PERSPECTIVES: Artist Talks with Lavender Studios

The extremely talented and hard working singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist and friend of the studio Ivory Blue, stopped by to share some songs and some insight behind some of her favorite hits. Accompanying Ivory is her long time friend and percussionist Bryan Winkert. Ivory's backstory is harrowing and inspiring. From humble beginnings in Washington Indiana to winning a songwriting competiti...

We had the absolute pleasure of having Lansing KS artist November Bullard out to the studio to share their story and some of their art with us. TRIGGER WARNING: We go into topics of decay and blood and all kinds of macabre topics that may make you uncomfortable. November has struggled with fitting in and finding their artistic voice for years until they went inward and started to paint based on th...

The often mysterious and always entertaining Michael McQuary came by the studio to give us a sneak peak at his upcoming Monsters of Hollywood performance (October 23rd at Englewood Arts) as well as some of his favorite impersonations; from Bela Lugosi, to Betty Davis and from Boris Karloff to Lon Chaney (The Phantom of the Opera). He shared stories about meeting The Artist Formerly Known as Prince...

Kadesh stopped by the studio to share his story and his trombone swagger. From RnB singing, to hip hop rapping, to lead trombone, he does it all. Not only does he possess all of these amazing skills, but he does them live in front of tens of thousands and in our case, almost tens of people in a living room! We are grateful he was able to take time out of his busy schedule doing international touri...

The amazingly creative Micael Elrod swung by the studio and shared her whimsy and her depth of knowledge in art, history, religion, sci-fi, ecology, quantum mechanics and so much more! We dive into this amazing body of work that spans textiles, painting, sculpture, an homage to motherhood and amazing women of the world. We were fascinated with her attention to detail, her ability to add subliminal...

All the way from Maryville, Missouri, singer-songwriter Christian Dixon stopped by the studio to share his music and the stories behind it; including his experiences with grief and why he believes the best songs are often the saddest ones. We first met Christian a while back and immediately connected with his songwriting. The way he tells a story reveals someone who has lived through profound, lif...

Meet Skyler Walton AKA Odessa Doolittle. Skyler is a multi-disciplined artist that embodies painting, drawing, sketching, illustration ceramics, film making and so much more! In this session we learn about Skyler's mormon upbringing, his travels of growing up in a military family, and his desire to connect with like-minded artists who share his enthusiasm for character work and anti-capitalism! Sk...

Content Warning, this artist talk references sexual violence and non-consensual imagery. If you need to abstain, pause or skip the content, please feel free to do so. This is a heavy topic which we feel helps de-stigmatize victims of social and sexual violence. Please tend with care. Multi-disciplined artist and educator Mandie Harding stopped by our studio to show how her work was a type of thera...

The amazingly talented singer/songwriter and storyteller Abbie Hullinger stopped by the studio to share her songs and her story. Abbie is a singer songwriter from Lineville, Iowa. Her journey began at only 14 years old, when she was gifted her first Fender. Her sound could be heard from the groove of Northern Iowa radio, down to the song swaps of Nashville, Tennessee. Her music is heavily influenc...

Tatiana from Violette Designs stopped by the studio to share her art and her story. She focuses on nostalgic media, anime, spooky/romantic horror, D&D and RPG, Dark Fantasy, and whatever her brain decides to hyper focus on! Merchandise ranges from prints, original paintings, charms and stickers, to dice bags and desk mats! I also hope to do apparel and custom plushies soon too! We fell in love...

Artist Laura Orr stopped by the studio to share her work, her passion, and some of her favorite pieces. Laura is a fine art muralist who specializes in interior work that adds elegance and meaning to commercial and residential spaces. With her expertise in large-scale interior murals, she turns spaces into visual experiences. If you would like to see more work by Laura or book her to paint your dr...

We bumped into Beatrix at a local show where she was singing and playing guitar solo on stage and she was really putting her whole essence into her performance. Beatrix reminds us of that passion that exists when we don't hold back and we don't wait for permission. In this episode, Beatrix will talk about her childhood and starting out on violin, turning to bass guitar to establish her rock roots...

