Meet The Artist

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

All right. Welcome back to another installment of Meet the Artist, the production of the tucson Gallery. Here in downtown tucson, 300 East Congress. We have these weekly events. We’re bringing one of our talented local artists to share their insights and their knowledge with our adoring fans. And then right before each of these presentations, before it gets a little too crazy, we record this podcast. You can find out all of these podcasts more about each one of our artists. You can find their merchandise, things we have available from them in the gallery, and also reproductions on our website. TheTucsonGallery.com invite you to check that out and also sign up for the newsletter to get all of the events. Because it’s not just these live artist events. We also have wine tastings and music and all kinds of good stuff happening down here inside of the proper shops. And today we are blessed with the presence of, I’m going to say internationally renowned. He’s like, yeah, of course. Sean Parker, photographer extraordinaire. And welcome to the show.

Sean Parker

Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here, and this podcast is a nice addition. So I’m excited to talk about my work and get some people down here and inspire, maybe.

Tom Heath

All right, well, that’s a big tall order. We got like, 15 minutes, so we better get hustle. Let’s talk a little about you. So we focus on tucson artists. But you are not a tucson native.

Sean Parker

I’m not a native, no. I’ve been here for about a third of my life. I grew up in a little town called Parker, Arizona, right out right on the Colorado River near Lake havasu. I spent about eleven years of my life there. Then I moved to prescott, where I spent about another twelve or 13 years and went to high school, some college there, and then moved to tucson in 2009 or something like that.

Tom Heath

What brought you down here?

Sean Parker

Opportunity. So, growing up, I’ve always been a huge nerd, like video games, computers, and I started to get really into computer repair and networking and stuff like that. So I basically moved away from prescott because there’s not a lot of jobs up there for me up there. And I came down here, went to well, I originally wanted to go to itt Tech, but I didn’t go because I found a good computer job here. And so I ended up staying here and just doing the whole experience route and getting my certificates and all that, and then found my passion for photography about ten years ago.

Tom Heath

How did that transpire were you like an amateur photographer taking things on your phone? You’re like, I’m pretty good at this, or did you just go full board and start with the equipment?

Sean Parker

It’s kind of funny. Kind of looking back at my teens and my young adult life, I noticed that I was always taking pictures with my phone, like all my travels or my hiking trips with friends or just scenic stuff, and I didn’t really connect that. I had a hobby for it or an eye for it until I started taking pictures of space through a telescope at skybar. So my journey into this is a little bit different.

Tom Heath

Nice. I like that.

Sean Parker

Yeah. So basically I’ve always been what do you call it, passionate about the night sky. I’ve always enjoyed hubble’s imagery, and at skyboard they have a telescope out there, and the shot number at the time had photos displaying on this TV out on the back patio, and I was like, Those are some great hubble images. He’s like, no, those are actually my images I took through this telescope at this bar. I’m like what? Really?

Tom Heath

Your jaw just sort of dropped?

Sean Parker

Yeah, I was a little starstruck, to say the least.

Tom Heath

No pun intended, no pun intended.

Sean Parker

And basically I just started coming hanging out with him a lot and taking pictures with my iPhone of the moon and stuff like that.

Tom Heath

And how old were you at this point?

Sean Parker

Oh, man, this was like ten years ago, so I’m 35 now. So I was about 25, 26, and basically just borrowed my friend jordan’s camera for like six months before I popped my own and started taking pictures with him at his observatory outside of town and just getting into it. And then I got just really full blown into it, just nonstop, like late nights, coming into work late, and it changed my life.

Tom Heath

Well, the two things that you are known for, I’m assuming you do a lot of photography. Two things you know for are headshots and wedding photos. No, no, I’m just joking.

Sean Parker

Unless there’s a milky Way behind them.

Tom Heath

No, it’s the it’s that that galactic experience, but it’s also you do really good nature, like desert landscapes and things of that nature. It’s like two different opposite spectrum.

Sean Parker

Yeah. So basically when I first started, I started taking pictures of just the sky only, and then I started seeing some nice landscape with the night sky photos coming out. And this was like right when cameras were actually able cameras were actually able to perform this kind of technique because the high iso, low light performance on some of these cameras when I was just getting into it, was barely usable, so I kind of got in it at a good time. And I’ve always been a nature guy, so I was able to really capture the night sky plus landscapes, because once you shoot like a nebula for a while, there’s nothing really changes except camera equipment. So I was just full blown into nature, getting the milky Way core over a cactus or something like that, and then I just realized I just love shooting everything and challenging myself. And I started shooting like, lightning and storms and then sunsets.

Tom Heath

Yeah, your lightning photos are just phenomenal. We have people that come in the gallery and they see your photos, and they don’t realize it’s an actual photo. They think it’s like a painting or something like that. How do you capture how do you capture that? Because is it just timing, or do you have this sense? Like, does your hair stand up with a lightning strike?

Sean Parker

Well, it stands up because I get excited, but not because I’m getting too close to the lightning. But I just love shooting things that exhilarate me and that adrenaline pumping. I’ve seen the milky Way over something, or the lightning over at the city, or a suarez. Just fun to chase. And I like the challenge. So once I started getting into that kind of photography, I just started researching and becoming pretty knowledgeable in weather and patterns and the doppler radar and stuff like that, so I know how to position myself and get that shot.

Tom Heath

Heaven. How long do you have to sit out there? Like you said, the universe doesn’t necessarily change, and the cactus isn’t moving. How do you get out there and how long are you out there to photograph for?

Sean Parker

Hours. Yeah, I mean, sometimes I’ll get up in the morning and chase all day, but a lot of the storms don’t develop until late afternoon, so I’m usually out there from two until midnight sometimes, because sometimes these storms take me all the way to yuma or down to nogales.

Tom Heath

So you’re actually physically you’re in a car chasing that storm.

Sean Parker

Oh, yeah. It’s like that movie twister.

Tom Heath

Okay.

Sean Parker

Yeah.

Tom Heath

I thought maybe you would set up an area and then let the storm come to you.

Sean Parker

Well, sometimes I can predict that depending on how accurate the radars are. So I’ll actually be like, oh, there’s going to be a storm cell developing over wilcox at around 02:00. So I’ll drive out to wilcox and just wait for it and then just go from there.

Tom Heath

When we first met, as we were opening the gallery, like in, I think, October or November, you were doing a lot of traveling because you were getting photographs of lights. That was in Norway.

Sean Parker

Icelandis. Northern lights. Yeah.

Tom Heath

Was that your first time doing that?

Sean Parker

No, that was my 12th time.

Tom Heath

Oh, my gosh.

Sean Parker

Yeah. So I’ve been going out there almost two or three times a year for the last six years. Yeah.

Tom Heath

And what draws you there?

Sean Parker

The stark beauty, of course, and just the dramatic landscapes and the northern lights. LG hired me in 2016 to go film the Northern Lights for their tvs. When you go to Best Buy, you see those screen savers on the tvs. So they hired me to go out there and film for their new oled television that was coming out in 2016 and changed my life. I mean, I was, like, ecstatic because I was kind of, like, under the radar a little bit. Like it was just becoming popular, and I was like, I want to go there. That’s so pretty. And I want to shoot the northern lights. And I saw the northern lights on the plane ride over, and I was just losing my mind. Just sitting on there and looking out the window and just seeing these green slithering lights going across the sky and yeah. So now I go out there and I lead photography workshops and tours out there, chasing the northern lights and the sunsets and basically the beauty of iceland.

Tom Heath

That kind of leads me into my next sort of question line here. So you’re helping others kind of find their path. Someone got you involved and now you’re helping others.

Sean Parker

Oh, yeah, basically just passing it on, paying it forward. So I do a lot of educational workshops, so I’ll take groups out to the desert and teach them how to photograph the night sky over, like, swara National Park and stuff, and just basically sharing ten years of knowledge in a two night course or one night, depending on what I do. But yeah, it’s awesome. I love it.

Tom Heath

It’s ten years, and I know that’s a long time, especially when you’re 35, but you’ve also packed so much into that because you’re in magazines, you’re in commercials, you’ve got awards. It’s not like I’ve just been taking photographs for ten years. You’ve been taking high quality, highly recognized photos.

Sean Parker

That’s the beginning. Yeah, I mean, I would say, like, my first publication was just, like, six months after I started in smithsonian Air and Space magazine. So that was a huge kick to keep trying to feel.

Tom Heath

When you were when you opened that up and you saw your stuff, that’s pretty awesome.

Sean Parker

I don’t think I even asked for money. I just gave them the photo because I didn’t know better. But I was just like, Holy crap, I’m in a magazine. Mom, like, look at this.

Tom Heath

Someone getting involved. You clearly found a passion. A couple of things you mentioned have changed your life, but someone that might have that knack for taking photos on their phone and kind of, what are those next steps before they do start spending? Because your equipment is not inexpensive.

Sean Parker

No, it’s not, and it never was from the beginning. I’ve always had pretty good stuff, and I highly recommend anyone who’s getting into it is to use what you have access to. Don’t spend a lot of money at first. The trick is finding your eye, finding your passion within photography and your subject matter. And there’s a lot of pressure on social media to kind of like what’s trending, what’s popular, what sells, what doesn’t. So I highly recommend stay away from that. Just find what you’re passionate about, because as long as you love it, I’m sure other people will follow along. And patience is like, the biggest thing you can have with photography is build your following, build your business, build your eye, build your equipment so that doesn’t happen overnight.

Tom Heath

Yeah, you talk about getting in the smithsonian magazine after six months, but that was after years of working. Prior to that, it was six months once you became serious about it.

Sean Parker

No, it was six months once I started posting on Facebook. But like I said, I got in it at a good time when no one was really doing it, so I kind of got known for it at a good time.

Tom Heath

So this was kind of before your sky bar days?

Sean Parker

Yeah. No, so skybar I started, and then six months after skybar I started.

Tom Heath

Yeah. And you’d kind of been doing things prior to that. You’ve been sort of finding yourself prior to that, which is, I think, what you’re selling to people, it’s not a problem if what you like isn’t what other people necessarily like, because if you photograph it well, other people are going to really enjoy it.

Sean Parker

Yeah, and that’s what I’m saying. Just do what you like to shoot, or shoot what you like to shoot, not what other people are expecting from you and stuff like that. That’s why I don’t do headshots or do commercial weddings. weddings? I mean, I’ll do weddings for friends or friends, but it’s not what I’m passionate about.

Tom Heath

Do you find in the photography world, do people then really specialize in a couple of areas, or is that more unique for you?

Sean Parker

I mean, I’m a firm believer of being good at multiple things. That’s why in photography, I don’t stick just to milky Way photos, I do other subjects. So it definitely does help you in the end because you can just problem solve a lot quicker and make it work. But I just recommend just first finding what you’re passionate about and focus on that one subject, which was astrophotography for me, and then I moved on to bigger things once I mastered that.

Tom Heath

Okay. And then from kind of an artistic standpoint, you come with an interesting background because you come from the science and computer world, but you’re also a musician, and both sides of your brain are always working.

Sean Parker

Yeah, pretty much.

Tom Heath

That’s got to be an interesting way to help kind of identify what you’re going to be shooting.

Sean Parker

Absolutely. I mean, there’s a lot of equations in photography as far as the aperture, like the exposure, triangles, what they call it. It’s like your exposure, your shutter speed and your aperture, and they all work within each other. And so when you shoot at a slow shutter speed, you got to adjust your aperture and all that. So that definitely helped me. Even though I hate math, I’m not the greatest at it. It just works in my head. I know that if I change the setting, this setting also has to change. And growing up, I actually helped my dad find his first digital camera, which is like a three megapixel hp boat in the hand because I’ve always had an electronic background. Electronics came, and they still do come easy to me.

Tom Heath

Does the musician play into it. Does that give you the little bit.

Sean Parker

Of math in there? Yeah, but I think that inspired my creative side more than my technical side.

Tom Heath

Yeah. And I don’t know this world, so forgive me if it’s an ignorant question, but do you do filtering and photo correction?

Sean Parker

I would say photo editing is half the battle in photography. So getting the image right in camera is the first step, and then second step is polishing that image. But I don’t do any fake imagery. I don’t do what a lot of people do is like composite the sky from a different day on top of their shot to make it more epic or dramatic. I don’t do that. So I think that’s what also helps me stand apart from these other photographers that are kind of famous because they do a lot of manipulation and I don’t I just had contrast saturation, stuff like that.

Tom Heath

And when you’re doing when you’re doing that editing, are you trying to recreate what you saw and how you saw it, or are you trying to create something different?

Sean Parker

More a little bit of both. Yeah, I would say it’s a little bit of both. Obviously, the cameras can’t capture what our eyes can see, but I try to do it as close as possible without overdoing it. I like to keep it very subtle because I think that’s just my style. A lot of people like making it more dramatic than it actually is just for the appeal of it, and good for them. But I try to recreate what I see without overdoing it.

Tom Heath

Okay. I get that sense when I look at your pictures. I feel like I’m seeing what you saw when you took that picture. When I look at other photography that I really like, I’m getting a sense of this is more of a compositor or almost like a production generated.

Sean Parker

Yeah.

Tom Heath

So I definitely can see that in the way that you work. Your snowfall with your sorrows is really popular here when people get that imagery.

Sean Parker

Well, I got some photos here, some prints of the snow. All right. Some recent prints, too.

Tom Heath

So speaking of that, you can find Mr. parker’s work. We’ve got some fabulous reproductions available on our website, the Tucsongallery.com. You can come in and check it out. You can just Google his name and you’re going to find him all over the Internet. He’s got stuff everywhere. I guess this might be not enough time to really talk about this, but within the last six months, this explosion of AI and how do you see that? Or does that help hurt? Does that impact you?

