medicine man gallery

The different voices I get to hear on the podcast keeps it fresh and interesting for me and make me want to continue doing it. This is my seventh year and doing the Art Dealer Diaries and I'm always amazed that there's still something that I haven't heard / some person that I haven't met that fills in the gaps. So today I had Alvin Yellowhorse and he's a silversmith. I like to think of him not only as a silversmith but also as a very creative artist who works in metal. He not only produces great work but also teaches classes to inspire and spread his gift to others.

I've had his work in my gallery but I've never actually met him and I never had the chance to purchase things directly from him. So he called me and set up an appointment and I got some great work as a result. I was thrilled to be able to buy some and I got to hear his story.

He took the time to share his path in life, which is like almost all artists, is filled with twists and turns you can't see coming. Alvin grew up close to Gallup and a little town called Lupton and he still has a store there and his family has owned and operated the Yellowhorse stores there for decades. 

One thing I noticed about his jewelry, even before we met, was that he will use different types of stones that you just wouldn't expect. He uses meteors, for instance, and the highest-grade stones he can find. You can tell his work is all about uniqueness, quality, and most importantly, creativity. 

It clearly shows in this podcast. He's a humble guy, and he's one of the best. So I had an interesting and really fun time getting to know Alvin, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Shonto Begay joined me today for a special podcast right before Christmas. I've had Shonto on before. In fact, he was my guest on the second podcast I had ever done. I've known Shonto for over 20 years and have been collecting his art as well as selling it. You know, he just is unique. He's unique in so many forms and fashions. It's almost hard to describe.

Shonto shared some of the things that are, you know, very deep and moving to him and how he creates. He speaks on the trauma that he had to go through in his life as an artist and as a kid growing up on the reservation and being forced into boarding school when he was nine years old.

I asked Shonto before we even started the podcast because I think it's an important part of his paintings and who he is today if we could talk about these traumatic experiences. I don't want to trigger him or make him feel bad in any way. He obliged and that's the heart of today's podcast. Shonto provides a very unique perspective of somebody who's lived through this system, a system that was devastating for Native American culture.

We also have an upbeat talk about creativity, spirituality, and painting. Shonto talks about where this insight comes from. It was very enlightening. I learned things that I didn't know, which is always fun for me when it's a podcast where I know the guest quite well. 

That's what I love about doing these podcasts and being able to share these stories with the rest of the world. This is one of those that I would recommend watching on YouTube.  The reason is that he shares his Etch-A-Sketch abilities, which is something he picked up during his time in the Indian school system.

He's the most talented person in the world when it comes to doing these Etch-a-Sketch drawings. They're amazing. We recorded it during the podcast because it was so compelling. When you hit the few areas of dead sound there, it's just because, quite frankly, I'm enthralled by what he's doing.

I'm very thrilled that I get the opportunity to deal with artists and learn about the many different forms of the creative process. Shonto Begay is one of these individuals who adds to the dialog in a different form and fashion than almost anybody can.

So I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did, and I did. Trust me.

This had to be one of the more interesting podcasts I've done.  It's with Helen and Richard Shull, and they own Esmeralda Turquoise Company in Nevada. They had come into my gallery and we were talking about what they do. It turns out they're miners/gemologists and they own turquoise mines that are scattered through northern Nevada.

After a brief conversation I asked them to come on the show and they gave this wonderful talk about how you find mines, and what it means to be a miner in 2023.  They clearly love what they do. I mean, these are very intellectual, savvy individuals. 
Richard's a gemologist and Helen is a botanist, but they just love turquoise.

I wrote a fiction book called Stone Men. That was kind of the ethos of what this was like. To have these two actual stone people who have dedicated their entire lives, eating, breathing, and living turquoise on the podcast, well, it made for a phenomenal episode. Richard and Helen Shull on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 272.

I had a wonderful podcast today with William Haskell. We had done a podcast together two years ago in the middle of the pandemic, but it was really nice to actually spend time with him in person. 

