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This week, Wes and Todd sit down with Painter & Illustrator, Kevin Johnson. Kevin discusses his early engagement with art, comic books, Louisville, teaching himself to draw, favorite comic book artists, school, keeping it fresh, the Army, creating and drawing during his time in the service, his journey after retiring from the Army, Comic Con, Full Sail University, the Colorado Springs art scene, Black Lion, taking time serious, graphic design, animation, Craigslist, reinventing yourself, Thomas Blackshear and mentorship, butterflies, imagination, mixed media, growing as an artist, his pencil & charcoal series, Black Art in America, the Solidarity Mobile Mural Project, social media, Flaten Art Museum, his current shows, routine, clouds, critiques, collectors, Rogue Gallery, pricing, and his advice to your artists.

Join us for an inspirational conversation with Kevin Johnson!

Check out Kevins’ website at www.kevjart.com

Follow Kevin on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/kevjart - @kevjart

Facebook - www.facebook.com/KevJArt/

See Kevin’s art in person at these galleries:

The Vault Gallery in The Mining Exchange Hotel - www.miningexchangehotel.com

Exhibit runs from June 1st – August 25th, 2025

Auric Gallery - www.auricgallery.com

Broadmoor Galleries - www.broadmoorgalleries.com

A.R Mitchell Museum of Western Art - www.armitchellmuseum.com

Black Art In America - www.blackartinamerica.com

Art on tour from Illinois to D.C. “Change That Narrative” on display at the Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.

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This week, Wes and Todd sit down with photographer, Tania Kaaz. Tania discusses film photography, film soups, how she got started souping film, developing color film, the magic of film photography, how she got back into photography after a long hiatus, different effects with different substances & films, her cameras, how she chooses what substances to soup her film in, travel size bottles, double exposures, sharing knowledge, Alter Analog, favorite subject matter, polaroid, her exhibition “Beauty Out Of Mayhem”, Heads of Hydra, inspiration, trauma & the healing of art, favorite photographers, bartering, and the importance of community.

Join us for a fantastic conversation with Tania Kaaz!

Check out Tania’s website at www.taniakaaz.com

Follow Tania on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/tania_nofilter/

@tania_nofilter

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This week, Wes and Todd talk with visual poet, Monica Ong. Monica discusses her early journey with art, getting her MFA from RISD, integrating poetry with her visual art practice, experimentation & play, her first book “Silent Anatomies,” her poem "The Attic," sculptural types of poems, her interest in astronomy, process & evolution of the work, the blurring of boundaries & thinking outside of the box, the importance of connection, design being rooted in the lyric and narrative, her family history and how it influences her work, Buddhism and her practice, routine, balancing family and work, being an example to her son and young people, phases of the making, creating a user experience, insomnia, curiosity & questions, identity, philosophy, her new book “Planetaria,” “The Star Gazer,” asterisms, her poem “Lunar Volvelle,” her micropress “Proxima Vera,” when it’s time to publish a book, being awarded a United States Artists Fellowship, her poem " Jade Insomnia," and the importance of support.

Join us for a fabulous conversation with Monica Ong!

Check out Monica’s work at her website - www.monicaong.com

Visit Monica’s micropress, Proxima Vera, at www.proximavera.com

Follow Monica on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/proximavera/

@proximavera

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This week, Wes and Todd present a Tenet Rewind with Painter, Jeff Velarde, previously released on July 1, 2021. Jeff talks about his exposure to art as a child, how art keeps him balanced, seeing some of his favorite art masterpieces in person, working as an Art Director for Z-Axis, traveling and how it influences his painting, balancing family with work and his fine art, working large, process, commissions, his solo exhibition “City Beats, Light and Shadow” at Bitfactory, and leaves us with some advice to aspiring Artists.

