Creative Contemplation

Morgan Irons; Painter of Archetypal Symbolism Within The Western Landscape

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] October 8, 2025 Creative Contemplation S4E6 Morgan Irons; Painter of Archetypal Symbolism Within The Western Landscape Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a moving and at times astonishing conversation with Montana based painter, Morgan Irons about her psychologically charged work set within the Western landscape that she lives in. Don't miss this inspiring episode that will have you listening with bated breath. Website: www.morganirons.com [https://www.morganirons.com/] Instagram: @morganirons [https://www.instagram.com/morganirons/] Old Main Gallery, Bozeman Motana [https://www.oldmaingallery.com/artists] Bio Primarily a self taught painter, Morgan Irons [https://www.morganirons.com/] began studying painting in 2015 following her move to a rural piece of land in Montana. It was then she began studying the work of master painters and has since sought out workshops with some of the top representational painters today. A figurative painter by nature, Irons believes in painting solely what she knows best, life on the land she lives. Her paintings are narrative and timeless in theme and palette.  Morgan Irons has been a featured artist in Fine Art Connoisseur's "Artists to Watch", Southwest Art Magazine’s “21 Under 31: Young Artists to Watch in 2017”, and Big Sky Journal's "Ones to Watch". She is a two-time recipient of the 2018 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant for emerging figurative painters. Irons is represented by Old Main Gallery in Bozeman, Montana where she currently lives and paints in a cabin on a mountaintop. Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/p/abby-in-contemplation]

Lenny Campello; Artist, Gallerist & Curator

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] September 2, 2025 Creative Contemplation S4E5 Lenny Campello; Artist, Gallerist & Curator Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast talks with Cuban born, American Artist, Gallerist & Curator-Lenny Campello. Lenny shares his journey to becoming the artist he is today in this engaging episode as well as discusses his largest curatorial project to date; a multi-venue Washington DC area survey show happening this Fall 2025 entitled "Women Artists of the DMV". Website: www.lennycampello.com [https://lennycampello.com/] Facebook: @lenny.campello [https://www.facebook.com/lenny.campello] Instagram: @lennycampello [https://www.instagram.com/lennycampello/] "Women Artists of The DMV" Exhibit [https://lennycampello.com/WADMV.html] Bio Lenny Campello [https://lennycampello.com/] (Florencio Lennox Campello) was born in Guantanamo, Cuba and studied art at the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle, Washington from which he graduated in 1981. While there Campello helped to create the Arts NW Student Gallery in Seattle, the area’s first art gallery focused on student artwork. He also organized several exhibitions at the School of Art.  In 1996 Campello opened the Fraser Gallery in Washington, DC. Within five years the gallery had become one of the most important independent fine arts commercial galleries in the city and in 2000 became one of only three DC area art galleries to be invited to become a Sotheby’s Associate Dealer. In 2002 Campello opened a second Fraser Gallery in Bethesda, Maryland, at the time the largest art gallery in the Greater DC area. In addition to organizing and curating several hundred exhibitions for the Fraser Gallery, he is also an independent curator and has organized many important shows in the Washington D.C. capital city area, and other places such as the 2001 “Survey of Washington Realists” at the Athenaeum in Alexandria, a huge salon style show that for the first time catalogued together the artists working in the realist tradition in the DC area. He also organized a worldwide homage to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in association with the Cultural Institute of Mexico and most recently he reviewed the work of over 2,000 artists and organized a seven-gallery show for the Washington Project for the Arts/Corcoran in Washington, DC.  Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/abby-in-contemplation]by artist Suzanne Lago Arthur Theme Music by Up North Music

Jack Rasmussen; Director and Curator at American University Museum

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] August 19, 2025 Creative Contemplation S4E4 Jack Rasmussen; Director and Curator at American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has an engaging conversation with one of the principal figures of the Washington DC arts scene for the past several decades--The Director and Curator at American University Museum, Jack Rasmussen. Jack and Suzanne discuss the history of the local arts scene, as well as a Cold War era espionage tie-in and share professional development advice for artists in this not to be missed episode. American University Museum Website: www.American.edu/cas/museum [https://www.american.edu/cas/museum/index.cfm] American University Museum Instagram: @aumuseum_katzen [https://www.instagram.com/aumuseum_katzen/] Jack Rasmussen Instagram: @jack.rasmussen1 [https://www.instagram.com/jack.rasmussen1/] Modern Art and American Cold War Foreign Policy [https://daily.jstor.org/was-modern-art-really-a-cia-psy-op/] Bio Jack Rasmussen [https://www.american.edu/profiles/staff/rasmusse.cfm] is the Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center [https://www.american.edu/cas/museum/index.cfm]. He previously held Executive Director positions at di Rosa Preserve: Art & Nature, Maryland Art Place, and Rockville Arts Place. He was the owner and director of Jack Rasmussen Gallery in Washington, DC. Since opening its doors in 2005, the Katzen Arts Center at American University has served as a vibrant hub for the visual and performing arts in Washington, DC. This year marks two decades of innovation, collaboration, and creativity, showcasing the work of students, faculty, and renowned artists from around the world across the Departments of Art and Performing Arts and the AU Museum.   Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/abby-in-contemplation]by artist Suzanne Lago Arthur Theme Music by Up North Music