Instead of focusing on how got to where he is today (since that story was told in epi. 129), I wanted to find out about his new show that he's doing for us. He's going to have 15+ paintings in a one-man show this coming January. We delve into not only the show and the paintings but at the more technical aspects of his painting process. It was a very introspective podcast and it was amazing to hear him speak on his process and how he solves the problems that he encounters at the easel. We also go into AI-generated art and discuss the ramifications artists are going to face down the road. 

So that's the kind of podcast it is and the kind I enjoy doing the most.  We get to have a nice back-and-forth and explore what's happening in his world and the world of art as a whole. It was a really fun podcast and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Art Dealer Diaries episode 269 with fine artist William Haskell.

Visit Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, AZ for a show and sale of new works by William Haskell.  Opening night is Friday, January 12, 2024, from 5 - 7 pm, (artist in attendance).

I had Bill Alther on today and wow, he's such a unique individual and has a great story. He's an individual who always knew he was going to be an artist. He just didn't know what kind of artist. 

He started painting in high school and after college, he began carving wooden sculptures of birds. He was successful and made a living doing it, but it just wasn't fulfilling. At some point, he said enough was enough. At the time, he was a drummer in a band called 'The Shades' which he did for ten years. After that, he was a wildlife biologist who worked at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for another ten or so years. Finally, he said, "Okay, I have to go all in on what I'm meant to be," which was an oil painter.

I actually met Bill and got to see his art for the first time at the Woolaroc Museum, which is a great museum in Bartlesville. I was so impressed with what he was doing that I just felt that I needed to introduce him to my viewers and listeners. 

Bill is truly unique, and I encourage you to see his paintings in real life. So I had a wonderful time and he's a very interesting artist. Bill Alther on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast number 268.

There's nothing better than the third week in August at Indian Market in Santa Fe. I took this entire weekend to film interviews with artisans and people running the event to give you a sense of what it's like. 

We went to the SWAIA presentation of Best of Show, which we were fortunate enough to be able to sponsor for the next four years. So you kind of get a behind-the-scenes of what it's really like for the artists as well as seeing people peruse the market and experience a tidal wave of indigenous art.

So it's a bucket list item for anyone who loves Native American material in Santa Fe. I hope you enjoy listening or watching, however you want to take this in. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The 101st Indian Market in Santa Fe.

I had Jordan K. Walker on my podcast today. I've had Jordan on before and last time (Epi. 239) we talked about his life and all the things that made him who he is today. This time around, we're having his first one-man show, Deep Time, opening on October 7, 2023. 

I thought it would be helpful for individuals out there who are artists to hear what that took to get there because you only get to have your first exhibition once. It's that one time in your life you get to go, here I am. This is what I'm doing. It's kind of like a wedding in a way, in that this is where your life changes course.

I think that'll definitely be true for Jordan. He's exceptionally talented. I can see it in his work, his work ethic, and how he approaches what he does as a professional. And he's very professional, which is, you know, unusual to have all those components at such a young age. He's only 29, but he's been painting for 11 years, so it takes a while to get there.

I had a wonderful time talking to Jordan and just listening to his thoughts and how he approached his show Deep Time.  It's quite a remarkable podcast, in my opinion. Art Dealer Diaries Podcast Episode 264, featuring Jordan K. Walker.

I had Victoria Adams on today and wow, what a delightful person she is. She's such an upbeat, happy person. I've been very familiar with her work for probably two decades, and she always exhibits at prominent Indian Market events. Victoria is known for her beautifully designed jewelry and she makes custom handbags that are to die for.

This year at SWAIA Indian Market, she won the best of class for the diverse arts category, which is a big, big deal. Her entry was very unique mixed-media sculpture that included a tripod with glass containers. It was a piece of three-dimensional art that really meant a lot to her and we talked a lot about it.

We talk about the importance Indian market, her career, and how she went from really not being in the arts to being a powerhouse in the world of - not only native arts - but just arts, period. So this was a very fun and enjoyable podcast. I really did have a great time with Victoria Adams.

