E. I. Couse's granddaughter Virginia Couse Leavitt discusses her recent release of E.I. Couse's biography, her life in Taos, and how she has made her life's mission to document E.I. Couse's art and life story. Virginia and her late husband Ernie's vision was to make the Couse house a museum, which is now open, the Couse-Sharp Historic Site.
Seth Hopkins Executive Director of the Booth Museum shares his life story of becoming a Museum curator and executive director for a major western museum. Seth went from sportscasting, cable T.V. before falling into a career of art. An amazing story of how art entered Seth life and changed how he saw his world. Seth discusses his involvement with Andy Warhol and his interest in the West making his 1987 Cowboy and Indian Series.
The creative force of nature, Jeff Bursey, discusses his interests in art and all things associated with his world. Jeff discusses how he deals with synesthesia and the effects of having a multisensor stimulus firing in his everyday world. In his twenties, Jeff goes on a wanderlust to meet artists, writers, and musicians. Jeff tells of being working as an artist assistant for Fritz Sholder and how he makes objects that support and display various works of three-dimensional art.
One of the reasons I started a podcast was to try to capture voices that I thought would be lost in the future that relate to our profession. A distinct profession of collecting and preserving Western and Native American art. Unfortunately, because I interview a lot of older individuals, there is no doubt we will at some point lose a voice. This week we lost Bille Hougart. Bille was such an interesting guy. I got to interview him back in May of 2019 and I wanted to re-feature this podcast so you...
Andrew Smith discusses growing up in Santa Fe and how his interest in anthropology lead to being fascinated with imagery and the history of the Southwest photographs. Andrew explains how he goes about evaluating photographers and placing them in museum, libraries, and with die-hard collectors. The history of how the Edward S. Curtis collection ended up in Santa Fe and how Curtis's project 1904-1930 developed. A fascinating interview with one of the top photographic dealers with lots of early his...
Wes Cowan is an anthropologist, auctioneer, and appraiser of antiques. He is an owner of Cowan's Auctions, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cowan is a licensed auctioneer in Ohio and received a B.A. and M.A. in Archeologist from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan. Cowan has been a regular in the PBS series Antiques Roadshow and History Detective. Wes Cowan explains what it's like to be an appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow and eleven seasons on the H...
Western Artist John Moyers, discusses his life growing up in New Mexico and how the Southwest influenced his early collecting and artwork. John Moyers is the son of William Moyers one the earliest Cowboy Artists of America and his wife is the famed Western artist Terri Kelli Moyers. Moyers shares his method for painting and his artistic influence the famed Western Artist Robert Lougheed. John also speaks about going to Cal Arts and his classmates Tim Burton and John Lassiter.
Terri Kelly Moyers cannot recall a time when she didn't want to be anything other than an artist. She drew animals as a child, and consistently directed most of her time and energy toward pursuing that goal, with her studies at the Alberta College of Art. Terri spent her early years making her living as a pet portrait artist until she was able to break out of this mold and find her passion for Western Art. Terri Kelly Moyers is the wife of John Moyers, Terri discusses trying to survive to suppor...
Tony Abeyta acclaimed Native American artist who grew up in Gallup New Mexico, his father a traditional Navajo, WWII code talker and artist Narcisco, Ha So Deh and his mother a Quaker ceramist were Tony's earliest influences. Learn about Tony's earliest influences at Institute at the American Indian Arts in Santa Fe including his instructor Otellie Loloma, and artists T.C. Cannon, Fritz Sholder, Harry Fonseca and roommate Diego Romero. Tony Abeyta discusses his artwork and how he applied his cre...
Landscape artist Stephen Datz discusses his life story of growing up in Colorado and his struggles to become an artist, the son of a philatelic dealer. Stephen explains his path of becoming an artist first in plein air art before turning his art style into a more modern aesthetic. A must-listen for any artist that wants to make art as a profession.
Ted Trotta shares his experience working as a specialist in Antique Indian Art for PBS's Antique Roadshow. Ted Trotta early life with the Vietnam war and his struggles and finding his way as a contentious objector. He explains how he started as an antique dealer before falling in love with Native American art. How Tony Berlant shared his knowledge of how to tell bayeta yarn in early Navajo blankets. Trotta-Bono, Ted Trotta's company which he shares with his wife Anna has been dealing in Native A...
Artist Billy Schenck worked at Andy Warhol's Factory in 1966 after Kansas City Art Institute becoming a Pop artist. Schenk the artist is also a world champion rodeo cowboy and discusses how he wears both hats of rodeo and western artist. Schenk discusses his time at Elaine Horwitz starting in 1976 along with Fritz Scholder and Louis Jimenez.
Paige Williams, New Yorker Magazine staff writer, discusses her new book "The Dinosaur Artist" her in-depth 7-year odyssey uncovering the history and hidden world of the high-end fossil trade. The book travels from the Land of Lakes, Florida to one of the most remote places on earth, the Gobi desert in Mongolia. She follows the story from high-end auction house sales to the final consequences of dealing in illegal dinosaur bones. A fascinating podcast of how Paige became interested in the fossil...