Sean Parker

It definitely hurts, but it also helps inspire me to actually get to that one location or somewhere location and capture that without having any computer generation in it. I think it’s going to be like, I’ve seen this from the get go. compositing images wasn’t as popular as it was in the last five years. So I’ve seen the stages of real, straight out of camera photography going into complete creative compository to now being composed by AI. And it’s only been hurtful for artists like myself who try to keep it natural and true. I’m for AI. And I’m for compository, as long as it’s somewhat stated and not misrepresented. misrepresented, yeah. Because some artists will say they’ll come up with a story behind this fake image, and I just don’t find that very authentic. And I’ve seen it already with the AI popping like some I can’t even tell it’s fake. It’s like, so accurate. There’s reflections, the light hitting the tips of the mountains. It’s so perfect that it scares me because it’s like, what

Sean Parker

if I took a real image? This person’s going to make a million dollars off it. And I’m not. Which it’s not about the money, of course, but for someone like me who survives on their art, AI can definitely.

Tom Heath

Be trouble, I would imagine. If someone says, I want a photo of snow covered suarez, the algorithm is going to go out and look for.

Sean Parker

Source photos, like of my work.

Tom Heath

So have you seen anything that might be a composite of your stuff at this point?

Sean Parker

Not yet.

Tom Heath

Just a matter of time.

Sean Parker

A matter of time. And there’s actually going to be reverse lookups. And I think there’s going to be some laws pertaining to this that will say this image has to be sourced to the original artists because it’s definitely a huge copyright infringement.

Tom Heath

Yeah, I know there’s some national lawsuits that are against, like, photo storage sites that have then allowed these AI companies to come in and mine their source. I guess we’re a little far afield on this conversation.

Sean Parker

We just touched on it. That’s all we need to do.

Tom Heath

That’s fine, but I hope you have a chance. Do you have any workshops coming up people can sign up for? And how do they find out more information?

Sean Parker

So on my website, if you go to www.seanparker.com and go to the workshop tab, I have information in my schedule and I’m always coming up with new classes. My next one is in Phoenix. Not this weekend, but next. And I actually have one spot that just opened. Someone had to cancel, unfortunately. But it’s a two night workshop in Phoenix. And we go out, shoot all night and then we edit the next day. It’s just fun. Trip up in the superstitions.

Tom Heath

What’s your social media so people can follow you if they’re not?

Sean Parker

It’s at Sean Parker Photography. S-E-A-N parker Photography.

Tom Heath

All one word, and that’s Instagram and Facebook, everything.

Sean Parker

Twitter? I don’t think the Twitter has photography. It’s just photo. But just search Sean Parker Photo and everything and you’ll find me.

Tom Heath

All right, well, Sean Parker another one of these talented artists from tucson. As we get more deep into these conversations with artists in the gallery, I personally am impressed with the talent in tucson. We continue to see just tremendous people coming forward that have been working for years.

Sean Parker

And I just look around us, we’re surrounded by some amazing artists. I just walked in here and the first thing I said was like, wow, I can’t believe how much beauty is just inside this gallery.

Tom Heath

We are lucky in tucson and that’s the mission of the gallery is to help make the world aware of the talent we have here in tucson. If you want to learn more, head over to our website, the Tucsongallery.com. You can check out our live events. Every week we have a different artist coming in to talk about their styles. We have sculptures, acrylic, we have painters, photographers, we have people that work with stone, steel. It’s really a wide selection there and we invite you to check it out and come down and meet them live and have a cocktail and maybe learn a little bit about what they do and ask the questions. And most of them pretty willing to assign something if you got some of their work. John, I really appreciate your time, appreciate your view in our community and I appreciate the beauty you bring to this world.

Sean Parker

Thank you. I really appreciate that.

Speaker 3

Thank you for listening to Meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East conga Street in tucson, Arizona. The mission of the tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to thetussandgallery.com for more information about our live events, listen to other Meet The Artist podcasts and check out the wide selection of art gifts and other items created by tucson’s modern, thought provoking and forward thinking artists.

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

Welcome back to another fabulous installment of Meet the Artist, the series put on by the Tucson Gallery inside of the proper shops here in downtown Tucson, 300 East Congress, right across the street from the fabulous and venerable Hotel Congress. Each and every week we have a different artist come in and do a live meet and greet with their fans. And then beforehand we record this podcast and try to do it before the crowd gets too rowdy. I want to have an art riot on our hands, but we are excited to bring to you another artist today. And if you want to check out any of our past episodes or more information about the gallery or any of the artists that we have in the Tucson Gallery, head over to our website, thetucsongallery.com. But enough of the promo. Let’s get into the good stuff here. We are joined today by, I think, the first time we’ve had a sculpturist on the show. We’ve got Adam Holman. Is that an official term? Are you a sculpturist?

Adam Homan

I’m going to go with that. Sculpturist. Sounds good. A sculptor, probably. Sculptor? Sculptor, yeah. Sculpturist. Yeah.

Tom Heath

Interesting.

Adam Homan

The metal artists tend to get called just a wide variety of things. Like when I’m at a show, it’s like, are you a plaquesmith? Are you a welder? Are you a metal artist? Are you a sculptor? It’s all good.

Tom Heath

So I think sculpturist is the word. I might have made that up, but we’re going to go with it.

Adam Homan

I think we should trend that.

Tom Heath

We are going to hashtag sculpturist if you’re out there. So you’ve kind of given away the secret here. But your sculptures are they tend to be made of metal ish type materials?

Adam Homan

Yes, mostly metal steel, mostly stainless steel. Anything I can scavenge. Gears, old vintage things, typewriters cameras. You name it, I’m into it. I like finding interesting things and incorporating them into my work.

Tom Heath

Yeah, I’ve seen tools and chains, all kinds of things that normally I would either step over or be looking to discard. And you’re like, no, it’s interesting.

Adam Homan

When I go into a store or some kind of a recycling place and I see a wrench or something, I don’t see wrenches anymore. I see robot arms and roadrunner legs and that whole thing.

Tom Heath

That was going to be my next question. Then. If you haven’t seen Adam’s work, you’ve got to head over to our website, check it out. You’ll get a really fabulous look at it and you’re all over town, so people probably have run into you at some event. But you don’t see the parts. You see the holes. When you look at it, you see a pair of ice scripts, you immediately know, hey, that’s actually a part of something.

Adam Homan

Yeah, I don’t ever find an object and think, I got to make something around that. I always see parts. So if I’m making, let’s say, a roadrunner, I’m never going to make it out of a gear that I like, it’s always going to be, does that gear fit the Road Runner? So a lot of guys will find a gear and say, I got to make something out of this. I’m the other way around. I’m like, I got to make a Road Runner, and I got to use these parts if they fit organically into the piece. So I kind of work from that perspective.

Tom Heath

And how long have you been creating art in this fashion?

Adam Homan

We figure it’s about 27 years now, probably full time. About 25. So, yeah, I started in the late 90s, mid, late ninety s, and I really didn’t know what I was doing. I kind of figured it out as I went. I had a couple of family members that knew how to weld, so I got the basics down, and then I just started running with it. I didn’t know what I was doing. I walked into a gallery in Bisby with some Polaroids and showed them, and they’re like, all right, bring it down. And they called me a week later, stuff sold. Bring more. And then it started snowballing from there. And then when I got into the art shows, that’s when I was like, oh, I can actually maybe make a living at this. And it just took off.

Tom Heath

So there wasn’t a foundation, like, you weren’t out putting up fences for people or installing doors, and you’re like, hey, I can turn into art. You just woke up and said, I want to use hot flame and create art.

Adam Homan

Well, when I first started, I was just making characters and the creatures that inhabited my imagination. And then I did do some just for money. I would do security doors and gates and things like that. So that was like good training in the sense that you had to actually know how to do decent welds and make sure everything’s going to hold together. And I would go and install doors and that whole business. The money was okay, but it wasn’t for me as far as excitement.

Tom Heath

My business partners in this, you know, Tony Randar, and they’re real estate agents, I bet they’re all over town. And this house is really special because it has an Adam Holman door. A swinging gate was put in here.

Adam Homan

Years ago by this is where Adam had his nervous breakdown because the gate was a half an inch off on one side.

Tom Heath

Are you a perfectionist in that regard?

Adam Homan

I’m really not. And that’s the problem with the gate, because you have to be a perfectionist, and it doesn’t come natural to me. With sculpture, it’s great because you can just kind of wing everything. It doesn’t have to be perfect, especially.

Tom Heath

A note on the cake. Just lift it up a little bit, it’ll be fine.

Adam Homan

Just jiggle it, it’ll be all right.

Tom Heath

So you get into R. What was do you remember what the first sort of creation was? That was artistic.

Adam Homan

The first thing I did was a gargoyle. And yeah, I remember making the gargoyle and getting done with it. I mean, it took me like, a week to make this thing and it was the first thing I stepped back at and looked at it objectively and thought, this is good. I feel like this is pretty cool. And that gargoyle, actually, I sold it here at a gallery called Apparatus, I think, at the time. And it went to this gal and she took it and she moved to Oregon and then she got hired overseas in Japan and she took it to Japan with her. And then I think Australia after that.

Tom Heath

Your first piece?

Adam Homan

My first piece to Australia. And then a couple of years ago, before the pandemic, I got a call from her and she said, I’m retiring. I’m moving into an assisted living place. I don’t have the room for it. Do you want it back? And I was just like, oh, my gosh, yes, please. So I actually ended up getting that gargoyle back after about 25 years and a world tour. So now it’s a permanent resident in our house and it’s kind of fun to look back and see that sort of thing.

Tom Heath

Do you still look at it and say, it’s this work of craftsmanship that you remember or have you progressed and.

Adam Homan

Think, I’ve definitely changed, but I do appreciate the work. I was approaching it from a different perspective then. The piece still has character and that’s really what it’s all about for me, is creating character and animation and giving it life. So I was pretty happy to see it.

Tom Heath

Inside of the gallery. We’ve got a lot of, I would say small and maybe medium sized pieces. A lot of things that are countertop or desktop. But I’ve seen your work. You’ve got huge monolithic statues and things of that nature.

Adam Homan

Yeah, I do it all. I like creating small and large. I like the small in the sense that I can usually turn them out in a day and there’s a feeling of satisfaction. The big ones are more of a commitment. And then there’s always the sale of the big ones tends to be a little slower than the small ones. So you got to find the right people in the right spot. But Tucson has been stepping up lately. Like, my big stuff is really selling and finding homes and, man, I’m stoked about that.

Tom Heath

It’s great we had someone actually come in. I think you were at one of the shows where they came in and like, oh, yeah, we know Adam really well. He’s doing something. We’re working with our landscape architect and designing our whole backyard. And we’ve got this idea for a piece and Adam’s helping us. So their yard is going to be designed around whatever you end up creating. Oh, good.

Adam Homan

Well, I’m glad that you heard from them because I haven’t heard from them lately and I was wondering what was happening. They’re still interested.

Tom Heath

There’s definitely interest. The person helping them with their design is struggling, I guess, is what they were.

Adam Homan

Yeah, they’ve had a rough time with their designer and I don’t know what’s going on there, but I can’t wait.

Tom Heath

To get a piece because it’s going.

Adam Homan

To be the coolest piece ever.

Tom Heath

But they’re still interested. If I run across any of the other clients here. Now, correct me if I’m wrong in this, but I understand, or at least I’ve heard rumors that your family might be involved with this project or your daughter might be helping.

Adam Homan

They always helped my family. My dad particularly went to all the shows with me when I was getting started and traveled all over the country doing these crazy art festivals. So he’s always been involved. He’s 80 now, so he kind of stays more local. My daughter is eleven and I’m just to the point now where I’m going to get her the gear she needs to start working in the shop and I think she’s interested. So I don’t want to push it too hard because kids will tend to if you could push it too hard, they’ll be like, no, I’m not doing that. And then my wife has always been super supportive and has helped me over the years at the shows and her feedback and creativity.

Tom Heath

Were you married when you were doing this or did you get married after?

Adam Homan

I got married after she was getting.

Tom Heath

Into it wasn’t like you got married and said, by the way, I’m going to support the family by picking up scrap metal and turning them into robots.

Adam Homan

Yeah, that turns the whole game around. When you’re married and you’re the sole provider for your wife and daughter, like the monthly income depends on you, and you’ve got this crazy business of selling robots and creatures and things like that, it takes a turn where it’s essential that you have a smart business. And I’m not a natural businessman by any means and kind of had to learn along the way here because before that I was just picking art shows and traveling and if I made money, great, if I didn’t, it was okay. And now it’s like, you better make.

Tom Heath

This count because I understand kids eat every day.

Adam Homan

They do, they eat every day. I try to discourage that, but yeah, she demands it.

Tom Heath

Well, she’s eleven, so you can start getting her with the acetylene torches and such and get her out working. Did I use the right terminology there?

Adam Homan

I do use an acetylene torch, yeah, absolutely.

Tom Heath

Throwing stuff out there? No, sorry. I saw the video of Union. It’s a cool video because you get to that little head flip and the mask comes down like Iron Man and then you light up the torch.

Adam Homan

Yeah, it’s funny, you get so used to wearing the gear, so I’m constantly in a helmet and a respirator and gloves and all the safety equipment. I’m really careful because I’ve seen the other metal artists with some pretty serious injuries and health issues over the years, and so I’m kind of vigilant about that. One guy showed up at an art show, he was a metal artist, and he was missing his nose, so he actually cut his nose off by accident. And yeah, I’ve seen some weird things, respiratory issues and I mean, fingers. Yeah. It’s not for the faint of heart working with metal.

Tom Heath

Is there a large community of metal artists in Tucson?

Adam Homan

Yeah. One thing that crossed my mind the other day was that I went back and I did a show that I kind of began at, and when I started that show, there was a guy by the name of Ned Egan, and Steven Dirks was doing work then, too. And when I started, the metal dudes were so supportive. There was no competition. There was just sharing of knowledge and information. And you got to do this. You need this kind of equipment. You should do this show, you should do that show. I always appreciated that about Tucson, really supportive metal people, as far as that goes. So, yeah, that was awesome.

Tom Heath

And do you carry that forward? So are you helping others or you’re like, no, I’m in it now, so I got a family to feed. You guys stick to the acrylics.