James Lloyd; A Brush with Royalty

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] July 10, 2025 Creative Contemplation S4E3 James Lloyd; A Brush with Royalty Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a delightful conversation with British Portrait Painter, James Lloyd about his exceptional career painting portraits of some of England's most extraordinary individuals including Sir Paul Smith, Dame Maggie Smith and the late Queen herself, Elizabeth the II.  Website: jameslloyd.org.uk [https://www.jameslloyd.org.uk/about.html] Instagram: @james_lloyd_artist [https://www.instagram.com/james_lloyd_artist/]  and  @james_lloyd_drawings [https://www.instagram.com/james_lloyd_drawings/] Representation: Browse & Darby [https://browseanddarby.co.uk/artists/74-james-lloyd/overview/] and Galerie Hübner + Hübner [https://www.galerie-huebner.de/en/artist/james-lloyd] ArtUK.Org [https://artuk.org/discover/artists/lloyd-james-b-1971] National Portrait Gallery, UK [https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp09519/james-lloyd?search=sas&sText=James+Lloyd] Bio: James Lloyd [https://www.jameslloyd.org.uk/about.html] graduated in the 90s with an MA from the Slade School of Fine Art, following a BA in Fine Art from Coventry and a Diploma from Blackpool College of Art and Design. He teaches at the Royal Drawing School and has won numerous awards including the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award, Paul Smith Scholarship, Windsor & Newton Young Artists’ Award, Carrol Foundation Young Artist of the Year Award, First Prize in the BP Portrait Award, and the Ondaatje Prize for Portraiture. Lloyd has undertaken commissions for many private and public clients and institutions including Newcastle University, the Bank of England, Queen’s College, Lords Cricket Ground, the House of Lords, the Royal Collection and the National Portrait Gallery. Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/abby-in-contemplation]by artist Suzanne Lago Arthur Theme Music by Up North Music

Matt Klos; Perceptual Painter of Lived Environments

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] May 22, 2025 Creative Contemplation S4E2 Matt Klos; Perceptual Painter of Lived Environments Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a conversation with Baltimore M.D. based, perceptual painter, Matt Klos about his work and inspiration, his development as an artist and the various roles that he occupies as a creative professional. Website: mattklos.com [http://mattklos.com/] Instagram: @mattklosspainting [https://www.instagram.com/mattklospainting/] Yorkshire Dales, UK Workshop co-taught with Erin Raedeke [https://www.erinraedeke.com/yorkshire-workshop] Jemulpo Club Museum, Incheon, South Korea [https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/whereToGo/locIntrdn/rgnContentsView.do?vcontsId=72847] Bio: Matt Klos [http://mattklos.com/index.html] received his MFA in painting from University of MD, College Park and his BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD). He is a recipient of three Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council (2016, 2012 and 2008). His work has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions including the Prince Street Gallery in Chelsea, NY in 2011. He was awarded first place in the Bethesda Painting Awards in 2007 and received an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2001. Klos currently teaches drawing and painting full-time at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD and has served as a guest lecturer/critic at various institutions including the New York Academy of Art, Boston University, College of William & Mary, Towson University, University of Missouri, and Mount Gretna School of Art. He is a member of the collective Perceptual Painters [http://www.perceptualpainters.com/] and Zeuxis [http://www.zeuxis.us/]. He resides in Baltimore Maryland where he co-directs Exeter Gallery [https://www.instagram.com/exetergallery/] which has featured almost twenty solo and group exhibitions since its founding in 2017. He has served on panels and as a juror for exhibitions, residency programs, and awards. His curatorial projects include "A Lineage of American Perceptual Painters" [https://paintingperceptions.com/a-lineage-of-american-perceptual-painters-two-exhibitions/] at St. John's College's Mitchell Gallery (2015). Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/abby-in-contemplation]by artist Suzanne Lago Arthur Theme Music by Up North Music