Originally from El Paso Texas, visual artist Chico Sierra now resides in the midwest. Having relocated from his familial homeland, Chico attempts to connect the dots of his cultural history and create new stories based around humanism, class structures and social justice. Influenced by his interests in varying social sciences and spiritual iconography he is attempting to create new narratives usin...

The precarious duo of Miss Anelyse and Jayme Smith from Chaos in Red swung by the studio to share some songs, some stories and some sass. We would say the experience was eclectic for sure. Embracing the chaos is how they have survived and got through this topsy-turvy world of ours. If you would like to follow the chaos you can find them on YouTube where they are chronicling their adventures and ta...

The multi-faceted Poppy Flowers stopped by the studio to share her story, her art, and her poetry with us. This was an amazing experience from someone who has spent decades gaining insight and curiosity in painting, fabrication, poetry, artistry, publication, and curation. To learn more about Poppy (Alice McCaan) check out her Creative Spark Gallery website or better yet, go visit her in the Engle...

Nick May stopped by the studio to share his story and his love for music. While Nick’s education is in classical saxophone, his playing is very modern and progressive. His songs invoke question and connection almost as if it’s asking what if or why not? The way that he expresses his essence through the reed and into the soul is mesmerizing. He utilizes a lot of techniques that are very uncommon in...

The multi-disciplined visual artist Gwynevere Buie hung out with us on this wet and cold Sunday. She shared some of her portfolio and her processes for creating truly unique and fantastical pieces. While this artist talk was a first for her you can tell she is passionate about her art and her community. We can't wait to work with her again down the road. If you would like to see more of her work,...

The ever so delightful Charlie Cloud swung by the studio on this rainy and cold Sunday to share their story and their songs about life and love. The word unrequited comes to mind. We met Charlie a long time ago and we are so excited to finally have them out. If you would like to hear more from Charlie and their upcoming projects, check out their socials below. Instagram Click here Patreon and News...

LOL Gator (Loyalty Over Love) stopped by the studio to share his story and his journey for the bag! This guy is the hardest working artist who is doing everything possible to make hip-hop his career and for that we tip our hat! You can find out more about LoL Gator at the links below. Instagram Click here YouTube Music Click here

Dwyane Golden hung out with us at the studio and showed us his musical chops and lyricism. He is a hip-hop artist from Kansas City, Missouri, grounded in faith, family, and truth. His music is a reflection of real life; raw, intentional, and rooted in purpose. With a deep connection to rap and a lifelong respect for lyrical honesty, Dwyane brings heart and conviction to every verse. For fans of au...

The hilarious Hilari Holt stopped by the studio and shared her beginnings, her mission and her excitement about the future. Hilari is a Kansas City, Missouri born and raised multifaceted individual; from acting (Film, stage, commercial) to producing to writing, leading and comedic performing (specializing in improv comedy since 2016). She is the founder, executive director/producer of Black Comedy...

Joshua James stopped by the studio to share some tunes and his story about how he grew up in a large family in Arkansas but migrated to KC after college and hasn't looked back! From his soft Avett Brothers style folk singing to his Andrew W.K. type of live energy, one thing is for sure, Joshua James knows how to party! You can find out more about Joshua James on his socials and you can find him ho...

We invited multi-discipline artist Phil Dunn out to the studio to share his story and his art. This was an amazing talk that dug deep into where our vision and how our art comes to life. You can see Phil this 1st Friday at Apex Artspace with previous Perspectives alum, Justin Canja! April 3, 2026 5pm-8pm Apex Artspace (1819 Wyandotte Street, KCMO). A message from Phil, I am a self- taught artist....

Angela Brown from Creative Wares and Things stopped by the studio to give us a clinic on water marbling. She took us through the Japanese Suminagashi method as well as a new gel plate option and traditional paint transfer techniques. It was really fun and we got to create our very own take-home art piece! We definitely want to bring her out again and see if we can get more people involved. Let us...

Jennifer and Jessica from Facing Giants swung by the studio today to share their songs and their story. Top tier piano playing from Jennifer and vocal harmonies for days. Facing Giants is a KC Christian Pop/ Punk band that leans into worship and the gratitude that comes from their faith. You can check them out on all the socials and they have new music out on all streaming platforms! Facebook Clic...