Adam Homan

No, I feel like the more the merrier. And I always encourage anybody that approaches me and asks questions or I give my information out freely. It’s a good thing to share and yeah, you give back that way, too.

Tom Heath

And I’ve seen several other metal artists in town as well. And even though it’s the same concept, you can see a style.

Adam Homan

Oh, yeah.

Tom Heath

I mean, it’s clear that this is an Adam Holman. When you look at that, it’s not going to get confused with someone else.

Adam Homan

Right.

Tom Heath

So it’s like any other art form. Everyone might use the same paint, but they’re going to create something that’s their vision.

Adam Homan

Yeah, I think that happens a lot. Like people that don’t know steel work or metal work, they might not see distinctions, but you definitely develop a style over doing it for 27 years. And my style was kind of distinct right from the beginning, and I’ve kind of been grateful for that. I haven’t run across too many people like me. There’s a few guys out there that do similar stuff, but my stuff is different enough where we’re not confused. If you know what you’re looking at.

Tom Heath

Where in your mind do these creatures come from? Because you have really interesting compositions. One of the ones that’s most popular in the gallery is a typewriter that is a robot kind of writing its own story, and it’s the typewriter base. And now that we’re seeing all this stuff with like Chat Bots and AI and all that, I’m just telling people, this is like the prototype, right? Adam designed the first type, his own words. But was this your concept or did you see something or did someone come up to you?

Adam Homan

I’ve always just been a fan of animation, and so I loved the vintage typewriters and cameras, and I used to take typewriters apart and use their guts and stuff in my sculpture just because they’re amazing. And then when I was really like, why not preserve these awesome pieces of technology and bring them to life and make them artwork? It was just a natural fit for me. So I got a whole children’s book in my head about these characters walking around. Oh, interesting, that’s coming. I do have a degree in creative writing, so I should probably use it at some point.

Tom Heath

I was going to ask some of your stuff. It does tell a story, like with a typewriter, it’s typing a story. I would imagine you do different ones with different typewriters.

Adam Homan

When I’m creating a piece, I’m always thinking from that perspective, like, what’s my audience? How are they going to perceive it? What’s the reaction, what’s the feeling going to be when they look at it? I’m usually shooting for a smile or a good feeling or a laugh or thought provoking with some of the strong female figures I do. So, yeah, I’m always thinking kind of like a writer in that sense. Like, how is my art going to be perceived by the audience?

Tom Heath

That’s interesting that you say, because, yes, the sort of male characters seem a little more goofy, but your female characters are really strong, they’re focused, they’re powerful. Yeah, I didn’t realize that.

Adam Homan

But I always make sure that the female forms are strong and empowered. I think that’s super important to me. I think the sacred feminine has been trounced on for thousands of years and now you see women claiming their power and doing amazing things in the world and man, I’m all for it. I think that’s great. It’s what we need, and we need a balance in society between masculine and feminine. And robots, of course.

Tom Heath

Robots. Do you sketch things out in advance or do these just come together?

Adam Homan

I’m a terrible sketch artist. Like, it would do it just injustice for me to sketch things out. So no, they just kind of come into my head. If I’m going to create like a horse or a roadrunner or something, I’m definitely going to look at some pictures to make sure I get anatomy right for that. But for the most part, like dragons or robots or the creatures I make, you can kind of just use your imagination and go wild.

Tom Heath

We’re going to have to get you connected then with a graphic designer and artist because I do think you have a story to tell with your characters.

Adam Homan

Definitely. Yeah. I know that when I was young, some of my biggest influences were stop motion animation and I always loved that genre. And I remember seeing Clash of the Titans when I was a kid and just being fascinated about how they did that. And then the Imperial Walkers and Empire Strikes Back, that stop motion animation was so cool. Mixed with the new technology they were using with the motion capture cameras and all that stuff, it really blew me away. And that’s really what got me into artwork because I started studying the guys, the model makers and all the guys behind the scenes that were doing that stuff. And I was really drawn to it and had my own creatures in my mind. I walked out of Star Wars in 1977, and from that point forward, I had to make my own stuff. It spurred creativity. And I mean, I’ve heard that so many times from so many people. Like something happened with that time period in that movie. It birthed a generation of creatives. And it was really an honor to meet

Adam Homan

Dennis Muren, who is one of my friends and clients. He was the guy he was head of Ilm for a while and did the stop motion on the Imperial Walkers. He was integral in bringing in computer technology into the industry. He found the guys to figure out how to do the Jurassic Park dinosaurs and CGI. And, I mean, he’s just like he’s got like nine Academy Awards and he.

Tom Heath

Has an Adam Holman.

Adam Homan

He’s got a whole bunch of my stuff. And I got to go to his house and meet his wife. And he brought a bunch of the other guys in the industry over. And it was like one of those nights where I was just, this is it. It’s not going to get any better.

Tom Heath

Pack it up. I’ve hit my pinnacle.

Adam Homan

Yeah, it is awesome. And he’s such a cool dude, and he’s been really super supportive. So, yeah, that was definitely a validation early on. And yeah, good experience.

Tom Heath

Well, your stuff is very popular in the gallery. We have several different pieces and people will ask, is this an original? And it is. We might have multiple roadrunners or cameras or typewriters. They all are unique and created by you individually. But you do have a theme and you kind of keep with them.

Adam Homan

Yeah, I mean, it’s different than, say, a bronze artist who’s got a mold that they’re making the piece each time. I’ve got to do each one by hand, and they’re always different by default. So every one of them is one of a kind in my mind, even if I’m doing the same style or whatever.

Tom Heath

I don’t have any vice grips, but I got a pipe wrench. So there you go. Exactly. There you go. You got a claw instead of a hand today. You’ve been extremely busy. So besides the Tucson Gallery, where do people keep track of you? Facebook. Instagram.

Adam Homan

Yeah, Facebook Instagram are kind of my go to. I send out is it just Adam.

Tom Heath

Holman or is it Adam? Yeah.

Adam Homan

Facebook’s. Adam Holman. Metal sculpture or Adam Holman. I post on both and then Instagram’s. I think Adam underscore Holman at instagram. I’m around. I’m in, obviously, some galleries online. And, yeah, I’m just honored to be in this gallery and being a part of the success of this Tucson experience here, because I think Tucson is full of amazing, creative people. I remember going to art shows all over the country. I’d be doing a show in Seattle and I’d look at the list of where the other artists are from and there’s always like four or five from Tucson. I never knew them, you know what I mean? Because I was busy doing art shows. Right. And now it’s becoming different. There’s a sense of community here developing that I’m kind of seeing and being more of a part of. And I’m really cultivating that. And I want to support the arts here in Tucson the best I can. So thanks for providing a space to do that.

Tom Heath

Yeah, that was the concept we wanted to not just have art, but create community, make accessibility and have a wide range. When you come into the gallery, you will see some more well known artists and some that are up and coming.

Adam Homan

Right.

Tom Heath

And then with our Meet the Artist events, the idea is to connect you with the public. And really we find that a lot of times it’s not just the public that comes, it’s people that are trying to get into your artwork forms or they’ve got questions or how did you do this or how did you do that? So it really becomes that community feel and we’re excited about that.

Adam Homan

That’s awesome. Very cool.

Tom Heath

Well, Adam, thank you very much. Thank you for being here. And if you want to learn any more about Adam’s story or any of our other artists, we do a weekly podcast called Meet the Artist. You can get more information on our website, thetucsongallery.com. There’s also an events calendar when you can find out when everyone’s going to be live. We’ve been doing the meet and greets on Thursdays for the first few months and next month, which will be April of 2023, we’re going to start doing some Fridays to see how that works out. But head over to the Tucsongallery.com for more information about all of those events and anything else that’s coming up. We’re doing a lot of fun stuff here in the gallery and we’re inside of the proper shops, which is a collective of different retailers, and they also are having fun and exciting things like wine tastings and agave tastings and painting classes and all kinds of stuff. So head over to the Tucsongallery.com for more information and spread the word. Let’s

Tom Heath

help build this community of artists here in Tucson and make Adam’s Tucson dreams come true.

Adam Homan

I love it.

Tom Heath

All right. Thank you, sir.

Adam Homan

Thanks, Tom.

Tom Heath

Thank you for listening to meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the Tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East Conga Street in Tucson, Arizona. The mission of the Tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to thetussandgallery.com for more information about our live events, listen to other Meet the Artist podcasts and check out the wide selection of art, gifts and other items created by Tucson’s modern, thought provoking and forward thinking artists.

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

Well, welcome back to another installment of Meet the Artist, the production of the Tucson Gallery, located here in downtown Tucson inside of the proper shops at 300 East Congress, right across from Hotel Congress. Every week I have an opportunity to highlight one of our fabulous Tucson artists. Many of them have work inside of our gallery. Others have work on our website, the Tucsongallery.com. And you can also head over there for other Meet the Artist podcast. You can get up to date information and sign up for our newsletter to find out about our live events and come in. If we have artists doing any painting, wine tasting, agave tasting, all that stuff, check it out. The Tucsongallery.com. And before each of our Meet the Artists segment, before we invite the public in, we have this wonderful podcast. And today we are joined by the one, the only, the fabulous and you must be exhausted, Jessica Gonzales. Hi. So, yes, for the exhaustion. Yes, absolutely. Every time we try to schedule, she’s like, Absolutely. Oh, wait, no. I’ve got 74 things that we can push it. Push it back. You are crazy busy right now. Have you been crazy busy for a while?

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah, I have. It kind of feels like I’m waiting for some break in it, and it’s like I have to plan a vacation for that to happen because it keeps going.

Tom Heath

I think your last vacation was you got married or something. Yeah, honeymoon. I’ll get married so I can just want to get a break from the business. Yeah, right. So what are you up to lately?

Jessica Gonzales

 Right now I’m working on a collaboration with Rock Martinez and we’re painting along the Rito River along mural there. Okay, where about? It’s at the end of country club where the Tucson Racket Club is. Oh, nice. Okay. And it’s just right across the bridge and along the retaining walls there.

Tom Heath

A heavily traveled area, so it’ll be well seen, I’m sure. Yeah. And are you mostly into murals at this point? I know you’ve done some origins, which we’ll talk about, but is mostly your life consumed with these huge projects?

Jessica Gonzales

Yes, it is. And I hope to kind of balance that out in the future and do more stuff in my studio. But right now, murals keep me busy around the clock. Painting, has that always been your medium or do you do anything else, like sculpture? I played around with it in college. I enjoy it. But, yeah, painting is definitely my favorite.

Tom Heath

So let’s kind of go back to the beginning then. When did you get started in art? When did you know this was like, a passion for you?

Jessica Gonzales

I’ve been lucky enough to always know it’s something I loved as a kid, and a lot of kids do. But I think my parents, especially my mom, who’s also an artist, she saw a little bit of extra. She saw something special in what I was doing. So she always supported me continuing to do art. So it’s like I always knew I was going to do art. I didn’t know in what capacity, but there was never a question about what direction my life was going to take. So I’ve always felt really fortunate for that reason.

Tom Heath

When you went to school then, was that a focus? Like, when you went to college, was that something you were intent about doing?

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah, definitely.

Tom Heath

Okay, and then how did you get into the mural side of things?

Jessica Gonzales

I was always kind of interested in them. I mean, I’ve watched people creating murals around town and was curious about them, but I kind of was just thrown into it because I applied for the City of Tucson Mural Arts program in 2016, and I didn’t think I’d get it at all. I had no experience painting murals, but I had experience painting large canvases. That’s the closest thing to a mural, and I was just really fortunate enough to be selected, and I just was thrown into it.

Tom Heath

So 2016, like, seven years ago, is about when you started doing murals. And then I’m seeing all of these murals. That is a lot of work in seven years.

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah. And I didn’t start doing it full time until 2019. Oh, my goodness. You really don’t have any time. Yeah. You’re not just blowing me off. You’re actually busy. Yeah, it keeps me very busy, and it’s kind of a trendy thing right now. So being a mural artist, it’s a good time to be doing it. There’s a lot of people that have been doing it forever, but right now, it’s kind of a sweet spot.

Tom Heath

Well, and you’re doing something right, I think. Was it 2022? You were named the Outdoor Artist of the Year? What was the award you won?

Jessica Gonzales

The best visual artist. Best visual artist. Yeah. Okay. Actually and it’s been a couple of years, not to brag. I’m just saying

Tom Heath

21 and 22 to get that type of award with the type of competition that we have in Tucson, that’s phenomenal. And I don’t know if people fully understand some of the work they see. They might not even know when they go by the realtor theater and they see the Marquee. You do a lot of those, right?

Jessica Gonzales

Not the Marquee, but the show murals. Yeah, I do I do them every month in 191 Tool. Yeah, I repainted the Marquee for 191 recently. And then we do change out the shows too. That’s just words, though.

Tom Heath

That’s just words. I just think it’s interesting because, you know, you have these big projects, and then if you want to get a glimpse of a Jessica Gonzales, that’s really temporary. You got to go to the realtor Theater, take a picture of that wall, because in a month or so, it’s going to change.

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah. It’s a really different way to approach mural painting. I have to design it, keeping in mind that it’s going to be changing really soon and it has to be painted really fast, but it has to pop and it has to bring people in. So it’s a little bit more of a graphic art, kind of commercial art, sort of.

Tom Heath

I’m trying to figure out at some point that building just has to grow because there’s got to be so much paint on that wall.

Jessica Gonzales

I’ve actually cut a slice from it and so Joe Pagac started that. Right. And then Danny Martin did it for a while and now I’m doing it and you can literally see the layers of the different eras of muralists working there. It’s pretty cool.

Tom Heath

That’s fantastic. Yeah, it’s really cool. Yeah. That wall is going to be worth something one day if they ever decide to shave off all of that and see if they can salvage it in some way.

Jessica Gonzales

Right. I think that somebody should make something out of it. I don’t know what. Sculpture, jewelry, something.

Tom Heath

And you’re not originally from Tucson. You moved here about what time?

Jessica Gonzales

When I was 12 so 1990. Never mind, never mind.