So many of the podcasts that I do deal with Western art, but rarely do I have an artist that epitomizes what it means to be a "Western artist" the way that Teal Blake does.  Teal was raised in Montana and he's been in the West his whole life and currently lives in Texas. 

Not only does he have the credentials of being a Western individual, but he was a professional cowboy for seven years as part of the rodeo circuit. To take that life experience and translate it into how he paints and sees the world, provides an authenticity that you rarely see in the average Western artist. Teal has said authenticity in spades. 

He also has a father who is a very interesting guy, Buckeye Blake,  a well-known artist who does, not only illustrative type art but sculptural works that live in front of some major museums. His mother is very artistic in her own right and was friends with Richard Avedon, who was such an important photographer.

So a unique story, no doubt, and one that I think you'll find very, very compelling. I know I did. Art Dealer Diaries Podcast number 261 with Teal Blake.

I do this podcast because the people I meet in my line of work are really interesting. That's a lot of it. John Bell is exactly the kind of podcast I love doing because he's not somebody you can just throw into a typical mold and say, oh he's an artist or he's an art dealer. You know?

John is an Academy Award-nominated individual who's worked on movies like Back to the Future Two, Men in Black, and Jurassic Park. All are culturally significant, yet they'd be incomplete without the influence of John Bell.

That's not all he's done, however. John also worked for Atari, General Motors, Nike, and Electronic Arts. You know, just a few small companies.

So it's the story of perseverance to some extent, and how you can start off as one thing (in his case a car designer) and end up in a completely different area. that being said, they have this unique kind of symmetry and rhythm that becomes clear on his journey and in his artwork.

This is a great podcast documenting the very interesting journey of artist and designer John Bell.



You can see most of the work referenced in this podcast at https://www.johnbell.studio 

I had a great time talking with Ray Dewey. It's a podcast that I've been wanting to do for quite a while and it's just taken a while for us to get together. He's a really busy guy so I finally said: "Fine, I'll come up to Santa Fe."  I knew Ray would have a great story, and he did not disappoint.

Ray was an instrumental figure in the Native American art business, especially from the 1970s through the 1990s. He still buys and sells paintings, so it's not like he's not out of the scene, but he was just so pivotal as the owner/operator of Dewey Fine Art. I remember going into his gallery and just being in awe of all the material and the way he had it displayed. He ran a first-class business and was always keen on educating anyone who wanted to learn.

I would come in as a young guy in my 30s and I didn't have much money but he would still spend the time to talk to me. That's the thing that great dealers do. Ray is one of those great dealers. Not to mention, he was really the first person in the Southwest to deal in the paintings of one Ed Mell. Ed and I have been friends for a very long time, but Ray gave him his first show in 1985. Of all things, it was a Maynard Dixon and Ed Mell show, which was pretty groundbreaking at the time. 

It's a fascinating tale and it's really important to know who the groundbreaking individual was who had so much to do with enhancing the Native American art scene in Santa Fe. I really enjoyed it. Ray Dewey on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast number 259.

I think the reason I do these podcasts is for guests like the one I just had on, which is Roy Talahaftewa. I have to say, he is such a genuine, wonderful person, artist, and someone that I think everyone should get to know if they don't already.

For one thing, just on the silversmith part, he's won best of show at the Indian Market events the Heard Museum, and the Museum of Northern Arizona, but also at the Santa Fe Indian Market. I could be wrong but don't think anybody has accomplished that before. The one at the Museum of Northern Arizona was this year, so 2023. 

We just talk about a lot of things. About his life, about where he's been and gone, the process of becoming an artist and what that requires, whether you're a Hopi silversmith or, you know, someone dealing in contemporary art or Western art.