Check out Jeff’s work at his website www.jeffvelardefineart.com

Follow Jeff Velarde on social media:
Instagram – www.instagram.com/jeffvelardefineart/
@jeffvelardefineart.com

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This week, Wes and Todd talk with Abigail Kreuser. Abby discusses how she and her partner Gundega came up with the name for their new gallery, being a serial entrepreneur, her journey as a photographer, getting her B.F.A. at the Rochester Institute of Technology, moving back to the Springs after college, her beginnings in curation, her first gallery space, her upcoming solo exhibition, editions, collaboration, photography being a hard sell, showing all types of mediums, Artificial Intelligence, her documentary project “Lucere,” the Colorado Springs art community and it's small business community, her mission and vision for her former gallery, how the pandemic affected her, 2024, selling art, First Fridays, her curation process, how being a creator affects her curation and vice versa, tips for artists, commission, work/home balance, Curate Your Space and the services they offer, the decision and catalyst to join forces with Gundega Stevens to form Auric, the balance of their partnership, their exhibition calendar, advice for people thinking about starting a gallery, putting yourself out there, the realities of running a gallery, pricing, collectors, signing art, exhibitions that she’s proud of presenting, and current and upcoming shows.

Join us for a wonderful conversation with Abigail Kreuser!

Check out Abigail’s photography at the Auric Gallery website https://auricgallery.com/collections/browse-the-art?filter.p.vendor=Abigail+Kreuser&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=

Check out the Auric Gallery website at www.auricgallery.com

Follow Auric Gallery on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/auricgallery
@auricgallery

Facebook - www.facebook.com/auricgallery

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This week, Wes and Todd talk with Kristen Egan. Kristen discusses sourcing gourds, carving masks, New Contemporary Folk Art, the area where she lives in Pennsylvania, sense of place, other materials she incorporates into her masks and sculptures, totems, the catalyst to carve gourds, air drying paper clay, repetition & referencing past work, birds, research, process, art show titles, Alfred University, being open to new experiences, foundation, Goggleworks, Arch Enemy Arts, Instagram, the compulsion to create selling art, commissions, production, pricing, perfectionism, evolution & experimentation, work/life balance, bagpipes, weird bagpipe experiences, procrastination, being a life long learner, and collectors previews.

Join us for a lovely and fun conversation with Kristen Egan!

Check out Kristen’s exquisite work at her website www.kristenegan.com

Follow Kristen on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/kristeneganart/
@kristeneganart

Facebook - www.facebook.com/kristeneganart

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This week, Wes and Todd talk with A.L. Lummus, a.k.a. Amy Lummus. Lummus discusses the pandemic & how it affected her and her work, timing, Barbara Kruger, Mettle Martyr I & II, being an Advocate Artist, lessons learned in doing the work, “dog with a bone” syndrome, work/life balance, the thread that runs through the work, stories/narrative, art & carpentry, the genesis for Mettle Martyr, telling the story that’s hers to tell, asking the question “is it breathing?,” research & statistics, process, the Ft. Collins Mural Project, working big, kinetic sculptures, Firehouse Art Center, her show “Spit and Splinters,” her residency, and her motto.

Join us for a compelling and educational conversation with A.L. Lummus!

Check out A.L. Lummus’ work at her website: www.amyleelummus.com

Follow A.L. Lummus on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/alummusart/
@alummusart

Facebook - www.facebook.com/AmyLeeLummus

Check out Amy’s solo exhibition, “Spit and Splinters” at the Firehouse Art Center, February 9th from 6pm-9pm in the Main Gallery.

Firehouse Art Center
667 4th Avenue
Longmont, CO 80501
www.firehouseart.org

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This week Wes and Todd sit down with Painter, Ryan A. Lee. Ryan discusses being “artsy” growing up, falling in love with wide open spaces, his wife proclaiming on Facebook his new professional career as an Artist, self-esteem, his brief art education at Kansas University, being exposed to art in his youth, the influence of the pop 80’s skateboard movement, landscapes, New West stories, process, reworking pieces, evolution, research and reverence photos, frustration, Americana, loneliness, darkness, humor, Cowboys & Hippies, the Coors Western, freedom of speech, trains, what art does for him, awkward humans, Edward Hopper, being a loner, mixed media, 70’s cars, low brow art, sticking up for the little guy, fear & self-doubt, anger, art essays, hating Hipsters and painting Western scenes, Memento Mori Gallery, being a juror for “The Wild Bunch”, being bold, galleries, commissions, collectors, Children of the Pueblo, Art for Redemption, art in prison, road tripping, pricing, and selling art.

Join us for an unequivocally frank conversation with Ryan A. Lee!

Check out Ryan’s stellar work at his website www.ryanaustinlee.com

Follow Ryan A. Lee on social media:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ryanaleeart/
@ryanalee

Facebook - www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-A-Lee/100075996926060/

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