Art collector and forensic psychologist Jon French, Ph.D. shares his love of fine art and ethnographic art. Jon takes on his life's journey hanging out with the manager of the Grateful Dead and writer Allen Ginsberg and the 1967 Summer of Love in San Francisco to become one of the top forensic psychologists in California. Jon worked with dangerous criminals helping to diagnose serious psychiatric disorders, working with actual psychopaths on a regular basis. Jon goes on to speak on how his love ...
Part 2 of Mark Winter's interview. Mark discusses how his life turned in a way he never expected when he started to collect Two Grey Hills rugs ultimately becoming the trader for the Toadlena Trading post near Newcomb New Mexico. Mark Winter explains how he learned about Two Grey Hill weavings and the different types of weavings produced during certain time frames in the 1940s and '50s, '60s, and '70s and the weavers producing these amazing textiles. A must listen to for anyone interested in Nav...
Mark Winter Native American Art Dealer tells his stories of how he fell into selling Native American art while making leather work in 1969. His first love was Native American jewelry and explains how became a trader selling Indian jewelry to Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, and Sony and Cher before falling into Navajo rugs and blankets. Mark begins his career in Pagosa Springs working with Jackson Clark and how they develop one of the most comprehensive collections of Navajo weavings, the Durango Co...
Victoria Roberts, Los Angeles native and New Mexico transplant, stops by to discuss her life and art including working for the musician Steven Stills and getting a music contract with Barry White. She has worked professionally in a variety of arts including animation, graphic art, wood and ceramic sculpture, and assemblage. In the early 70’s, Victoria learned the art of hand-painting animation cells working with Disney and had the opportunity to study art at Sir John Cass College of Art in Londo...
World renown illustrator Dennis Ziemienski discusses his distinguished career as an illustrator and fine art painter. Growing up in San Francisco Ziemienski receives a degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California College of the Arts. His knack for composition paired with his eye for color gave him a distinctive look and he was able to establish himself as an illustrator in San Francisco. Wanting to explore more opportunities as an illustrator, he moves to New York in 1980. While th...
Western born artist, Francis Livingston was one of the top ranks of American illustrators, including the book cover for "Dances with Wolves". Francis Livingston's paintings have been exhibited in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. Livingston was awarded both Gold and Silver Medals from the New York Society of Illustrators, San Francisco Society of Illustrators, and Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. Francis Livingston first studied at the Rocky Mountain School of Art in Denver before...
Brian Lebel has been in the western art business since opening his Old West Antique gallery in Cody, Wyoming over 30 years ago. His childhood was spent on the east coast dealing antiques, then made his way to Cody, Wyoming to try life as a real cowboy. Brian founded the Cody Old West Show and would go on to acquire the High Noon Show in Mesa Arizona. Brian has sold Roy Rogers' saddle for $162K and a Billy the Kid photography for $2.3 Million.
Native American Art dealer Charles King shares his life story of growing up in a pottery dealer's household and his love for Pueblo pottery. Including discussions about Tony Da, Maria Martinez, and Richard Spivey – the Maria Martinez biographer.
John Krena shares his life story of going from working in the steel mills of West Virgina for six year,s to becoming a world-renowned dealer in Native American art. John has been working as an Indian Art dealer in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for almost 5 decaded. A must-hear podcast.
Jewelry designer and former psychologist Dana Busch shares her story of getting five degrees in the health care field including a Ph.D. in psychology and struggling with severe scoliosis, before returning to her true love of art and making custom jewelry.
Native Californian Eric Bowman shares his love of art and his story of working as a comic illustrator, motorcycle illustrator, and New York illustrator, before finally switching over to a full-time fine art painter.
Kansas Art Institute graduate Jeff Aeling shares his circuitous road from musician, to theatrical stage construction, to finding his love of painting. Jeff goes into detail about the effect Robert Kenndy and the Cuban Missle crisis had on his early childhood as well as his love of surfing. Jeff discusses what abilities are required to become an artist and the types of skills that are involved to become a landscape painter. He also speaks about the three types of landscape paintings that can be p...
Duane Maktima shares his stories of growing up in two worlds one of the Hopi and the other at Laguna Pueblo and the difficulties of trying to fit into separate cultures. Maktima speaks on his long journey from carver and painter, to world-class silversmith, and the issues he encountered along the way. His family history includes Hopi relatives being sent to San Quentin Prison for not sending their children to Indian school.
Award-winning artist Marlowe Katoney discusses his life and how he learned to weave Navajo rugs from his grandmother who worked in a traditional Ganado style to his own contemporary interpretation unique to the media. Marlowe's life was changed by the artwork of Charles Loloma.
Lynette Jennings produced, directed and starred in her own design show by the same name on the Discovery for 18 years, blazing a path for all the shows we now take for granted. Her life includes owning a major architecture firm before following her passion to become an artist working in oil. Follow how she made the transition from walking the red carpet to a studio artist.
How one art collector becomes completely engrossed with collecting and how it affects his life and understanding of what it means to be an art collector. Art Hitner shares his story of baseball cards, law, and WPA artwork.
Fred Fellows the longest active member of the Cowboy Artist of America of fifty years shares his story of saddle maker, cowboy, illustrator to a professional western artist. How Fred Fellows became the art director for Northrup Aircraft in the 1960's and transitioned to one of the best known western artists in America.