Roy is clearly a dedicated artist and also just a genuinely kind person. So I had a great time. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Roy Talahaftewa on episode 258 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

In order of appearance:

• Jamie Schulze: Executive Director, SWAIA 
• Bo Joe: Navajo/Uté Silversmith (Booth # LIN W 757)
• Barbara Teller Ornelas:  Navajo Weaver (Booth # LIN W 774)
• Jared Chavez: San Felipe Silversmith (Booth # FR N 306)
• Russell Sanchez: San Ildefonso Pueblo Potter (Booth # LIN E 711)
• Kathleen Wall: Jemez Pueblo Pottery Artist  (Booth # PLZ 78)
• Marla Allison: Laguna Pueblo Artist (Booth # LIN E 730)
• Mateo Romero: Artist and Activist (Booth # LIN E 739)
• Duane Maktima: Hopi/Laguna Silversmith
• Susan Folwell: Santa Clara Pueblo Potter
• Tony Abeyta: Navajo Oil Painter

So one of my favorite times of the year is the third week in August, because that's Indian Market weekend in Santa Fe. it's a remarkable event. You have a thousand different artisans show up in this big mix of culture and artwork.

You have contemporary, you have traditional, all of it's made by the artisans. They all come together for this one weekend in Santa Fe. It's such a special event. I've been doing it since the early nineties and I would always bring my kids. Each of the children would get to pick out a piece to add to their collection. 

I highly encourage people to go and visit at least once. It's not only a special time for the collectors, but the artisans too. It's part of a tradition for so many families from across the country, Native artists that come and get to interact with collectors directly, which is wonderful because it's hard for them often because they may be living in remote areas.

I've done a lot of podcasts over the last six years, and during those times I've interviewed lots of native artists that have participated in the Santa Fe Indian market. It's been a big part of their life and their family's life, so I figured it would be a great time during Indian Market weekend to rehash and take another look/listen to some of these different artists that we've had on the podcast over the years.

I usually don't do podcasts that are in the moment. I like to do podcasts that'll be relevant during any time frame. In this case, I would like people to be able to go and visit these artists at Indian Market. 

So it's a wonderful kind of review of what Indian Market and Santa Fe as a whole is to so many different artists. We're also very blessed to be able to sponsor the Best of Show Award award for the next five years for SWAIA. I hope people go out and get to do what I've always done and love doing - connecting with and supporting amazing Native American artisans.

We invite members of the media and influencers to take event photos and post them using the hashtag #santafeindianmarket.

I had a very interesting talk with Jim Rea today. Jim helps run the Masters show at the Autry Museum along with his wife, Jodie. We get the whole story of - not only the Autry show and how it began - but of how Jim, who started out in accounting, ends up being a critical component in this very important art show at an important museum.

Jim is a guy who really liked art but wasn't trained in art. Just the opposite. He's a numbers guy. That being said, he sees the world change before his very eyes as he gets exposed to more and more to great art throughout his life. From 1998 until now, Jim and Jodie have managed to put together a collection of 150 spectacular paintings.

So even without his commitment and affiliation to the Autry, he's an important collector. His story is one that gives hope to all those out there just starting their own collections. There's a message you can take away from the podcast and it's that you can go from not having anything to do with the art world, to actually being a leader in the field. So this is Art Dealer Diaries  Podcast #255 with Jim Rea.

Had a wonderful podcast today with Curt Walters. He's always been one of my favorite painters. He is known as a Grand Canyon painter, but he paints all sorts of things of all shapes and sizes, painting a giant canyon one day, and water lilies the next. 

It was fun to be able to listen to his journey as it was not an easy one. Curt grew up in Farmington, New Mexico and he was dyslexic. As a kid, he was having issues dealing with a learning disability that most people just didn't understand at that point in time. People would just assume that he didn't have the capacity for schooling. 

Fast forward 60 years and  Curt has won more than a dozen awards from all over the West. Almost all of his paintings sell as soon as he finishes them. He is iconic in what he does and who he is. It was a very fun and interesting time. Curt Walters on episode 254 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

I had a Russell Case on the podcast today. I'm such a fan of his artwork. He captures the Southwest in a way that few others do. 

In this podcast, we delve into what it means to paint and how he tries to paint like how a musician makes music, which is a very interesting concept to me. We cover the struggles that he had to go through to get where is today and how all of these experiences, while difficult, made him a better artist.

