan Uglow David Kapp Rembrandt Alexander Kaletski Michelangelo Gerhard Richter Resources Mentioned on this episode www.wentzart.net John on Instagram: @johnwentz facebook.com/jwentzart twitter.com/johnwentz How art made the world BBC Intelligence Squared Hashimoto Contemporary Arcadia Contemporary Abend Gallery

John Wentz and Rebecca Dorn with Alpha USA joined Jim today to talk about how their program is equipping Believers to talk Truth with those around them.  Their outfit sets up a series of session that explore the Faith so that we can have a deeper understanding of our Belief, and then spread this Truth … Continue reading Be an Alpha for Christ The post Be an Alpha for Christ appeared first on iWork4Him Podcast.

Seamus Conley is a Los Angeles native now living and working in San Francisco, CA. A recipient of the Pollock Krasner Foundation Award his paintings have been exhibited in galleries throughout the US, including a solo Museum exhibit at The Lancaster, CA Museum of Art and History. His work has been featured in publications such as Hi Fructose, Art ltd, SF Examiner, SF Weekly, Empty Mag, and American Art Collector. John Wentz is a contemporary painter whose process resides in an area between rigid technicality and honest expression.  Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to it's core fundamentals: composition, color, and paint application.  Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer in a way that only painting can. John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books.  After years of copying comics panel by panel he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator and freelance illustrator.  After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue Fine Art and work in oils.  Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally.  His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards. www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios

John Wentz is a contemporary painter whose process resides in an area between rigid technicality and honest expression.  Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to it's core fundamentals: composition, color, and paint application.  Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer in a way that only painting can. John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books.  After years of copying comics panel by panel he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator and freelance illustrator.  After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue Fine Art and work in oils.  Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally.  His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards. In this episode we discuss... His love for authors such as J.D. Salinger and Jack Kerouac. The pros and cons of traditional art schools vs. atelier's Being patient while developing as an artist and creating your own reality The importance of fleshing out imperfect ideas and the power of ignorance. www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios