Art Dealer Diaries Podcast

Sam Patania took the time to come to the Medicine Man Gallery Studio for this episode of the Art Dealer Diaries. We've been kinda slow, hunkering down through quarantine, so it was wonderful to spend an hour and talk face to face with an actual human being. One of the best silversmiths in the business, Sam's has an amazing family history. He's a third-generation silversmith whose gr...

This episode was taped In early March right before Heard Museum Native American show and sale when Peter Miller came to Tucson to visit and before Covid19 had closed down the country.  Peter is a collector who I've had the pleasure of selling to and during these brief visits we've always had wonderful conversations not only surrounding the art he collects, but also his world as an entrep...

Jeff Timan stopped by the gallery today for this edition of the Art Dealer Diaries. A special individual, Jeff is one of the owners of the world-famous Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort founded in Tucson in the 1920s as well as one of the founding members of the group SculptureTucson.com. We had a wonderful discussion about Jeff's life in Tucson and the evolution he's seen take place s...

Jim Ballinger, an important figure in the Arizona art world and my 100th podcast guest, provided one of my more fascinating interviews. Jim Ballinger is the former director of the Phoenix Art Museum for 40 years, a curator for 7 years, and the director for 33. Working for the Phoenix Art Museum was his first job and turns out his last, spending an entire career taking the museum from a small regio...

Deladier Almeida discusses his life story of growing up in Brazil and starting as an architecture student, graphic artist, and illustrator before gravitating to fine art, first starting as a portrait painter inspired by a book on John Howard Sanden's work before becoming a landscape artist. Del shares his method and motivation giving me insight into how he creates his work, how his architectu...

Art expert and critic Elaine A. King found her way to the Podcast studio, mask and all. This was filmed during the coronavirus pandemic with social distancing, shortly after Arizona governor Ducey issued a stay at home order. Elaine's story as a professor, historian, critic, and curator was enlighting. King was a tenured Professor at  Carnegie-Mellon University in Art History & Theory and...

This was a long-time-coming podcast as I finally got Ray Roberts to stop by the Medicine Man Gallery Studio to discuss his life and the painting world he orbits. Ray Roberts was the first contemporary artist I represented at Medicine Man Gallery (beginning in 1995 ), Ray is a wonderful teacher and well respected in his field for his teaching abilities.  I refer to Ray Roberts in my gallery as a Pa...

Tucson artist Fred Borcherdt came by today, I've been trying to get Fred on the Podcast show and finally found time.  I've represented Fred for 15 years and own his sculpture in my personal collection. Borcherdt trained at the University of Arizona and got his master's of fine art at the Chicago Art Institute, where he would eventually teach 3D design for 5 years. Fred takes us thro...

This podcast was recorded before Arizona went to a shelter in place.  Jim Woodside who was painting in self-isolating deep in the Sonoran Desert checks in for a follow-up podcast (Episode 53) on the Art Dealer Diaries. Jim teaches art and lives in Boston which is currently near the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Woodside arrived in early March just before the full Covid19 meltdown. An inte...

I had the pleasure of having Charles Geoffrion on the podcast today. A very interesting and knowledgeable man, Charles is the Vice President of the Pima County Board of Health and is on the Board of Directors for Allied Bioscience. On top of all that - he's married to an artist, Moira Geoffrion, who we've done a podcast with and represent at Medicine Man Gallery. The first part of this p...

A timely interview with 96-year old world-renowned neuroendocrinologist and researcher Dr. Seymour Reichlin who discussed the role stress has on disease and the issues surrounding psychosomatic disease as well as briefly discuss the 1918 Pandemic flu, Babe Ruth and the deployment of the Atomic bomb. Dr. Reichlin joins our host, Dr. Mark Sublette who takes off his art hat too discuss medicine and e...

A timely interview with 96-year old world-renowned neuroendocrinologist and researcher Dr. Seymour Reichlin who discussed the role stress has on disease and the issues surrounding psychosomatic disease as well as briefly discuss the 1918 Pandemic flu, Babe Ruth and the deployment of the Atomic bomb. Dr. Reichlin joins our host, Dr. Mark Sublette who takes off his art hat too discuss medicine and e...