Tom Heath

Where did you come from?

Jessica Gonzales

I was born in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City. Lived there till I was six, and then my family and I moved to Germany and lived there till I was twelve and then came here. So Air Force,

Tom Heath

when the most recent visual artist award was announced, I remember seeing on Facebook, and if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but you were very open and candid about how art helped you through some troubling times as a youngster. Do you mind kind of talking

Jessica Gonzales

about that? Yeah, sure. I was just really introverted and had a hard time kind of in the social aspect of being in school. So I did a lot of art and that started a lot of conversations with my peers. And so I was able to connect with people in some way or at least start dialogues with other students. And that kind of really helped make up for the fact that I couldn’t talk because I was painfully shy. You talk for your images and your art. Yeah, exactly.

Tom Heath

Anyone that sees your work, it’s a distinctive style. It’s very vibrant. It just pops. Everything is just like this explosion of colors. Has it always been that way? Or did you have like a dark period where it’s just black and white?

Jessica Gonzales

Well, I did a lot of drawing when I was younger, so just gray. But I’ve always loved color. I’ve always been really drawn to color and lots of it. And I’ve definitely experimented with other stuff and I actually really enjoy a limited palette and I’m leaning more towards that now in life and a little bit more toned down. But yeah, color is like my best friend Diana.

Tom Heath

And then your murals also have a sense of history and culture. They all seem to weave that in somehow. Obviously it’s intentional, but does that come from someplace special.

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah, I think it has a lot to do with well, first of all, public art. That it feels like it belongs in the space that it’s in and that it enhances the space and also features the elements, the people in the culture surrounding it. But I’m on this long live or lifelong I’m on this lifelong journey to discover my own identity culturally and just as a person, as an artist. So I’m always kind of thinking about those things and exploring those ideas and a lot of it ends up in my art.

Tom Heath

Okay. Well, it’s amazing to me the amount of symbolism and ideas that can come across in an image and I think you capture really well. And I’m not alone. You have a lot of fans here in Tucson. A lot of fans. Thanks. People come in and they love your stickers. And people from out of town, they’ll grab, like, a bunch of your stickers of your rearls and they’re like, oh, do you know Jessica Gonzales? Like, no. They just love that. And they don’t even realize necessarily that they’re all from the same artist. So you have something that really captures people’s attentions and imaginations.

Jessica Gonzales

Awesome.

Tom Heath

Whether they know it’s you or not. Yeah. Or whether they know it’s a two year running visual artist award or not. Yeah. Tell me about this Tucson together mural. It’s right across the street from the gallery. This came at a very troubling time in Tucson. Tell us about that. Yeah.

Jessica Gonzales

So I was approached about the concept. So it was early 2020 and when everything was crazy and the idea behind it was to for every letter of the word together is pulled from a sign of an iconic kind of Tucson business. And the idea was to just kind of unify Tucson, bring something, a message of hope and togetherness. And I painted it in April 2020 with a mask on barricades so nobody would get close to me. And it was really quiet downtown. It’s quite an experience. It was kind of strange, but yeah, that’s how that came to be. It was just kind of like to sort of uplift people.

Tom Heath

It was anonymous for a brief period. Like, your name wasn’t on that mural of people. Like, who did that? It must have been because you weren’t quite done. Wasn’t quite done. It looked on to the rest of us. I remember seeing the post on Facebook like, who did this? I know, because I saw her painting it from over 6ft away. Yeah. The g is from hotel Congress. And I’m embarrassed to say that I got all of them. And I’m like, where’s that g from? I couldn’t figure out the G. I was looking at the G and someone, like, points at the hotel congress sign, like, right there.

Jessica Gonzales

Right there. Well, that’s what’s so fun about that one too, is it’s interactive in that way

Tom Heath

and your stuff is popping up everywhere. I’m not sure if people are fully aware that you have a comedian on Netflix that you would design a stage for.

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah, that was an amazing project. The comedian is Cristela Alonzo. She played at the Realtor Theater. She had a show in 2019 when I was painting show murals, and I did one for her. And she liked the mural that I did and kind of followed me. And we sort of talked a little bit about doing something together in the future, but there was no clear direction for what that was going to be. And then she decided to film her Netflix, her second Netflix stand up special.

Jessica Gonzales

And she was apparently talking with her producer about how to make that the stage and the background interesting. And she thought of me and having me come in and paint a mural. So she reached out. It was like surreal and super fun.

Tom Heath

And there might be just too much Jessica Gonzales news, but I completely missed that. My business partners, the ones that helped open the Tucson Gallery, they were watching just Tony Ray Baker and Darren Jones. They were watching Netflix and they got irate because this comedian was using your art. Someone is just copying her style, and they were just so upset. And then they see the credits at their own, like, oh, it is Jessica.

Jessica Gonzales

Oh, good. We don’t have to raise a ruckus.

Tom Heath

No ruckus raising here. It’s just another one of those examples where you don’t always expect to see it’s just nice to see Tucson being represented and respected in the way that it is. Yeah. Are you doing Euros in other cities or is Tucson really all you can do at the moment?

Jessica Gonzales

I have done a few in Albuquerque because my dad owns a vacation rental and I paint them for him at his rental, which is fun. I have done some just outside of Tucson in Saudi’s, and then I have done one in Bisby, but that is it right now. However, my husband and I are planning a road trip this summer, and we’re hoping to paint some murals along the way.

Tom Heath

Breaking news here, folks. You’re hearing it first on Meet the Artist podcast runs by the Tucson Gallery.

Jessica Gonzales

So if you’re in Little Rock or Memphis well,

Tom Heath

listen up little Rock in Memphis You got something special coming your way. When Jessica Gonzales rolls in, you want to hang out and watch her paint. And when you’re in your studio, are you by yourself or do you have people around you? Do you have noise? Do you have quiet? What’s your environment like?

Jessica Gonzales

Nobody around me for sure if I can avoid it. Music, usually, or podcasts. That’s what I like to get in the zone, have some little bit of lavender oil going and just peace and quiet for the most part, which is the opposite of painting publicly.

Tom Heath

I was going to say that I can see why you want to get back in the studio a little bit more. It’s therapy. It keeps me grounded. Well, the excitement people have when they come in, it’s one of the reasons we open the Tucson Gallery, having a place where Jessica Gonzales can display her artwork and get merchandise and other things with those murals on it. The public loves it, and it’s heartwarming to see that kind of gratification. But it was also heartwarming when you created a couple of pieces for the gallery and you posted on Instagram when you showed pictures of them and you said, this is you kind of getting back to your roots. And you were excited by that. And again, talking to Tony, Ray and Darren, we all sort of like, this is why we do it. It’s so nice to have that. So we appreciate that you were open about that and shared that.

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah, I was really excited for the opportunity to have a reason to get back in the studio. That, to me, was one of the most valuable things of being part of this. My friends outside, anyway. Yeah, it just gave me a reason to kind of reconnect with myself as an artist on a more personal level. And so that’s really, really important to me, and I’m really glad to have the chance to tap into that.

Tom Heath

Well, last question here. As we wrap up, one of the things we wanted to do is also help artists in Tucson get moving if they’re struggling in any way. Is there advice out there for someone that’s getting into either public art or just really trying to find their voice or or maybe has the issue where they’re they’re not able to communicate as as well, verbally or socially and, you know, are there any things that you can pass along? That’s a lot of information. That’s a lot of stuff.

Jessica Gonzales

Well, I would say for anyone who’s trying to start getting into public art, something that I’ve learned along the way is that when you’re painting publicly and you’re painting for clients and things, it’s easy to kind of fall into this kind of groove that is painting, the kind of stuff that people that you think people want to see. And I just think it’s really important to always stick to whatever you’re passionate about, because that’s going to make everything you do really worthwhile in the end. So for me, it’s always coming up with something new, painting something new, some new technique, or like a different style, even just mixing it up all the time. That’s what keeps me engaged with it and keeps me connected to it from an artist’s perspective. So I think that is really important to hold on to. And what was the other question?

Tom Heath

Well, I was just wondering, art was very therapeutic and helpful for you and just kind of curious. Did it just come automatically or is there something you had to tap into? Is there some advice you could give someone that maybe has artistic talent, that’s feeling kind of that isolation that you were feeling, what were some of those steps to move forward?

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah, well, I mean, definitely showing your work. I know a lot of people create work and then are either nervous to show it or feel like that’s a big step. It is a big step, but it’s an important one because you’re never going to be able to really share your thoughts and your work with people and then have conversations that will keep you growing unless you put it out there. So that’s important. And there are all kinds of gallery spaces that offer different types of spaces for different kinds of art. So there’s something for everyone out there. It’s just a matter of being vulnerable enough to do that.

Tom Heath

Yeah, I would imagine that’s the fear. Right? We all don’t really want someone to say they don’t like something we did.

Jessica Gonzales

Yeah. And I think everybody has the choice to explain as much as they want to. Also, I mean, sometimes even just coming up with titles is difficult for me. But you can tell people as much as you want to about your art or it can be a mystery. They can come up with whatever thoughts they have about it, they can interpret it their own way. It’s totally up to the artist to divulge as much information as they want to. But you still want people to see it.

Tom Heath

Well, I don’t know. There’s a twelve year old in Tucson that came here, shy, introverted, started showing her art and now she is here at the Tucson Gallery about to meet a bunch of Rockets fans. You can hear them starting to gather in the background, waving to us through the windows. So hopefully you’re over the Shyness phase and you’re able to talk to some people tonight.

Jessica Gonzales

I mean, yeah, it’s better than it used to be. It’s still challenging, but you got to do it right.

Tom Heath

You got to do it well. Jessica, I really appreciate your time tonight and I’m looking forward to seeing some more of these original pieces come out of your studio.

Jessica Gonzales

Cool. Yeah. Thanks for having me.

Tom Heath

You have been listening to Meet the Artist production of the Tucson Gallery here inside of the proper shops in downtown Tucson. We’re at 300 East Congress cross from the historic and venerable Hotel Congress. Every Thursday we have a different artist come in for a session to record the podcast and then it’s a really casual meet and greet with their fans. You can grab a glass of wine, you can check out all the other retailers here inside of the proper shops. And the mission of Tucson Gallery is to really help the world understand how amazing our Tucson artists are and to give our Tucson artists a chance to better engage with their public. So tune in next Thursday for another installment of Meet the Artist. Or better yet, check out our website, the Tucsongallery.com and find one of these live events and come down yourself and meet your your favorite artist. Jessica, thanks again.

Tom Heath

Thank you for listening to Meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the Tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East Conga Street in Tucson, Arizona. The mission of the Tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to the Tucsongallery.com for more information about our live events. Listen to other Meet the Artist podcasts and check out the wide selection of art, gifts and other items created by Tucson’s modern, thought provoking and forward thinking artists.

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

We are back for another installment of Meet the Artist inside of the Tucson Gallery at Proper Shops in downtown Tucson, 300 East Congress, right across from Hotel Congress. And every week we have a chance to talk with a different artist. Some have worked in our galleries, some on our online gallery, and others are just amazing people in our community. Today we have someone that fits all three categories. Welcome to the show, Mr. Joe Pagac. Rhymes with magic.

Joe Pagac

Hey, thanks for having me.

Tom Heath

Absolutely. I think a lot of people, when they see your name on the murals, they’re not exactly sure how to pronounce it, so we always tell them it’s Joe Pagic. Like magic.

Joe Pagac

Yeah, that’s the way to do it here in America. Actually, I just got back from finding some of my old relatives in slovakia, and they pronounce it Pagache. It’s a pastry over there.

Tom Heath

Well, there’s nothing that rhymes with that.

Joe Pagac

We’ll go with Pagac.

Tom Heath

Pagac and magic. And I think that it’s appropriate because people see your work and they’re like, man, there’s some kind of magic going on there. You’ve been a tucson muralist for how long?

Joe Pagac

I started when I was 24, so it’s 18 years. I’ve been doing this full time.

Tom Heath

Wow. What were you doing before that?

Joe Pagac

I was a loan officer for a little while.

Tom Heath

I did not know that.

Joe Pagac

An assistant manager at einstein’s bagels. I worked busting tables at tgi fridays.

Tom Heath

Were you doing art during this time too, or no, you’re just like, you know what? I’m tired of this bagel. I’m going to go climb on a scaffolding and paint something on the wall. And how do you get from bagels to nols?

Joe Pagac

So I was in college, didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. And my sophomore year, I took a drawing one on one class just to kind of fill the space. I needed a full load of credits, and the teacher took me out in the hallway, and she was like, wow, you’re so good at this. Are you an art major? I was like, no. And she was like, you should do it. You should do it for a living. I was like, Nobody makes a living as an artist, right? You know, it’s like the joke is, you know, what is the what does the artist say to the engineer or whatever? Do you want fries with that? So I you know, I was like, really? You think I could make a living at this? And she was like, yeah. So I ended up just switching majors, became an art major. And then when I graduated, I didn’t really know what to do with that. So I put an ad in the paper, artist for Hire. And I think because murals are their own billboards, it’s just I started getting more and more mural calls because I was doing everything at first.

Tom Heath

What was your first mural, do you remember?

Joe Pagac

I think the first mural I did that was for just a total stranger. It was a fence between a guy’s yard and his neighbor’s yard. He had me paint an underwater scene, and he had me include naked mermaids on it. And he had me paint the neighbor’s side too, while she was out of town. And she came home and was like, furious and then actually built a wall right against his fence. But it was a cool mural, and then it was just like just little jobs. And the more murals that did is.

Tom Heath

A mural still there? Can you still kind of see it if you haven’t been driven by there?

Joe Pagac

It’s in the neighborhood over by where Magic Carpet golf used to be.

Tom Heath

Yeah, we don’t want to be too specific with all your fans. We’ll start out a frenzy over there tearing up the neighborhood.

Joe Pagac

I don’t know. I bet if that guy is still in that house, that mural is still there.

Tom Heath

18 years.

Joe Pagac

18 years.

