brave space: a gathering of makers

episode twenty one: al florez

On this episode of brave space, I chat with Al Florez, a woodworker based in Lyons, CO. We met in summer 2018 at the Boulder County Farmers Market's artisan show where Al had a booth with his then new business, Leaf Woodworking. You can learn more about Al Florez and Leaf Woodworking on Leaf's website, Instagram, or in person at the two artisan markets listed below. Thanks again to Al for coming on the pod and for being a dedicated listener! Our theme music is by Noon. To find out more about this episode and this podcast, visit bravespacepod.com [https://www.blubrry.com/brave_space/42491899/episode-nineteen-heather-kegel/bravespacepod.com]. Like what you hear? Support us on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/bravespacepod]!

episode twenty: corey garretson

In this episode of brave space, I chat and share a meal with Corey Garretson, Denver-based comedian, musician, and poet who describes himself as a “person who loves the stage.” I first met Corey through a mutual friend - I've since seen him perform music and improv comedy, but have never talked to him about his crafts. We start off with a lesson in Thwazz, or as Corey describes the language he created, “an endless mine of linguistic fun.” Corey says good clean fun is something he tries to embody in all of his art. He also says that danger is the heart and soul of improv because of the possibility that it could fail at any moment; this is what makes it fun. He also talks about the beauty in failing live and the sublime feeling of being successful. Corey shares how his experience living in Chicago compared to that of living in his native Colorado and how that experience made him think about not valuing fame, but rather valuing his relationship with art. Corey also shares the story of how Samba became part of his life, which is connected to him learning and becoming fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Today he’s part of the Samba community in Boulder, CO, and he shares how united the community is in their love and honoring of Brazilian culture. Corey cooked us dinner for our podcast recording session, so I ask him what it is about cooking that he enjoys. He says that cooking is soulful and what makes us human; he says that his kitchen has the best energy in his home. I ask Corey about promoting himself and his shows and he shares his strong dislike of it and of fishing for compliments, and we talk about the paradox of not wanting to over-share our creative projects but wanting an audience to experience them. Thanks again to Corey for cooking us enchiladas! To learn more about Corey, check out his Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thwazzcaptain/]. If you're in the greater Denver area, you can see him perform with Glue N Stuff for No DQ at the Grafenberg Theater every Friday at 10pm,  Makeshift Shakespeare at Voodoo Comedy Playhouse, and Grupo Chegando Lá every 4th Thursday of the month at The Laughing Goat. Our theme music is by Noon. To find out more about this podcast, visit bravespacepod.com [bravespacepod.com]. Like what you hear? Support us on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/bravespacepod]!

episode nineteen: heather kegel

Welcome to the first episode of brave space in 2019! Meet Heather Kegel - an artist, potter, and the woman behind Heather Kegel Studios. I first met Heather on a group hike with Boulder Hiker Chicks. We quite literally climbed a mountain together before learning about our mutual love for handmade goods! Since then, we've continued hiking and "talking shop," and I'm so happy to bring you Heather's journey of finding her voice as a potter. We talk Instagram and how Heather balances sharing her business life and her personal life. Branding is huge for Heather, and she tells me about how she curates her social media. Heather went to art school and has studied a variety of different artistic mediums, so I ask her about when pottery came into her life. Heather shares a story of how learning to center on the wheel changed her life in ceramics, and breaks down what centering is and how challenging of a skill it is to learn. Heather defiantly labels herself as an artist, and she shares the story behind why. She tells me how nature found its way into her work in recent years as she found her way back to nature. You can learn more about Heather Kegel Studios by visiting Heather's website [http://heatherkegelstudios.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/h.k.studios/], and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Heather-Kegel-Studios-358000234668759/] pages. Our theme music is by Noon. To find out more about this podcast, visit bravespacepod.com [bravespacepod.com]. Like what you hear? Support us on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/bravespacepod]!

episode eighteen: ellen moershel & mick tresemer

In this episode, I met up with Ellen Moershel and Mick Tresemer, two visual artists based in Colorado. I first encountered them this summer while they were live painting at a concert in Boulder, and we caught up in October. The two of them have been friends since attending art school in Oklahoma, and they originally started collaborating on artwork by sending drawings and paintings to each other through the mail. Ellen & Mick both say since collaborating, their painting styles have shifted. I ask them to describe their individual styles, and we quickly dive down a rabbit hole talking about organic versus geometric painting. Both of them brought sketchbooks to our coffee meeting, and we talk about creating work in the moment versus revisiting past ideas. Ellen says they’re both improvisational and reactionary painters, which in addition to their friendship, makes their collaboration work. They share a secret with me… oops paint! Both say that with visual art, it’s impossible to run out of ideas, as the possibilities for different mediums are endless. For Mick, he says he's just scratching the surface of what he can do with climbing rope as a medium. They talk about being inspired by abstract shapes and color in nature. When I ask about the community of people they surround themselves with, they both note that they don’t interact with a lot of visual artists, but rather have friends who work in the sciences, conservation, and music. The conversations they have with folks outside of visual art influence their work. They both think that travel and exposure fuels their art, and that it’s important to gain different perspectives, either from peers or experiences. They’ve both been full time artists, and talk about juggling their art making with other jobs and responsibilities. We chat about the cost of a work of art and how people often assume it should be lower than its worth. We also talk about one of my favorite conundrums – how much an art institution is or isn’t willing to compromise on the presentation of the work in order to be accessible to a variety of audiences. Thanks to Ellen & Mick for chatting with me for this episode! To learn more about Ellen, visit http://ellenmoershel.com and her Instagram page @abstractually. To learn more about Mick, visit https://www.micktresart.com/ and his Instagram @trickymesmer. Our theme music is by Noon. You can find and support his music on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Spotify. To find out more about this podcast, visit bravespacepod.com.

episode seventeen: kaitlyn tucek

For this episode of brave space, I met with multidisciplinary artist Kaitlyn Tucek in her home studio in Denver. Kaitlyn and I met this summer at a beer festival, but this was the first time we really dove into a conversation. We chat about her personal history as an artist, her work for various museums, and her experience as a transplant from New York City. We chat about her family life, her children’s involvement in art and creative projects, and Kaitlyn's upbringing. Later, we ask the question, "How do you allow someone to have their own experience walking through a gallery, but also as an artist be allowed to tell your own story?" We talk about how this relates to accessibility of art. Kaitlyn says that ultimately, her goal is for each and every person to feel like they belong in the art world, and the only way to do this is to give people the tools they need to feel that way. Kaitlyn was an elementary school art teacher, so we also talk a bit about our teachers growing up and how much they inspired us. Lastly, we talk about Kaitlyn's current inspirations, which include looking at sunsets from the vantage point of her home, thinking about underpaintings, and how food and company go together. She has a show at Alto Gallery in Denver that we discuss in this episode; it opens on December 7th, 2018, and if you're in the Denver area you should definitely check it out! Thanks again to Kaitlyn Tucek for talking with me for this episode and welcoming me into her home. For more information on Kaitlyn and her work, visit www.kaitlyntucek.com or Instagram @ktucek. Our theme music is by Noon. You can find and support his music on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Spotify. To find out more about this podcast, visit bravespacepod.com.