painters/sculptors/photographers

When I decided to do this podcast seven years ago, one of the main reasons for doing it was to capture the voices of artists, dealers, collectors, art curators, all of the components that make up my world as an art dealer and how they affect me. That's why the project is called the Art Dealer Diaries. 

One of the biggest personalities to impact my life was a man named Ed Mell. He was a good friend and such an important artist. It was interesting to listen to and watch this podcast. I know he knew he had a place in the legacy of art, but he felt that he needed to let his art speak for himself and not make it so much about himself, the person. 

He was just a very humble guy. It took a long time for me to get him to do this podcast.I had to work on it for three or four years. I had so many guests that talked about Ed and how important he was in their lives and I kept saying "Ed, you know, your life is intertwined with all these different artists and curators and that we really need to hear your story. Finally, he relented and said "okay, okay, I'll do it."

We had a great time because it's just two friends talking, right? That's what this can be sometimes, you know, every once in awhile you get lightning in a bottle. For me, this podcast was one of those times. 

I got to spend time with my dear friend and hear things that I might not have heard, even after 30 years of friendship. You really get to know a person pretty well over that amount of time, especially when you are lucky enough to spend birthdays together, or Christmases, or whatever it might be. 

So Ed shared this time with me and and now we have this record. I really want people, if they have the chance to listen to all of this or watch it on YouTube and you can see and hear a giant among giants speak. I hope you enjoy listening to my good friend, Ed Mell.

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Original Description:

Ed Mell came by the studio today and I was thrilled to be able to record a 2-part podcast with him. Honestly, I've been trying to get Ed on the podcast for three whole years. I've had so many people on Art Dealer Diaries talk about Ed Mell in their own podcasts... I think it's probably up to about a dozen people now. It's just one of those things, you know? It's hard to get together sometimes especially when a pandemic gets in the way. 

Out of all the podcasts I’ve done recently, Ed’s was a podcast I really wanted to do in person. I've known him for 25+ years and for me just being able to sit across the desk from him and have a wonderful discussion about his life, all of his accomplishments, the people that have influenced him throughout his life and made him who he is and what he is, was a gift for me. He's just such an interesting guy, definitely not the type of person that you get to meet every day.  

Ed’s artwork is really important to me and to many, many other people as well. I collect his artwork and have since I've represented him. I personally own numerous Ed Mell works of art including his oil paintings, bronze sculptures, lithographs, and display them in my home. 

We recorded for two hours.The first hour is kind of an origin story for Ed. How he got to become an artist and how he found his way in the world. The second hour goes into a bit more detail about the people that influenced him and what he’s been up to recently.

From sculpture to flowers, to figurative works, this is one that everyone needs to listen to. Put it on your hit parade, Ed Mell on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

I  ad Scott Burdick on today. What an interesting man. We had a very long talk and the reason it was so long was we went over a lot of subjects. It wasn't just a podcast about a painter talking about painting. I would say painting was something we discussed the least. 

We went deep into his belief system, how he sees the world, and how his creativity flows through different fields, not just traditional art, which is what most people know him for. He's also a writer and he works in film, making documentaries. He's so much more than just an artist so it was great to explore that side of him. Scott Burdick is just a really deep, profound person. 

It's a fun interview. I highly recommend taking the time to listen to both episodes. You can see what life can be like if you let creativity take over.  So I had a great time and the two and a half hours flew just like that. So this is part two of Scott Burdick on episode 281 of the Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

I had Scott Burdick on today. What an interesting man. We had a very long talk and the reason it was so long was we went over a lot of subjects. It wasn't just a podcast about a painter talking about painting. I would say painting was something we discussed the least. 

We went deep into his belief system, how he sees the world, and how his creativity flows through different fields, not just traditional art, which is what most people know him for. He's also a writer and he works in film, making documentaries. He's so much more than just an artist so it was great to explore that side of him. Scott Burdick is just a really deep, profound person. 

It's a fun interview. I highly recommend taking the time to listen to both episodes. You can see what life can be like if you let creativity take over.  So I had a great time and the two and a half hours flew just like that. So this is part one of Scott Burdick on episode 280 of the Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

Moira Geoffrion joins host Mark Sublette to talk about her show "Pods, Plants, and Parts."  The show has 144 new paintings of the botanical structures that can be found throughout the Sonoran desert.