Tom Heath

So you do one and then someone sees that and like, man, this is pretty cool. Can you do one for me?

Joe Pagac

So it was word of mouth. And then I ended up getting hired by an interior designer, and she would actually we were doing a whole bunch of murals up in, like, fancy houses in the foothills, and so it was a lot of tuscan scenes and stuff like that. But I did that for a number of years for her. And the condition was she got to sign my work, but I could use it in my portfolio because she already had a big name going. Okay, so right off the bat, in my mid twenty s, I was already getting these big commissions to paint these Italian murals, and I was getting to paint for three weeks and then go to Italy for two weeks and then paint for three weeks and then go to Mexico. And so it kind of started this lifestyle that I still keep going where as soon as I’ve got money in the bank to leave town, I go travel or hike for five months or whatever.

Tom Heath

In the brief time that I’ve actually known you, you’ve been hiking across the United States, you’ve flown to Hawaii to see a volcano. You flew somewhere to get involved with the avalanche. You’d make snow angels. You just got back from Europe, and somewhere in there you decided you’re going to walk across tucson to raise money for the food bank dressed as a hot dog.

Tom Heath

And I haven’t known you that long, right?

Joe Pagac

This was all in the last year, I think. Everything. You just last six months, right?

Joe Pagac

So, yeah, that’s just how I’ve always kind of lived my life, since being an adult is like, as soon as there’s money in the bank, I hit the road. You and I have different adaptations of being an adult.

Tom Heath

I’m just saying. That’s awesome. And it’s fantastic. And then the way you generate your money, I think brings you enjoyment too, right?

Joe Pagac

Yeah, for the most part. There’s some jobs that I love more than others. I think a lot of the bigger scale stuff gets into more feeling like you’re doing a construction job. And sometimes I’m like hanging off a nine story building on a window washer scaffold and 100 degree heat, and it’s humid and I’m miserable and afraid for my life, and I’m doing that for weeks. So you get there’s some trade offs, right?

Tom Heath

Can go to Hawaii. That seems fair.

Joe Pagac

I think it’s not as glamorous once you start getting into the really large scale murals. The one I’m working on this week is over at FC tucson, which is a soccer club. And it’s indoors, it’s ground level. It’s like a nice flat wall. It’s air conditioned. It’s so nice. And I just put on like, podcasts and audiobooks while I’m working or call friends I haven’t talked to in a while and just chat while I paint. So those are the dream jobs.

Tom Heath

There you go. So if you’re a muralist, the advice is to find the indoor, ground level, air conditioned jobs.

Joe Pagac

Exactly. The only problem is those who don’t advertise for themselves. It’s the scary outdoor ones that keep getting your business.

Tom Heath

Let’s be clear. You’ve done murals all over the United States. You’ve done Washington, DC. Where is Joe padrick art right now?

Joe Pagac

So I have a whole bunch in Washington, DC. I’ve done them in Miami, Las Vegas, La. Tons of them in Phoenix. I have a whole bunch in pecos, Texas. weirdly, because it’s one of those things where once I did one, they kept bringing me back, so I’ve gotten around quite a bit.

Tom Heath

Does your style remain like when you look at a Joe Pagac in tucson, especially with the more recent last ten years, there is some element that people would recognize as being Joe Pagac. Does that sort of carry through? Do you have jacobs riding bicycles in Vegas?

Joe Pagac

Yeah, the one in Vegas, the big one I did was for Buffalo Exchange, and so there’s like buffalo floating on balloons and helping each other up to grab clothes out of trees and stuff like that. So some of that carries over. The ones in DC. I don’t think you would recognize his mind at all. They’re much more realistic. They’re historical people and events and stuff like that.

Tom Heath

I do remember, I don’t know how many years ago, but you did that mural of the postal worker, the jazz musician.

Tom Heath

And that got like national attention because I remember reading about that in a lot of different newspapers.

Joe Pagac

Yeah, so that one has gotten a ton of attention. Some of the murals I do, the one here in tucson, actually, with the people and animals riding bicycles that I did in 2017, I see that everywhere. When I’m traveling, people use it as just if they’re talking about tucson in a magazine or a news article. That one shows up a lot, which is really cool to see.

Tom Heath

So then they don’t get your permission to do that, right? Because it’s a public art.

Joe Pagac

Right?

Joe Pagac

As long as you’re showing the surrounding area, too. If it’s just a street shot, it’s a fair game. And they’re not advertising anything besides tucson for me. I’m not super litigious or anything anyway. I just love having that art go around the world and knowing that people are excited about it and want to use it to represent the city.

Tom Heath

Do you ever reach back out to the drawing teacher that encouraged you?

Joe Pagac

Yeah, you know what I did? I went back and found her years later and I was so excited to tell her that I had made a living at it and she had no idea who I was.

Joe Pagac

She had a lot of students, I’m sure.

Tom Heath

What are you, that pastry guy? pajak.

Joe Pagac

What is that? Although I did recently, like two years ago, I was on a road trip and I looked up my high school art teacher because I took some art classes before and I looked her up. She was in idaho and she was super excited. We went and got dinner together and it was really cool to see her and catch up. Nice.

Joe Pagac

And she still follows me. I think a lot of my art teachers and just regular teachers from earlier life still follow me. I’m friends with them on Facebook and stuff.

Tom Heath

Is there a retirement plan from your list? Is there a transition? Do you start doing more traditional canvas art or are you just always going to be hanging off the roofs?

Joe Pagac

I already am working on I’d really like to get more involved with the national parks and stuff like that because one of my big loves is just being outdoors and hiking and camping. So in the background, in my evenings, I’m home working on a whole bunch of designs and stuff like that for the national park system, and I’m hoping to start getting that going more. One of my dreams would be to just travel from national park to national park in a van or something and just well in there, work on merchandise and artwork for them and then travel to the next one. We’ll see.

Tom Heath

Everything just gets combined into one thing. That’s perfect.

Joe Pagac

Totally. So we’ll see. That’s kind of one of the things I’m pushing for right now. I have a number of kids books that I’ve written and illustrated, but they’re just not quite where I want them to be yet.

Tom Heath

Oh, wow.

Joe Pagac

So I even have printed out hard copies of them, but they’re not quite where I want to put them out in the public.

Tom Heath

So that’s another you said you’re writing them, so you’re doing the story as well?

Joe Pagac

The story illustrations, yeah. And then on top of everything else I’m doing. I have now like four properties that I’ve bought and fixed up over the years and made all fun and quirky and artsy. Just anything I can do where I’m creating something with my hands makes me happy. So construction falls into that really well, actually.

Tom Heath

I remember when we were talking originally about the gallery, and one of the goals here was to help up and coming artists get a little bit more knowledge, exposure, and a chance to meet some of the more experienced and seasoned artists. And I was like, what advice would you give to a muralist that’s starting out? And you said, don’t do it.

Joe Pagac

Right.

Joe Pagac

I think it’s a great if you’ve got what it takes to come out. And you have to be good at art, but you’ve also got to be good at marketing yourself and doing business and doing all the paperwork and stuff like that. On a good year, I would say I do painting a third of the time, and the rest of it is like going to meetings and doing mock ups and doing all the tax work and all that stuff. So it’s not just painting every day. Unless you have an agent, the tax.

Tom Heath

Stuff gets you every time.

Joe Pagac

Tax stuff, yeah.

Tom Heath

When you’re doing these mock ups, I’m assuming there’s a combination, but how often does someone come to you and say, just create us something? Or do they come and say, hey, we want pigs on balloons, or it’s the full range.

Joe Pagac

I honestly I prefer when people have something they want. If someone just says, Create me something awesome, I want it awesome. I want it different than anything else you’ve ever done, but I want it just like your style. That’s really hard.

Tom Heath

That’s where the magic comes in, right? There you go.

Joe Pagac

And sometimes I just get those. Like, I’ll be laying in bed at night, at 11:00 at night. It’s like, I’ve got it and I got to wake up and put it down. But sometimes those are hard. And if somebody comes in, they say, I want a buffalo floating on balloons. I can put that together quick.

Tom Heath

So you’re some of your ones here in tucson, like the whales, was that you or was that a so the whales.

Joe Pagac

The whales was me. It was actually they made me tone it down. Originally, the whales had little sorrow scenes on their backs. They were like little floating islands with birds circling them. And there were scuba divers on bicycles riding on a beach below them and then floating and swimming up to swim with the whales. And they made me tone it down.

Tom Heath

Wow.

Joe Pagac

They were like, that’s a little much.

Joe Pagac

Some of that stuff gets pulled in when you’ve got corporate sponsorship.

Tom Heath

What’s the process then? Do you create something on paper? Is it digital? That exists somewhere? The scuba diving, bicycle riding?

Joe Pagac

So now I do everything on the ipad I switched over a few years ago, just procreate, which is, I think, what every single artist out there uses now. But before it was like pencil drawings, and then I’d scan them into the computer and try to manipulate them in photoshop a little bit and then go from there. But yeah, I mean, I have so many mural designs and just art designs in general that because a lot of times it’s like three or four designs will go to a client and they shoot down three of them. They’re all just sitting there unused and.

Tom Heath

Unseen and then scaling it to a large building. Is it math?

Joe Pagac

It’s just a grid. Like geometry was actually a really useful class.

Tom Heath

Geometry? Geometry.

Joe Pagac

Not just the art for all of this stuff, for sculpture and art. And I do a lot of building stuff for hotel congress for years, building the Taco hand holes and the taco and the hands and all that. It’s all geometry and construction stuff. But yeah, it’s just a grid. I put a little grid on the drawing and then a huge grid on the wall. And I just fill in square by square, kind of where stuff is going to go roughly. And then from there, once I kind of know where stuff is going, I just learned the hard way. It’s like you’re up there on the wall and you’re like, there’s no way a nose is this big. And then so you make it smaller and then you get down after a couple of hours of painting and realize you made it way too small. So I just trust the grid. It gets things to look right in the end.

Tom Heath

Some of your projects. Is it there’s a sculpture coming, I think, or is it out?

Joe Pagac

The sculpture is done. We’re just waiting for the install. But it’s going right up on the river path between it’s like St. philip’s Plaza and the retail racetrack. So it’s a Havalina riding a tandem bicycle. It’s riding on the front and you can sit on the back and take photos with it and stuff like that, but it’s life size and it’s going to be super cool. It’s my first bronze sculpture. I’ve got a sculpture down in the airport already between the ticket counters that I did, that I did all by hand. But this one’s had the help of a foundry.

Tom Heath

Do you have any idea of the release date for that tandem bike?

Joe Pagac

I don’t know. We’re hoping to get it in the next week. We actually almost installed it this week, but there’s crazy weather going on and we didn’t want to install it while it was snowing. So I think it’s going to go in this coming week, but I think we have to let it set up with the concrete and stuff like that. So I think next month will be the unveiling and I’ll definitely let everyone know about it.

Tom Heath

A couple of last questions here. These are just for my benefit. But do you work on multiple projects at the same time? Or are you one and then move on to the next?

Joe Pagac

No, I always have like ten or 15 projects in the pipeline that I’m in different stages.

Tom Heath

That’s why I can never get a hold of you.

Joe Pagac

Right, yeah. So there’s always like the one or two that I’m currently painting and then the ones that I’m working on mock ups for, and then ones I’m going to initial meetings for calls. So it’s a constant thing.

Tom Heath

And then all these cities where you’re putting up murals. Is tucson really as special as I think it is with the amount of murals we have here? Or is this really something we have across the country? And it’s just I see it because I’m in tucson.

Joe Pagac

No, I think tucson has got a couple of great things. One that I noticed is we have a huge painting season. Like you go anywhere else and it’s rainy or it’s snowing or it’s just not good for painting. So it’s really good to paint here because you can paint almost year round. The other thing is, tucson is just super supportive of the arts in general. People like to put their money into it. They like to put the press on it. They go and take photos with it and support it with their own pocketbooks if they can. It’s a really supportive city. And in general, we also have less vandalism of murals here. I mean, occasionally stuff gets tagged, but compared to a lot of cities, there’s plenty of cities out there that you just can’t keep a mural up. People tag over it within days and it’s just destroyed. tucson is a great place for murals, and I think there’s very few cities like that in the country that really are as supportive and have that many muralists. But I think one of the things is that tucson

Joe Pagac

is drawing them in and the ones that are coming up are like, really getting supported well and can make a living at it, so it makes it easier to I was.

Tom Heath

Thinking of just from the talent standpoint, but without the community support, without the respect, I guess. Yeah. It doesn’t matter how talented you are if you can’t paint because someone’s not going to pay you or they’re going to tag it or it’s going to be snowing.

Joe Pagac

Right?

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Joe Pagac

And I think that’s what keeps a lot of the talented people here. It’s supportive, actually. When I graduated college, I was talking to all my classmates and was like, yeah, what are you guys doing when you graduate? And every single person was going to Los Angeles or New York, and I was like, Well, I’m going to stay here. nobody’s staying here. I’m going to see what I can do here if there’s no artists here.

Tom Heath

Were you born in tucson as well?

Joe Pagac

I was born in tucson, but for a number of years, I was one of the only muralists here working. So slowly, slowly, more murals have come up, and now there’s a huge community. But for a long time, I was like the only guy out there that was getting the calls I think made it.

Tom Heath

Do you have influences? Do you follow people on Instagram that you look at their stuff or you just don’t?

Joe Pagac

I’m not super into social media, and so I go on and post stuff on there, but I’m not really into it.

Tom Heath

I know you have time. You don’t have to have time, right?

Joe Pagac

And if I do waste time on there, it’s on reddit. I don’t know. And I’m not following any art stuff on reddit either. It’s like just all garbage. So I try to delete it when I can occasionally reinstall it.

Tom Heath

Where can people find what you’re posting? What’s your instagram? Facebook.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Joe Pagac

So my Instagram, I have Joe padg, which is my art stuff, and then Joe padget the person, is all my other stuff. I’m up to my hiking and traveling and stuff like that. The hot dog hike that I’m putting together to raise money for charity.