Museum President and CEO Dr. Michael Duchemin stops by the Medicine Man Gallery Studio to share his insights into the daily operations of the 6-year-old San Antonio Briscoe Western Art Museum. Michael discusses his early interest in the perception of American culture as well as his experience in the museum circuit and his ascent to a top post in Western museum operation. We get a breakdown of how...

Western sculptor Susan Kliewer pays a visit to the Medicine Man Gallery studio and discusses her long and difficult road to becoming an artist with host Dr. Mark Sublette. Susan chronicles the wonderful story behind her ascent to finding her artistic footing including (but not limited to) winning her first art show at age 9, declining a scholarship to a prestigious LA art school, and smashing gend...

Painter and former U of Arizona professor James Cook stops by the Medicine Man Gallery studio for an enlightening interview with our host Dr. Mark Sublette. James dives into the interview discussing his early years in a talented household and how they shaped his approach to art. We hear about the business that happens beyond the (large) canvas and the stress an inexperienced gallerist can put on a...

Landscape painter and former professor of the arts at Maine College of Arts  Glenn Renell sits down with our host Dr. Mark Sublette to share his story of how he became the remarkable landscape painter he is today. Unbelievably, Glenn started his painting career as an abstract expressionist painter, a vast departure from the atmospheric landscapes he's now known for today. From being on an air...

Watercolorist extraordinaire William (Willy) Matthews stops by the Medicine Man Gallery studio for a special two part interview with host Dr. Mark Sublette. In part TWO, the esteemed Mr. Matthews discusses his time in Europe forging relationships by knocking on doors and playing music, eventually leading to a job at The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford (now Modern Art Oxford). After William returns to...

Watercolorist extraordinaire William (Willy) Matthews stops by the Medicine Man Gallery studio for a special two-part interview with host Dr. Mark Sublette. In part ONE, Mr. Matthews looks back on the early days of his 50+ year career as a professional artist. We get a glimpse into William's early life in San Francisco and what is like to grow up in such a talented family of creatives. Hangin...

Tim Newton is the publisher of Western Art & Architecture, a photographer, art collector, renovation expert, minister, dog catcher, and renaissance man. He shares his love of art and the unusual life path art has taken him. From starting a church in New York to founding the American Masters Exhibition, Tim details his fascinating life as an art collector. Tim's continued dedication to the...

Steve Datz's second visit to the Art Dealer Diaries; on this special episode we discuss what it takes to be an artist and pull off a major art exhibit. Stephen's first interview (Epi. 43) delved into his backstory and what led him to pursue painting full-time. This time around, Stephen and Mark go in-depth about the lifestyle of the modern landscape painter. We hear about the choices tha...

Michael John  Nolan the Head of the Design at Pima Community College sits down with our host Dr. Mark Sublette to discuss life as both a painter and an educator. We hear about Michael's early days growing up in Tucson and how taking the right classes (and teaching them) turned Michael into an artist,. Illustrating comic books, novels, and painting which Michael refers to as "couch painti...

Master woodworker Terry Evans stops by Medicine Man Gallery studio to speak with host Dr. Mark Sublette about his lifelong commitment to art and working in wood and leather. Leatherwork, farm work, and ultimately woodworking are all discussed, with an emphasis on education and the persistence necessary to succeed as a traveling artist in today's art fair market. From teaching for 40 years as...

Christine Brindza, the James and Louise Glasser curator of art of the American West at Tucson Museum of Art stops by Medicine Man Gallery to discuss the role of museum curation and the path she took to in becoming a western art curator. Christine shares her upbringing and early years as a historical editor at the Whitney Western Art Museum in Cody, Wyoming. After a decade of working for some of th...

Seasoned landscape painter and geological aficionado Merrill Mahaffey sits down with our host Dr. Mark Sublette to revisit the defining moments of his career as a painter and as a professor of the arts. Merrill tells of uranium mines and working as a cowboy in 1950's Colorado, as well as the various characters he met through his skill with the brush including (but not limited to) Fritz Schold...

Plein air painter Gregory Hull stops by Medicine Man Gallery to explore the psychology of on-site painting. Greg shares stories of his youth, including a traumatic train crash that he and 7 others walked away from, as well as his days as a machinist assistant working for the railroad. Greg Hull is known for his Grand Canyon paintings both from deep inside the canyon to the rim and how an early lif...