Opening with the artist is Friday, December 29 from 12 - 2 PM at Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona.

View the Show Online:
https://www.medicinemangallery.com/collections/december-20-2024

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.

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.

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 Mark Rossi on my podcast today and we had a really wonderful talk. I've known Mark for almost 30 years and he's been in my gallery almost that long as well. He's known for his sculptures of animals. He's focused primarily on the animals of the Sonoran Desert, but because he's involved in so many museum collections as well as zoo collections, he's gotten to do a lot of exotic animals as well.

If you're in the world-famous San Diego Zoo, you're going to see a Mark Rossi. If you're visiting the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum here in Tucson, you're going to see a Mark Rossi. The Houston Zoo, the Minnesota Zoo, and the Philadephia Zoo - all of these places have Mark's work. So it's fun to go and find out about his story, especially for his father,  Paul Rossi, who was a very well-known sculptor and painter and was the director of the Gilcrease Museum.

We talk a lot about the Gilcrease, as well as Frank Waters, who was a novelist that wrote 26 different books on Hopi and Taos, and the foundation that Mark operates to preserve Frank's legacy. He was an important guy in the middle of the 20th century. 

This was a very interesting podcast with an individual that I've known for a very long time. It's so much fun for me when I get to crack the nut a little bit and see somebody that I've known in a new light. I got that today with Mark Rossi.

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 had oil painter Summer Spitsbergen on my podcast today. She is a young and upcoming artist that I happened to have met last summer at the C.M. Russell Museum. They have their big show every third week of August (which you should all go to). It's a great show and while I was up there I fell in love with her work.

Summer is a self-taught artist, hyper-focused on what she wants to achieve with her painting. When you're doing that as an artist and you have great talent, you can go very, very far. She's a real cowgirl too, living on a ranch with her husband raising Wagyu cattle as well as chickens. Summer does all of this while raising her three kids and somehow finding the time to paint every single day.

We talk about what it takes to succeed with such a full life. You know, what's that magic serum that allows you to break free and be creative while successfully making it your profession?

I think there's a lot to be learned from this podcast, especially if you're a younger artist and you're trying to figure it out. Well, she definitely figured it out. Summer Spitsbergen on episode 246 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

Summer Spitsbergen's Available Paintings:
https://www.medicinemangallery.com/western-fine-art/southwestern-contemporary-painters/spitsbergen-summer 

I had fine artist and Illustrator Keith Batcheller on the podcast today. He went to ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, got his BFA, and worked with all these interesting folks afterward, including Bob Peak, Mark English, and Bernie Fuchs. 

When Keith became a professional illustrator he worked with big firms in New York, Chicago, and L.A.  He eventually started working for Walt Disney Productions and did artwork for massive animated films like Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and my personal favorite - Lilo & Stitch.

Disney still uses Keith's illustrations to this day for all sorts of different reasons, whether it's for a Hercules toy or a Star Wars celebration event. It's just a fascinating ride. Keith also worked on the promotional art and packaging for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures that took the country by storm in the late 80s/early 90s. Fast forward to today, and he's moved on from his highly successful illustration career (like many of the artists that I've interviewed have) and is focusing on fine art. 

We talk about the switch from illustration to fine art and explore the concept of beginning your journey on one very specific path, only to arrive at a completely different destination after decades of hard work and dedication to said path. I think the only way you can do that as an artist is that you have to be able to pivot. Keith? Yeah, he's done that quite successfully if you ask me.  Keith Batcheller on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 242.

I had artist Jordan K. Walker on today and it just so happens that he's the newest addition to Medicine Man Gallery. I don't get to take new artists on very often, especially younger artists (he's only 28, but he paints a lot older).

You see, Jordan trained at the Rhode Island School of Design and then came out to the West after he graduated. He was already a naturalist, but since moving westward he's really just fallen in love with the plants,  animals, and the landscape out here.

We're going to have our first show for him later this year (October 2023) and this podcast provided a wonderful opportunity to get to really know Jordan. There are going to be a lot of great things that come from this kid. I say "kid" because he is, as far as I'm concerned, a kid in the world of Western art. That being said, this young man is all in and he's got the skills now that most artists need decades of time and effort to develop.