Tom Heath

Let’s talk about that.

Joe Pagac

Oh, sure.

Tom Heath

First of all, what is this and when is it happening?

Joe Pagac

So when I was hiking the Pacific crest Trail, I was doing a lot of wearing costumes while we were hiking. And I jokingly was talking to some of the people I was hiking with about getting hot dog costumes next, and nobody was into it, but I thought when I got home, I would do it. And then I thought, well, if I’m doing that, I should do it for charity and make a spectacle out of it. And then I mentioned to a number of people, and they were all really into it and wanted to join. So I decided just turned it into a big thing. So we’ve got 30 people dressed up as hot dogs hiking from March 15 and 19th. We’re going through the rincons and the catalinas. It’s going to be about 20 miles a day. So it’s going to be brutal. It’s going to be a hard hike. And then the hope is to just make a spectacle and steer people toward donating to the food bank. So you can go to Hotdoghike.com.

Tom Heath

I’m surprised that you’re all wasn’t taken already.

Joe Pagac

I know

Joe Pagac

it was a little more expensive than Net, but I paid the extra for it.

Tom Heath

Hotdoghike.com.

Joe Pagac

Hotdoghike.com. So that has all the information about it, and you can donate there. And then my other ones, it’s just Joe Pagac or Joe Pagac the person.

Joe Pagac

And then if you go on Google and type like Joe Muralist tucson, that will pull me up, and you can find me from there.

Tom Heath

Yeah, you can go on Google and find yourself with that easy to search. You’re doing something well, right?

Joe Pagac

Yeah.

Tom Heath

I appreciate it. I appreciate you being a part of the tucson Gallery. You’ve been kind of an anchor to help get this started as well. Your reputation people, when they see your name, they know it’s something of value and something that’s good for the art community. So we appreciate you being a part of that and look forward to kind of what the next projects are going to come out and can’t wait to ride a tandem bike with a Havalina.

Joe Pagac

Yeah, cool.

Tom Heath

That’s one of those things that when I was in Ohio, I never thought I would say.

Joe Pagac

Right, cool. Well, thanks for having me.

Tom Heath

Absolutely. And if you want to hear any of our other artist interviews, it’s called Meet the Artist. It’s on our website, the Tucsongallery.com. We have a new feature each week and then it’s followed up by meet and greet here so you can come live and hang out with the artist for a couple of hours, get a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, chat about process. It’s pretty casual and laid back. And then all of these are archived on our website. They’ll be on spotify and other places soon. It’s all called Meet the Artist. It’s a production of the tucson Gallery here inside of the proper shops, 300 East Congress. And tune in next week to find out some more exciting news from the art world.

Joe Pagac

All right, cool.

Tom Heath

Thanks, Joe.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Thank you for listening to Meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East conga Street in tucson, Arizona. The mission of the tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to the Tucsongallery.com for more information about our live event. Listen to other Meet the Artist podcasts and check out the wide selection of art gifts and other items created by tucson’s modern, thought provoking and forward thinking artists.

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

Well, here we are, another rendition of Meet the Artists. We’re inside of the Tucson Gallery on Congress and Fifth Avenue, 300 East Congress, across from the Hotel Congress. And part of this retail collective called the Proper Shops. And the Tucson Gallery’s role is to give artists an opportunity to showcase their work as well as help the world understand how amazing our artists are here in Tucson. So not only do we have the gallery of the website Tucsongallery.com, and then every week we bring a different artist in to talk about their process. They hang out here at the bar inside of the Proper Shops from five to seven. And we start all of these Meet the Artist events off with a recording of a podcast. So if you hear some noise in the background, those are just some raucous art fans going nuts. But that’s okay.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

At the bar.

Tom Heath

At the bar. We’re in the gallery and I think you’d be excited about the gallery.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

All went the same.

Tom Heath

We are joined today by the Amy Bumpus, fairly recently to Tucson. How long has it been since you moved to Tucson?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Just on three years.

Tom Heath

Three years. And where were you before the newbie colorado. Colorado to Tucson.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Very different climate. Yeah.

Tom Heath

How’s the snowing in Tucson compared to Colorado?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

No snow, which is perfect.

Tom Heath

You were telling me you do like some kind of surfing or wind surfing.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

It’s called wing foiling and it’s a cross between kiteboarding and the wind surfing. New sport, but a little easier to deal with than kiteboarding.

Tom Heath

It’s on the water and you get up there and it actually leaves the ground, right?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

It does, yes. That’s what the foil part is. So you have a kite in your hand and catch the wind and then the wind pulls you up on the foil. So you’re basically in the air on your board.

Tom Heath

Wow.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I don’t know if that makes sense.

Tom Heath

Well, it makes sense because I’ve seen pictures. If you haven’t, definitely look up a wing.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Wing foiling. Wing foiling.

Tom Heath

It’s pretty crazy what happens there. So that’s the sports section of our show. Now let’s move into the arts and entertainment side. You’re an artist?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I am. Lifelong.

Tom Heath

Lifelong. So you came out of the womb ready to go?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

You know, there was no conscious decision to be an artist, so yeah, I’m saying it was from the start.

Tom Heath

And describe to us because this is going to be a big part of the questioning that we go down today. But tell us about what you’re producing now, the medium that you’re using.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I use paper, I cut paper. So the image is created by using small pieces of paper. And I use old National Geographics and I say old then that means sixty s and earlier because of the ink difference. And I prefer the colors that they used back then. But I call it drawing with paper.

Tom Heath

Because is it exclusively National Geographic or do you mix it?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

No. Now I’ve added to my pile, I found old Life magazines as well with the same idea. It’s the different inks. But I’ve also incorporated. My sister had inherited I had no idea. An entire Encyclopedia Britannica. I did the Old Britannicas from my grandfather. So these were like, what, 1940s, 50? And she inherited them. And what else are you going to do with them? Really?

Tom Heath

We can learn about the USSR.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

You could back then. It all shifts. So anyway, I’ve been incorporating that as well.

Tom Heath

Okay. And then the end result, this is something you’re going to have to go to our website or come into the gallery to see this because it’s really amazing. This isn’t just like a collage of pictures that come together. You create images, very clear images, from.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Using these papers with the paper. Which is why I call it drawing with paper. So it is layered. It’s very layered. So until you get up close, you can see it from afar and you see the image. But when you get really close to it is where you see all the layers that come in, and you don’t see those until you’re right, really, on the piece. But since it’s all National Geographic images, words, so really I’m playing with words as well. But then you get up close and you see basically what I’m trying to say with the painting.

Tom Heath

And when you go to the website, you’ll see the reproductions of what’s there. And so that’s the flat surface. And it’s amazing work. It’s like, this is fabulous. Then when you come into the gallery and you do see those layers, it’s mind blowing as you get closer to see how intricate these original pieces are.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yes. So the whole point, really, and hope is to get people to walk up to the pieces because they all have an idea behind them. They all have a message. And using the paper that I use, I also use the words to convey what I’m trying to say.

Tom Heath

Your work has a message. Sometimes it’s political, sometimes it’s environmental. But you definitely have a clear pattern of your messaging through your art. It’s very interesting.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I do.

Tom Heath

You say you’re a lifelong artist. There are not a lot of parents that I know that will allow their youngster to use an exacto knife at a very young age. So there had to be a transition. What were you doing before this and what was the transition?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I’ve experimented with all kinds of mediums. So my favorite of choice throughout the years has just been drawing because it’s so simple. You pick up a pencil, pen and you start drawing. But I love line, so that’s why this kind of morphs into the paper that I am using now. That’s why I call it drawing with paper, because it’s an easy transition. But I’ve used paints, oil paints, acrylics. I’m a print maker, so I’ve done a lot of different mediums.

Tom Heath

Is any of your other artwork available somewhere? Because we’ve only seen the drawing with paper, and you do have some of your stickers and things that you’ve created through. It looks like more of a digital digital form.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Those are digital drawings.

Tom Heath

But where can we find your original hand drawings? Do you have those somewhere?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

At my house.

Tom Heath

These are the types of things we should be showing off to people, too.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

We could talk about that because I still have prints that I’ve made, monotypes, things like that, that I’ve created. Taos was my favorite place to go. I had a friend who was a master printer, and we used to work a lot together, so I have some of those images. But as I transition into using other mediums, it’s basically the medium of the moment is paper. So that’s what I’m showing, and that’s what I show on my website, my own website. But, yeah, the rest of it, I still have some.

Tom Heath

All right, well, we’ll have to figure out how to get some of that in here. I think these meet the artists nights should be more like a retrospective, too. We should bring in this whole litany of what artists have done over the years to see their progress.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

It’s not a bad idea, because we should do that. The thing about artists being an artist is you create inventory, and some of that in inventory throughout the years. Hopefully, you will sell, but you always have inventory from all of the different styles you’ve used.

Tom Heath

I just have to imagine. I do some writing, and I look at some of the things I wrote at an earlier age, and I’m like, oh, this is just horrible crap. At that time in my life, it was inspirational. Now it’s just crap. And I’m wondering, do you look at your work, or do you see something like, man, this was very young when I did this, and I can see this evolution.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Oh, absolutely. So, the thing about my family is they’ve always been my sisters. My parents have always been supportive of my work, but their houses are full of my past work. And certainly when I walk into their homes, there’s ones I would love to take back, and I beg for them to give them back to me, but they don’t.

Tom Heath

Right. Once it’s made right, isn’t that the art no longer belongs to the artist? Once it’s in the world, yes. You can control it.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

There’s always that butt, though, because there’s things you would shift. And I will say, if a piece stays in my possession and I will mess with it, it’s never finished. I’ll mess with it.

Tom Heath

That’s interesting, because you brought a couple of pieces into the gallery, I think, that were hanging on your wall.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yes.

Tom Heath

I wonder what they looked like before.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

You brought them in. Well, it’s good that they’re here, because.

Tom Heath

Not in the gallery. If I sit up there with an exact phone number.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yes, you are. I might come in with one hidden in my coat.

Tom Heath

So when you get into this, are you influenced by someone? Did you see this out there in the world? You’re like, oh, I would like to do this, or did it just come to you naturally?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

No, I hadn’t seen it before it really started because a friend of mine was getting rid of a bunch of old National Geographic magazines that he had, and he just gave me a box. And I carried that box with me for a few years, and I’m not really knowing what to do with it and where I was living at the time. I finally just pulled the box out and went, you’re going to do something with this or get rid of it? And in my studio at that time, I finally just kind of morphed on its own. It’s like, what am I going to do with this? So I just started cutting the paper and creating an image directly on the wall. So whoever has that space now has the first one I ever did was.

Tom Heath

It covered up at some point and.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Then just like by the time I sold it, archeological find.

Tom Heath

Wow. We found this date. Back to the how long have you been have you been working in this medium?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Probably since about 2013.

Tom Heath

So you moved from Colorado to Tucson. How much of you haul was filled with old magazines?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I had my pile by then. The pile grew.

Tom Heath

Well, then let’s talk about support, because you have to have people that help you in this. I think your husband, Ben, we’ve met, he’s got to be very patient to put up with moving these magazines from state to state.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Absolutely. He’s moved my art studio so many times. We have moved around quite a bit. And yes, he always was part of having to move all of my stuff. So he’s extremely supportive. He’s a videographer, so that’s really handy, I have to say, because he can take all the photos of my work that I need. But super supportive. Yeah.

Tom Heath

As an artist, you probably recognize that although a lot of his stuff might be digital, so he’s like, why don’t you just go digital and have to carry everything?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I’m going to say digital has its own weight. It has its own stuff, too.

Tom Heath

I think that might be the title, this podcast, digital Has Its Own weight, but people trying to get into art. One of the things we really wanted to focus here on the Tucson Gallery was helping up and coming artists as well. You’re established we’ve got people like Joe Padrick and Nasio Garcia who are well known murals. Jessica Gonzalez, Sean Parker, leslie Leather. These are well known photographers. You’re maybe not as well known in Tucson because of your recent move here, but you have a following. So what are those things that a young artist needs to understand, I think.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

In anything, and it’s the same in art, is networking. So it’s joining that community, that artist community where you live, taking classes, but it’s really just meeting other artists.

Tom Heath

Interesting.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yeah. And growing your network that way.

Tom Heath

And then you get influenced by them, or you get both.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I think that goes both ways. Every artist has their own vision, so I don’t care how young you are, we can all learn from each other all the time, I think, because every artist has their own vision. Even if they’re using the same medium, they have their own vision with that. So as a young artist, I think it’s just so important to surround yourself with other artists, not just your peer group, but people have been doing it a while and can kind of mentor a little bit.

Tom Heath

And you also come from a background where you or your family has owned galleries?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yes. We owned one in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Tom Heath

So you’re bringing in different artists to that gallery?

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yep.

Tom Heath

That sort of leads to that sort of collaborative mentality, I think, that you.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Might have I got to say it’s helped along the way because I’ve seen both sides of the art industry. I understood what it meant to be a gallery owner and how to run a gallery, and then always had the artist’s perspective as well. So in our gallery, it was extremely important to keep the artist upfront, and that would be from paying them before we paid our rent, which did happen just really in support of the artist, but also understanding there’s a business side.

Tom Heath

To this as well that comes through with your advice. As far as networking. A lot of times when I talk to artists that don’t have the business side, it’s always about passion and never giving up, which are important aspects as well. But there definitely is a monetization of the art that some people don’t like that term, but it allows you to focus more on your art if you’re not having to earn a living doing something else.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Exactly. And for the most part, most artists will at some point in their career show and say that they had to work a job to support basically their art habit. But I think it’s important to talk about your dreams and to follow those and your passions. But there’s a realistic side to it as well, and I think that that has to come into play. It’s not the most fun part of it, but it is part of it. You have to market yourself. You can’t rely on other people to completely do that for you. So there’s a point where you have to market yourself.