Russell will be the first to tell you that it doesn't happen overnight. We had a long discussion about what it takes to become a professional artist. I think Russell's words in this podcast are valuable to painters of all skill levels and I enjoyed it a lot. Russell Case on episode 251 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

I love the type of podcast where I get to go in-depth with the person I'm speaking to, so much so that I begin to feel a connection that's hard to describe. Well, I had that experience with Bo Joe. He's an amazing silversmith and an incredibly interesting person. I've known his father, sculptor and painter Orland Joe for many tears, but I hadn't really had the opportunity to talk to his son, especially not on this kind of level. 

Bo was a successful sound engineer for some big names in the music industry such as The Smashing Pumpkins, who he worked intimately with. We talk about that component of his life, working with these really famous people and he was really one of the best at what he did. That being said, it wasn't fulfilling for him.

One day, Bo realized that it was stones, metal, and the forming of both elements into wearable art that was his true calling. Fast-forward to today and he's become an exceptional, respected silversmith. He has a major gallery that represents him and he's doing incredible things. 

You can feel Bo's inner struggle as he speaks on his journey from one art business to the next. Towards the end, he really kind of lets it go and you see his genuine love for the craft on full display. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Bo Joe Part 2 on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

I love the type of podcast where I get to go in-depth with the person I'm speaking to, so much so that I begin to feel a connection that's hard to describe. Well, I had that experience with Bo Joe. He's an amazing silversmith and an incredibly interesting person. I've known his father, sculptor and painter Orland Joe for many tears, but I hadn't really had the opportunity to talk to his son, especially not on this kind of level. 

Bo was a successful sound engineer for some big names in the music industry such as The Smashing Pumpkins, who he worked intimately with. We talk about that component of his life, working with these really famous people and he was really one of the best at what he did. That being said, it wasn't fulfilling for him.

One day, Bo realized that it was stones, metal, and the forming of both elements into wearable art that was his true calling. Fast-forward to today and he's become an exceptional, respected silversmith. He has a major gallery that represents him and he's doing incredible things. 

You can feel Bo's inner struggle as he speaks on his journey from one art business to the next. Towards the end, he really kind of lets it go and you see his genuine love for the craft on full display. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Bo Joe Part 1 on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

Cathy Smith joined us on the podcast today and we had a delightful talk. She is a world-renowned costume designer and has worked on major motion pictures and in television.

Her big break was 'Dances with Wolves,' a movie that dramatically changed Native American representation in film. Cathy went on to win an Emmy and is honored in the Cowgirl Hall of Fame for her contributions to Western media.

Even with all of these accolades and accomplishments, she really struggled to begin with. It took her a long time to break into what became her claim to fame. Fast-forward to today and Cathy is a leader in set design and period-accurate Native American clothing. These days Cathy has a museum that she owns and operates up at the Nambe Trading Post just North of Santa Fe. 

This was a really fun podcast and I think you'll enjoy Cathy's story. Cathy A. Smith on episode 248 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

This podcast was particularly interesting and fun for me because I knew the person that I did it with pretty darn well. I've known Anne Gartner and her husband, Jeffrey, for almost 20 years. They're, wonderful collectors, and I wanted to talk art, which of course this is what this podcast is all about, but also the fact that she was in the military.

Anne was a Navy nurse in Vietnam on one of the ships out of Danang. As many people have heard, there's a constant thread throughout a lot of my episodes, and that thread is the war in Vietnam.  I think it was a monumental event for so many in our generation and the ramifications can still be seen to this day.

You can hear it in Anne's voice at certain points throughout the podcast. The resurgence of thought regarding some of the things that happened brings her to tears. It was a difficult experience, but one that also shaped the woman she is today. Anne ends up serving in the military for almost 40 years and ends up as a captain in the Navy (and that was just one of her careers).

We also talk a lot about art and how one can become part of the culture. A culture of people that are very interested in art, and her case, Western and Native Arts. Anne and her husband Jeffrey took participating in the arts very seriously and it has evolved into them having an excellent collection and also fostering the preservation and education of art throughout their community. Anyhow, Anne was a wonderful guest and I think you will enjoy her story as much as I did.