The thing is, Jordan has this old-school feel to him and you can sense it right off the bat in the podcast. I recognized it and it's not just me. Others can see it as well, from storied artists to experienced art collectors. I know for a fact if you pay attention to the world of Western art, you'll definitely be seeing him around. Jordan Walker on episode 239 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

View Jordan K. Walker's work:
https://www.medicinemangallery.com/western-fine-art/southwestern-contemporary-painters/walker-jordan

I had Francis Livingston on the podcast today. I'd had Francis on probably three or four years ago and we talked about his life and the backstory of how he became an artist.  This time, he's here for a show that we're doing, 'Forests and Beyond' and I thought I would really like to spend a little time just talking about the nuance of his place in the art world.

This podcast is a two-parter. In the first part, we start to talk about modern art and how it relates to what he does today. He also speaks on how he sees his own paintings today and the way that he attacks the canvas to reveal forms and color.

The second part is all about Illustration and the history of illustration, where it started, where it went, and how he was involved. then Francis goes on to talk about the future of the illustration industry, relating art directors hiring digital artists over traditional artists back then, to a.i. systems replacing digital artists in the near future.

So this is Francis Livingston, part two, on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 237.

View 'Francis Livingston: Forests and Beyond' online:
https://www.medicinemangallery.com/medicine-man-gallery-antique-native-american-western-art-collections/march-10-2023

I had Francis Livingston on the podcast today. I'd had Francis on probably three or four years ago and we talked about his life and the backstory of how he became an artist.  This time, he's here for a show that we're doing, 'Forests and Beyond' and I thought I would really like to spend a little time just talking about the nuance of his place in the art world.

This podcast is a two-parter. In the first part, we start to talk about modern art and how it relates to what he does today. He also speaks on how he sees his own paintings today and the way that he attacks the canvas to reveal forms and color.

The second part is all about Illustration and the history of illustration, where it started, where it went, and how he was involved. then Francis goes on to talk about the future of the illustration industry, relating art directors hiring digital artists over traditional artists back then, to a.i. systems replacing digital artists in the near future.

So this is Francis Livingston, part one, on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 236.

View 'Francis Livingston: Forests and Beyond' online:
https://www.medicinemangallery.com/medicine-man-gallery-antique-native-american-western-art-collections/march-10-2023

I had Duke Beardsley on today. He's something else. I just love his energy. When that man walks into a room, he has a presence, and if you look at his art - it's the same thing. These big, beautiful works with a modern sensibility, cowboys, and Western life. He's got his own voice, which again, is what I love in an artist and what I look for in my own artists that I represent.

Duke has managed to find a lane that no one else has and he's been doing it for quite a while now. He's academically trained at the L.A. Art Center and he has this unique background of being a fifth-generation Coloradan who grew up part of the time in Denver, but the other part he's on a family ranch riding a horse, doing the things that you do if you have a ranch.

 So Duke is the product of this mix of experiences growing up and living the life of a Westerner. He's found a unique voice and I'm a big fan. This was a really fun podcast. Duke Beardsley on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 235.

I had Travis Humphreys on today, and he owns Gold River Gallery in Cedar City, Utah. Travis is such an interesting guy. He surprised us at the gallery, delivering a group of hand-carved frames that he made for two of my artists, Dennis Ziemienski and Josh Gibson. So I asked him, "Would you like to do a podcast?" I only kind of knew his backstory before this podcast. It's an interesting story because he's an artist who turned into a framer. Travis is responsible for the Mark Maggiori frames and several other huge names in Western art as well. I was thrilled when he was like "Yeah, sure, I'll do it."

We both just got to talking for almost an hour about how you get into the framing business. We spoke about the obstacles you face when making frames, what the future holds for the framing business, as well as what do you do if you're a young artist trying to figure out framing. 

Framing is a very important component of what we do. If you have art that is collectible art, not just decorative art, things that are going to last hopefully for generations - you want to get the frame right. So it's important to have somebody in your corner like Travis. Someone that can give us sage guidance and a great product.

I really enjoyed talking to Travis and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

So this was a different interview for me. My guest was John Hallett. He's a unique guy because he's a veterinarian who has just always been in love with the arts and probably should have been an artist off the bat. But he went a different route, which many artists do. He pursued a professional life with guaranteed income and stability and then toward the end of that career, they start the next one.