Tom Heath

Well, we appreciate that. My business partners, Tony Ray Baker, Darren Jones, myself, when we opened the Tucson Gallery, our thought was, we need to help these artists with their marketing, help them monetize what they’re doing. But we continually have this conversation that we’re helping you. You have to still do it. We can’t do it all for you. Your fans don’t want to hear how much I like you. They want to hear that, but they also want to hear from you and what a certain piece might mean to you or why you did something in a certain way.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Right? So I think this platform that you’ve created here gives artists a great opportunity to showcase themselves and just even be here. Even if you’re not working this space as an artist, if you’re here and somebody walks in and obviously likes your work, you happen to be here and you get to talk about it. So you can’t be better than that.

Tom Heath

We’ve seen that over and over. Someone will be coming in just to drop off something and someone will be looking at their work and we introduce them and 20 minutes later, they’re buying their art. They’ve got a photo with the artist, they’ve got a story. They’re so excited, they’re telling their family, I met this person because it is all part of the experience of owning the art, is being connected with that artist.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Right. So you can tell my story for me when I’m not here. And that’s a great thing.

Tom Heath

Good, because I do that a lot.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Which I’m so happy about.

Tom Heath

And I’m pretty sure I get like 80% of it. Pretty close.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

I think you do because you’ve heard me talk about my own work to people. And then you hear those stories and those where you get to relay, but in the end, there’s really still nothing better than the artist being here and speaking about their work to someone who’s interested.

Tom Heath

Well, I think that’s a good place to end it. Today we’ve got Amy Bumpus. She’s one of the founding artists in the Tucson Gallery. Her work has been in here since day one. You can see it, the originals here at 300 East Congress. You can head to our website, the Tucsongallery.com. How do people follow you? Instagram. Social media handles instagram.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Facebook. I have a website which is just my name, Amypumpus.com. And those are the ways to find.

Tom Heath

Me on Instagram Facebook saying, my Amy Bump. Amy Bumpus.

Amy Lynn Bumpus

Yeah.

Tom Heath

Okay, so check her out and then stay tuned. These air, every week, they’re recordings that we do live at the Tucson Gallery. Every Thursday we do a meet the artist event. The whole schedule is listed on the Tucsongallery.com under tours and events. You’ll see all the upcoming artists. And if you missed the live presentation, then you’ll start to see the recorded podcast that we do. There’s also going to be a video section, all kinds of information as we try to connect the artist with the world and the world with the artist. But it is the meet the artist. The Tucson Gallery, downtown Tucson. Tune in next week for another fabulous episode with an amazing Tucson artist.

Tom Heath

Thank you for listening to Meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the Tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East Congress Street in Tucson, Arizona. The mission of the Tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to the Tucson gallery.com for more information about our live events. Listen to other Meet the Artist podcasts and check out the wide selection of art, gifts and other items created by Tucson’s modern, thought provoking and forward thinking artist.

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

We are back here at the Tucson Gallery inside of the proper shops in downtown Tucson for another edition of Meet the Artist. This one is kind of a special occasion because not only is it an artist, but it’s another retailer here within the shop. So it’s not someone that actually has the art in our gallery. He’s too good for our gallery, so he’s got his own place. But you will be able to find some of his reproductions and gifts on our website which will tell you all about the end. But Meet The Artist is a chance for us to explore, explore Tucson’s fabulous art scene, get to meet these wonderful people that make amazing works. And then our goal in the gallery is to export this to the world. And one of the ways we do that is through this podcast, Meet the Artists. And today we are joined by the Tyler Bentley.

Tyler Bentley

Hello. Hello. How are you guys? Thank you for tuning in and I just want to thank you all for supporting local artists and making this dream a reality.

Tom Heath

How long have you been making art and when did you first sort of get that bug that you knew you were going to be an artist?

Tyler Bentley

So I’ve been making art basically my whole life. I never took it too serious until around 2017 when I went to California and got sober for the first time in my life and started painting. Something ticked and started just creating. And ever since I did that, it turned something on inside me that was such a fire that lived, made my life worth living.

Tom Heath

Well, you say something ticked and I think you’re kind of burying the lead. This was like a spiritual awakening for you, wasn’t it? Like you were out, this force came over you. In some ways, yes.

Tyler Bentley

So I was up in Santa Cruz, California, and it was in the redwoods and I was to say, extremely lost, didn’t know what direction to go. And something brought me out into the beautiful woods. There was this beautiful redwood tree that unfortunately got struck by lightning. But redwood trees, through the process of fire, they regrow and it calls the grandmother tree. And there was around ten trees growing in a circular around the remnants of this old tree. And I went there and I got on my hands and knees and I asked for relief. I asked if something is there to help me. And a sensation came over me that was extremely heavy when it came down, but once it hit the ground, it lifted up and I couldn’t stop crying. I felt like everything was taken away from me in the most positive way of all. My burdens and all my worries were just completely lifted. And yeah, through that process of the almost rebirth and the metaphor of the tree getting hit by lightning and burning and through this process of you

Tyler Bentley

can say death is his rebirth. And after that rebirth, I realize that creation is life. And we are creators creating in this life.

Tom Heath

Now you’re creating. And tell us this art, does it all come from this feeling?

Tyler Bentley

There’s a level of intuitive design in mind where it’s just an absence of thought, but more directed thought. It silences their critique, and I just let creation flow. Other paintings, they come through meditations. And their most recent painting was it was just burning through my mind’s eye. Driving through town, I was looking at the road, but there was an image of, I would say, the Holy Spirit, the spirit holding flames. And basically, I couldn’t help but to paint it.

Tom Heath

So you see this you have this vision, and then what’s the process? Do you immediately go home or do you have to think about this for a while?

Tyler Bentley

It depends on the painting. Others are immediate painted. Some it’s a process of kind of surrender. I just I start with a certain layer and keep building and keep building. And then eventually, through the process of three or four days of patience and just not liking it, not liking it. Then it becomes what it was going to be. So there’s a level of painting it as soon as I see it, but there’s also a level of free form and just letting kind of the journey guide me to the destination. Okay, so, yeah, it’s a mixture.

Tom Heath

And then the art itself, is it oil based or what’s your medium and kind of your style?

Tyler Bentley

It’s acrylic. I do experiment in other mediums oil, a little bit of watercolor pastels, but mainly acrylic.

Tom Heath

It looks like a lot of emotions come out. So it’s more kind of abstract, is that?

Tyler Bentley

Yes, there’s a level of abstract and specialism in all of them. And basically my thing is I use color and motion to provoke emotion. Knowing that colors can directly affect the human psyche. And that also when you infuse motion into it, it makes the brain kind of dance with the paintings.

Tom Heath

I think that needs to be your slogan. Tyler Bentley color and motion evoke the emotion. Is that what it was?

Tyler Bentley

Yes. Color in motion provoke the emotion.

Tom Heath

There you go. That’s a good saying there for you.

Tyler Bentley

Wow, that is good. Thank you.

Tom Heath

Color in motion evoke the emotion. The works that I’ve seen, it definitely is. As I’m looking at that, I think whoever is viewing it is probably going to have their own experience.

Tyler Bentley

Is that intentional at 100%? Is it’s? It’s designed to I don’t try to put too much of my own idea of what it needs to be, mainly because it encourages, I think, progressive thinking and the fact that we all see something different in the same painting. And to respect that you might see something I don’t, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not there. I’d like to challenge people to accept thoughts outside of their own. That may be challenging.

Tom Heath

And outside of your art, are there people in town who you follow or whose work that you like?

Tyler Bentley

Mine is more international. There’s a lot of international artists that I’ve found that inspire me. Alex Gray a level of visionary art is super inspiring, but also instagram is a great tool just to give you exactly what you’re looking for. So the artists I follow, it just gives me more of their art.

Tom Heath

So you follow Alex Gray?

Tyler Bentley

Yeah. Alex Gray. John Sparks. Chris Dyer. I like Chris Dyer’s work because he has a level of cartoon and very high color, but it gets the message across. And also, I like he mixes a level of realism with a level of cartoonish.

Tom Heath

Okay.

Tyler Bentley

And, yeah, it really inspires me. And, yeah, I love color.

Tom Heath

Well, you took kind of a big leap because we work with a lot of artists that have a space in our gallery, and you decided you want a large presence, so you actually have an entire shop here with improper shops. What’s the name of it?

Tyler Bentley

Heart of Earth collective. The idea, basically, that you can’t spell the word heart or Earth without art, and that is the basis of all life. And yeah, the big leap, I couldn’t describe it other than natural timing and pushed me exactly where I needed to go. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do. I’ve wanted to make my passion a reality and something that I make money off of. And I realized that if I don’t take a step forward, a leap of faith myself, then who’s going to do it for me? It still is extremely rocky, but nonetheless, I’m riding the wave and trusting the process.

Tom Heath

Yeah, I don’t think if it’s not rocky, it’s not exciting enough. Right. It’s too easy. Heart of Earth collective. Is it just your art, or do you have other things in there as well? From what I can tell, yes.

Tyler Bentley

So I focus on precious stones and other beautiful jewelry. I want it to almost seem like a treasure chest that you find, and you open it up, and there’s things that make you wonder who it belonged to, where it came from. I really want to empower people to feel as confident as they want. And I think I see a lot in society as they wear more nicer things. And I think that’s a beautiful thing because I think it encourages growth and just being better and all around. So, yeah, there’s four local jewelry smiths that I work with, silver smith, gold wire wrapping. I do do my own jewelry, but I haven’t had the time because I’ve been balancing a lot right now.

Tom Heath

It’s amazing when you’re an artist and running a business, both sides of your brain working full time.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah, I’ve heard it a lot that you’re going to do the marketing, you’re going to do everything by yourself. And I didn’t believe it, but now I realize it is a reality. But yeah, I want to build this into a large collective of artists that push their art into the world because I believe our passion should be rewarded. And I think there’s a lot of people that don’t have the reach. So part of this is providing the reach for talented individuals that have a passion they want to push into this world.

Tom Heath

Yeah. When my partners, Tony, Ray, Darren, and myself, we open up the gallery, it was the exact same thought, this is a passion of ours. And we get excitement, not just when someone comes in and appreciates the art, but we get excitement when an artist realizes that they bring more value to the world than they realize.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah. And that’s been the biggest blessing of this whole situation. A reminder of as much as we all need to make it surviving. And then a living off of stuff is even if I don’t sell something, I’m getting an impact and seeing the impact that my art has on the people and realizing that the things I tell myself that I put into my art, infuse into my art is actually being received. So it’s a beautiful and kind of uncomfortable scenario to be on the receiving, like watching people look at your art and then telling it’s yours because it’s really broad what you can get reaction wise, but it’s been happily received and beautifully received. And I’ve loved this process. Yeah.

Tom Heath

I talked to a musician a few years ago, and he had said I put stuff out there. And then I asked if he accepts feedback, and he said, Honestly, their impression of my work is none of my business. I put out what I love. It resonates with some, not with others. And that’s fine because that’s how you grow and you progress.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah. That brings up I traveled to Washington last year on my bus, and I was painting in the forest, and I just kind of had some paintings out, and this lady comes up and she’s just looking at him and she says, I don’t get it. Like, what don’t you get? She’s like, you’re in this place and this is what you’re you paint. And it was the first time I was challenged with constructive criticism, and I was just like, I respect that you don’t understand it, and there is nothing to get. It’s abstract, but yeah, it was a gentle reminder that each one of us have a different view and not to get hurt by what they view.

Tom Heath

Yeah. I think for me, whenever I write or I do anything, it’s about what do I want to say? I’m not as concerned about what do people want to hear? And I see that in your painting. It’s out there. This is what’s coming through me. I tell you, it’s like you control it sometimes. It’s just this is my vision. I’ve got to paint it. It’s not like I set out to do this. It’s just what happened.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah, 100%. And it’s become just who I am. I live breathing in art, and I believe we all are art dancing in this beautiful world that we live in. And I just challenge people to express themselves.

Tom Heath

Well, you mentioned a challenge that you have, which is marketing. So tell me, is your social media up yet? I know we’ve been harping you on this telephone. Where can people find you proper shops? 300 East Congress. This is on the corner of Fifth in Congress across from Hotel Congress, and it’s open now Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at eleven, sundays at eleven and closing at eight or nine, depending on the day. They can come in and see your art there. But tell us about Instagram, Facebook, those outlets.

Tyler Bentley

So the instagram page would be hard of Earth collective. And then my personal art page is Newhue underscore Art. I’ve definitely been working on getting my art readily accessible online and more open to the public. I feel like it’s right around the corner to becoming a reality. It’s been a lot of work, but nonetheless a beautiful journey. And I think it’s right around the corner that I have prints, ready accessories, mugs, puzzles, and I would say within a week and a half, I think it will be ready to go push them out.

Tom Heath

So I’ll get a lot of the reproductions, the gifts, things like that. We can do that through our website, the Tucsongallery.com, so that people can find that. But the original work, if they want that, they’ve got to come see you at proper shops.

Tyler Bentley

Yes, sir.

Tom Heath

And they can get more information through our social media or through your social media. And let’s help Tyler Market spread the word about him. He’s coming from this from a very spiritual place and it’s almost as if he’s a reluctant artist. He’s creating art that comes through him. He might not think that that was his first choice in life.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah, but definitely the right choice. The right choice. I’ve gotten a lot of fulfillment and love for myself through this process and a lot of learning about myself through this process.

Tom Heath

So someone that’s been interested in doing or doing it more full time, maybe facing some challenges or facing some adversity in their life that’s pulling them away, what are some thoughts for those individuals?

Tyler Bentley

Don’t give up. Challenging things arise, especially when you’re on the right path. I feel like it goes back to what you said, if it’s not rocky, it’s not fun. I remember setting up in parking lots and setting up on the side of the road, fighting the wind paintings, blowing left and right, and realizing that this is part of a journey that getting handed something immediately is not rewarding, it’s not fulfilling. So this realization that the struggles are part of the end result, it gets you to where you’re going to go. And the struggles are the memories that are like you can go back and laugh at. So I think the most important thing would be to remember that it’s part of the journey. It’s not a destination, it’s a journey. And to continue on the journey. If you feel it’s something that lights you up and ignites your soul, do it.

Tom Heath

Tyler Bentley not only an artist, you’re like a wordsmith. The struggles are your memories that you can go back and laugh at. You got all these thoughts. It’s heart of Earth collective.

Tyler Bentley

Heart of Earth collective.

Tom Heath

Find it on social media. Come down to the proper shops, say hello. You work your shop most of the times, right? You’re there most of the time?

Tyler Bentley

Yes, sir. I am here basically all the time. Unless I have something else going on, which then one of my jewelers, Lisa Mele, is here. She’s a beautiful goldsmith. She does amazing work. Beautiful woman that’s been in this business for a few years. It’s teaching me a few things.

Tom Heath

You want to come actually meet the Artist from Meet the Artist had done a proper shop. Part of Art collective. You can check out our website, the Tucsongallery.com. By the time this airs, you should be up and running with some reproductions and gifts available. But I think as much as I love the ability to reproduce a lot of your art, I think you do get to see the original. I think the original brings an emotion that a reproduction you can capture, but it’s easier to capture that if you’ve seen the original work.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah, there’s a level of energy that are in the originals that cannot be reproduced. And there was a level of me not wanting to reproduce works, but I think they need to be seen. So let them be seen. And quick reminder that we vote with our dollar. And what are you voting for?

Tom Heath

Yeah. Support local. I’ve been using this phrase. It’s art made by local so you can buy vocal.

Tyler Bentley

Yeah.

Tom Heath

Look at that. I’m a word smith.

Tyler Bentley

Look at there is rubbing off on you.

Tom Heath

Tyler Bentley, thank you for your time.

Tyler Bentley

Thank you.

Tom Heath

We’ll get this up and share it with the world and look forward to meeting all of your fans as they come in to say hello at Heart of Earth Collective in the proper shops.

Tyler Bentley

Yes, sir. Downtown Arizona tucson thank you for listening.

Tom Heath

To Meet the Artist. This is a weekly production by the Tucson Gallery located inside of the proper shops at 300 East Conga Street in Tucson, Arizona. The mission of the Tucson Gallery is to support local artists by providing a space to show their art, a forum to engage with their audience, a virtual presence to connect with global patrons, an outlet to earn a fair price and an opportunity to hone their business skills. Head over to the Tucsongallery.com for more information about our live events. Listen to other Meet The Artist podcasts and check out the wide selection of art, gifts and other items created by Tucson’s modern thought provoking and forward thinking artists.

Transcript (Unedited)

Tom Heath

I’m kind of excited about this. We’re having our very first Meet the Artist podcast. We’re inside the fabulous Tucson Gallery at the proper shops on Congress and Fifth Avenue and part of our series where we’re going to expose the world to our fabulous artists here in Tucson. And we get to launch this with someone who have gotten to know very well over the last couple of years. And we’re going to talk about art today, although we have talked about many different things over the last few years because you’re doing quite a bit. But Randy CF. Fletcher. Welcome to meet the artist.

Randiesia Fletcher

Thank you so much, Tom. Thanks for inviting me.

Tom Heath

It is our pleasure. If you’re not familiar, head over to our other podcast, Life Along the Streetcar and you can look up interviews we’ve done with DC and her husband Herman who are doing amazing things for sustainability, affordable housing and others within our Tucson community. But today we’re talking about art because you do all these projects and a lot of the way you fund these projects is by selling art.

Randiesia Fletcher

Absolutely.

Tom Heath

So when did you know you were going to be an artist?

Randiesia Fletcher

Well, I remember in 6th grade when the administration, they come and ask all of the children about what are you going to do when you get older? And I remember saying, well, I’m going to go into the army, I’m going to be the president and I’m going to be an artist. And so, no, I didn’t go into army, I went into the Marine Corps. I’ve been the president of my own company. And I knew then that I was going to be an artist. But that was short changed by the idea of I didn’t think artists made any money. And so at that time when I understood that I was an artist, we were homeless. And so how I was selling a piece of art, going to pay the bills. And so it was quickly just taken out of my mind that I’m not going to be an artist. And I said, well, I’m going to be an architect instead.

Tom Heath

This is in 6th grade and you’re homeless at this point.

Randiesia Fletcher

Yes, but around that time there was a lady named Don who took me shopping and she took me to an art store and she bought paint, brushes, lava, soap, a sketch pad that I just remembered the other day, a sketch pad, charcoal, pencils. She brought paintbrushes, turpentine and oil paint. And so I started painting and I started painting the faces of family and so the eyes and what the lips look like. And I was drawing also. And I just had this memory because I was sitting in the dark, drawing, and I couldn’t see what I was drawing, but I was just sitting in the dark. And I remembered the nostalgia of just sitting and drawing, and there were so many dark places at that time, but I always remember drawing, and it made me feel good. It was a place of escape. And so I started painting and writing as a place of escape for myself.

Tom Heath

I’ve talked to some other artists, and I think that is sometimes a common theme, that they use it to move themselves to a different level mentally, physically, emotionally. But I don’t know of anyone that has done that from such a stark beginning and created light in that way. Wow. Now that you’re a little bit more established, are you still using Lava soap?

Randiesia Fletcher

When I go to my uncle’s house, he has Lava soap there, and I always remember the smell. So it’s such a wonderful smell, but I need to buy some because it’s the thing that takes that oil paint right off your hands. And when I’m painting, I’m making a mess.

Tom Heath

So tell us about your art. That it’s I’m assuming that it’s oil paint.

Randiesia Fletcher

It is oil. So I use oil on canvas, and I paint eyes, and I paint family faces. I paint the stories that I imagine in my head and so they’re historical fiction, stories that I imagine in my head. And then I write the story and I paint or I paint and then write the story. But it comes together simultaneously where I’m imagining this person and their history and their lineage and where they’ve come from, and I’m painting that and almost like breathing and telling myself the story at the same time. And so I get lost in the psychosis where I’m just in this place with this person paintering everything about them.

Tom Heath

Wow. So this is not just representation on canvas. You’re writing the story out as well?

Randiesia Fletcher

Yeah, absolutely. So all of my paintings have a story that goes along with them.

Tom Heath

I knew they ought a story, but I didn’t know that they had an actual written story. I thought the story was in your head as you were creating with you. The story came first.

Randiesia Fletcher

Yes. Or it’s like chicken or the egg situation, but they’re written. So, like, whichever picture that I have up there is an actual story. So when people purchase paintings or when I do presentations, I situate the painting, and then I tell the story. And so it’s my favorite. It’s the presentation part of the story that excites me so much. To see the person in their eyes I’m talking about the painting. To see that person in their eyes and to understand, like, I’m in their head. It’s like a second person.

Tom Heath

I love that understanding. And you’ve kind of grown now into teaching as well, right? You’re helping young artists get going.

Randiesia Fletcher

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So I’m a teaching artist. So teaching artist doesn’t necessarily mean teaching other people art, necessarily. But I’m an artist teaching. And so as an artist teaching, those social issues that I paint are the ones that I’m able to teach. So if we’re talking about recovery and repair like we’re doing at the University of Arizona. Right now, I’m teaching art for people to write down their feelings of how do they process grief. So we write something, and then we’re feelings. But the artist that I’m training is my daughter, the most in oil. But my sons are training artists as well, but they have different mediums, like jewelry, so they’re big jewelry makers. And my older son is a painter, too.

Tom Heath

I did not know that you had all this artistic energy flowing through your house.

Randiesia Fletcher

Yes, it’s the whole family, and Herman does the audio visual, and that’s art within itself.

Tom Heath

I’ve seen his work as well, and I don’t want to get too far afield from the art component, because that’s what we’re here really, to discuss. But this funds really interesting projects in our community. Can you just briefly kind of touch upon your urban forest?

Randiesia Fletcher

Yes. So the urban forest project started as a community project to build a food forest. And so our goal was to house individuals on a property that Herman and I own and then create a food system where people who were challenged with food security and housing insecurities. I wanted them to have housing, and I wanted them to be able to have food in the same place so they wouldn’t have to spend their money elsewhere. So, like today, I was able to go out into my own yard, and before I came here, I’m cooking dinner. I’m cutting down all the collard greens, and I’m just putting it in a pot. So that saved me a lot of money, because one bushel of collard greens are, what, a dollar 99 for, like, three big leaves? And so the same thing at the other properties where people can go outside with a little scissor, cut those greens, put it in a pot, and they’re able to eat, and then they don’t have to go spend the dollar 99. But no one buys one bushel of greens. You buy at least three bushels of greens,

Randiesia Fletcher

and so that’s six $8 that you’re able to save instead of spending. And you grew it in your own house. It’s not on the Dirty Dozen. It doesn’t have pesticides on there, and you took care of it and grew it yourself. And so that’s what we’re teaching people, to grow it and to eat from their own food lands.

Tom Heath

It’s such a serendipitous path that someone who at such a young age is facing food and housing insecurity finds art as a way of of bringing themselves emotionally and mentally through that, and now using art to find physical manifestations to help people through some of those same challenges. See, I know from the past, but I’m going to ask you, you’re a woman of faith. Is this important to you in your art?

Randiesia Fletcher

Absolutely. So I believe my relationship with God, it’s very important because I believe that the Holy Spirit talks to me and is a guide for me, and it was so many people of faith who helped support us along the way. And so I definitely honor God in the things that I do in my painting and my lifestyle. And I believe that we have to love our neighbor as ourselves, and that’s so important, for I would be very selfish to do nothing after so many people did so much for me. And so how can I do that? It’s by loving God with my heart, soul and light and then loving my neighbor as myself. And so how I treat myself, I definitely want to treat others as well.

Tom Heath

And someone else in your life, I know, has been a big influence, and he’s not here, so we can talk about him. But your husband yes, Herman. Tell us a little bit about your husband. And he’s not here, so you can be very candid.

Randiesia Fletcher

I could be very candid. Even though he’s on his way. Oh, my goodness. He’s right behind me.

Tom Heath

He shouldn’t have laughed. I was going to get the real dirt. Herman.

Randiesia Fletcher

Herman is my protector. I text Herman what happened, and so when I walked up and so, of course, he came here as soon as possible, and I can’t believe that he got here so fast. But Herman, he and I connect because we’re both PTSD veterans, post traumatic stress disorder veterans. He’s a combat veteran, and he was in the army, and I was in the better service, the Marine Corps. And of course, I’m always going to say that. So that’s our little running joke. And he’s probably smiling behind me right now because I think I’m superior because I’m a Marine. But we met in a common understanding that we’re both suffering with this PTSD thing from the military, and we were able to really just be each other’s counselors and understand that, hey, sometimes I’m down and I need to have the lights off, and I just need some meditation, some lavender, and then I know when he’s down. And so we’re able to support each other because we have similar backgrounds of homelessness abuse within the family. Both of

Randiesia Fletcher

us are disabled veterans, and so we’re able to really support each other on a common ground. He’s such a great support, too.

Tom Heath

So we are inside the Tucson Gallery. We just launched in December, and you are one of our very first featured artists, and you’re our first to launch this whole series of Meet the artists and tell us a little about your gallery experience. What does it mean to be in a gallery? Are you in other galleries?

Randiesia Fletcher

Yes, I’m in other galleries. What it means to be in a gallery is it’s a big honor for me, one, and it means representation. It means exposure for me because a lot of times, people don’t want to see Pan African faces in their galleries. What my experience has been in certain places in the Southwest, and so a lot of times, people have southwestern themes, which are beautiful, but that’s not my theme and that’s not my genre of painting. And so for a gallery to say, hey, we want your work in our gallery, it meant so much because it wasn’t just one type of painting in that gallery in which I see so much of. But you accepted this here. People are able to see what I see and understand the stories that I’m telling and to see it deeper than just sometimes. We’re so prejudiced against skin color and that black thing over there. But no, this is artwork and you are displaying this artwork high on your shelves right here. And that means the world to me. Representation matters and you’ve invited me to

Randiesia Fletcher

be here and I’m just be so grateful for what you have done. Thank you so much, Tom.

Tom Heath

It’s just mutual. We had a lot of respect for you and your work and what your work leads to. If you want to see her in DC’s work, you’re going to have to come down to the Tucson Gallery to see some of the live stuff here. And we are on a rotating schedule, so I can’t guarantee that it’ll be here forever. So you want to get down here quick. But you can also find it reproductions on our website, the Tucsongallery.com. And you have your own website with a lot more artwork than word displays. What’s your website?

Randiesia Fletcher

And so www dot Harris Fletcher.com that’s.

Tom Heath

Pretty easy to remember. And how do people follow you, like on social media? What’s your handles?

Randiesia Fletcher

My handles for instagram is Portraits of Sustainability. So that’s portraits underscore of underscore sustainability or urban Forest by HF. Or you could just look up my name Randy SIA Fletcher on Facebook.

Tom Heath

All right, well, we will link to all of those at some point through our, through our gallery page. We’ve got that up and running now, but excited to have this series every Thursday we’re going to have a different artist in some that are Tucson known, some that are up and coming, some that are established but maybe not here in Tucson yet and just really excited to share. And I just want to leave with a thought for someone who’s getting into an art situation. They’re in the 6th grade and they’re contemplating their future and they don’t have someone that’s going to come over and give them that nudge. What can they do internally? How do they get that nudge? If if they really want to be.

Randiesia Fletcher

Into this, don’t give up. I was just saying about stumbling blocks. If you have a stumbling block there, just learn how to run track and jump those hurdles. And so don’t let little things stop you and don’t let your own self doubt stop you. I think it’s very important that we persevere forward. I kept telling myself I’m fearfully and wonderfully made, no weapon form against me shall prosper. And I believe that wholeheartedly. And I’ve been so successful because of the self talk that I have done with myself since a child. And I haven’t been perfect with it. But it’s so important that I keep telling myself that I’m more than a conqueror and I can do all things. And that’s very important for me.

Tom Heath

Nothing to add? That’s where we’re going to end it. That’s perfect for DC. Thank you.

Randiesia Fletcher

Thank you. Thank you.