He's actually been extremely successful already with sculpting. So he contacted me and said "You know, I would like to ask you some questions if you don't mind." He wanted to come in and just set up on time to ask questions about getting into the art world and the things he needs to do to get gallery representation as he's getting his MFA right now in Wisconsin.

I said "Why don't we just do a podcast? The difference is that I want to have you ask me the questions that you need to know as far as being an artist and what's involved and the questions you have when you're going out into this world." So it's kind of a unique thing.

The first half is on his life and the second half of the podcast is him interviewing me about the art world and things that he needs to be aware of and the kind of things that are going to happen when you go into it headlong.

This is one of those podcasts that will be highly useful for people that are in the art world that are just starting out. John Hallet on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast Episode 233.

Some people are just meant to be artists. John Fawcett is one of those individuals. He has a great story and I had a wonderful time talking with him. 

You see, John was a veterinarian before becoming a full-time artist. He worked with small animals and big animals alike and loved horses since he was a kid, having bought his first horse at age ten. 

For a long while, John was committed to building a respected veterinary practice, but at his core, he was an artist. Finally, he got to the point where all that pent-up creativity couldn't be held back any longer. Fast-forward to today and he's been an artist longer than he was a vet. John took the plunge in 1992, painting and selling artwork when he could. Now he's a renowned watercolor and oil painter of the West, focusing primarily on Native American subjects, horses, and cowboys.

This was a really fun podcast. John is an interesting guy, and I've always been a fan of his work. Please enjoy Western Oil and watercolor painter John Fawcett on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 231.

You can see John Fawcett's paintings at the Masters of the American West Art Exhibition and Sale at the Autry Museum of the American West through March 23, 2023.

Very interesting podcast today with an illustrator who's done illustration for 50+ years, Robert Rodriguez. He was dropping off a piece for our upcoming exhibition: Rodeo de Tucson (opening Feb. 3) and we figured why not record a podcast while he's here.

Those that illustrate are such unique people. They really are. You know, they're driven. They have to be driven because they're on deadlines all the time. The individuals that I have worked with either in my gallery or just interviewed - they all seem to have this desire at some point to go, okay, done that, made a good living, but I really want to be a fine artist.

And that's the same case with Robert. Even though he considered starting to do Western and native artwork back in the 1980s, it really wasn't until about 2 to 3 years ago that he flipped the switch and said "Nope, I'm done with illustration. I've done that. I want to do my own thing."  And so this is the story of how he got there.

Robert's done some interesting things. He's done a couple of Super Bowl posters, like 19 postage stamps, the poster for City Slickers 2. You know, all these interesting projects over his lifetime. But I think he's really having the most fun of his life right now. I met him in the Russell Museum this summer when he was doing a show there and I was like, wow, this guy can really paint and I don't even know who he is.

Now he's going to be showing one of his pieces in an upcoming show that I have (link below) for the rodeo show. So just a really unique guy. and he has a long history of making art, living art, and he's an important artist. Robert Rodriguez.

https://www.medicinemangallery.com/medicine-man-gallery-antique-native-american-western-art-collections/february-2023-rodeo-show/robert-rodriquez-ride-em-cowgirl-plv91884a-0123-001.html

Wow, what a fun podcast I had today with Ezra Tucker. He's just a unique human being and a joy to get to talk to and to get to know. 

He spent most of his career in the illustration world doing all sorts of things, working for Hallmark for four years, going to Hollywood and working there for 20 years, and doing some amazing movie posters. You name it, he probably did it in L.A. in terms of advertising for big-time companies, whether it's Coca-Cola or Anheuser-Busch, Ezra worked across the entire illustration world.

Then we get to where we are today. This is a two-part podcast and the second part is about how he reinvented himself basically around 2001 and goes into what he had been interested in doing for years - which is fine art. 

That whole journey was a treat to hear about, as well as Ezra's efforts to bring to light the African American involvement in Western cowboy culture. It's huge and it gets breezed over so easily but Ezra's efforts have not been in vain. It's an incredibly important part of who we are, of the West, and how the West was built. 

It was a wonderful podcast and I enjoyed every moment of it. We talked for over 2 hours, so this is a two-part podcast. Ezra Tucker part two on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 227.