Austin Art Talk

In depth conversations and wisdom from Austin artists and creatives, about life, work, and creativity.

About the show

The goal of the podcast is to facilitate connections with and to learn from the successes, struggles, life experience, and wisdom of the people featured, most of whom live and create in Austin, Texas. The honest conversational flow of these weekly long form interviews lends itself to some really great insights and information that is available to anyone who wants to listen. Join us to explore the origins, stories, lessons, lives and work of those in our community who are at the forefront of creative expression. The podcast is hosted by photographer, art enthusiast and collector, Scott David Gordon.

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Episodes

  • Episode 44: Vy Ngo - Present In This Moment

    September 23rd, 2018  |  1 hr 3 mins
    vy ngo

    After going to medical school and practicing as a pediatrician for many years, and at the same time growing a family, Vy Ngo felt that there was still something missing from her life. As a child and in high school she pursued many artistic endeavors, but that took the back seat to her career as a physician for decades. Once she started creating art again three years ago, her drive to work hard and push herself to be the best kicked in, and it has greatly enhanced the rest of her life in the process. She found that creating art was a way that she could have freedom and time away from the demands of her life and it also made her feel more whole and facilitated a lot of personal growth, and self acceptance

  • Episode 43: Vincent Valdez - The Beginning is Near

    September 17th, 2018  |  1 hr 18 mins
    vincent valdez

    From Vincent Valdez’s point of view we have a choice as to which way we want to go as a country. We can start again. It could be the beginning of a darker chapter in our history or a more enlightened and inclusive one. And art can sometimes be that guide to help tell us who we are, what we are made off, and where we can go from here. One of his biggest fears is that we are not learning from history, some of which is seemingly lost, and some of it ignored or manipulated to favor one group over another.

  • Episode 42: Marjorie Moore - Drawn from Nature

    September 8th, 2018  |  1 hr 8 secs
    interview, maine, marjorie moore

    Marjorie Moore’s art career has continued to evolve through many decades of work. Her core themes and ideas have maintained consistency and evolved but the way she communicates with and through different types of drawing, painting, and combined media have changed with the different phases of her life. From the isolation of a farm in western Maine to the big city, it has all shaped what she wants to say and how.

  • Episode 41: Valerie Fowler - Layers of Meaning

    August 25th, 2018  |  1 hr 7 mins
    valerie fowler

    Drawing and painting are a way for Valerie Fowler to be in the moment, to relax, and to get into the flow and journey of her art. She starts with an idea and then reacts to what happens next as the details evolve. It’s not just about the aesthetics but about her and the stories, memories, feelings, and themes, that she hopes to infuse into the work in a deep, honest, and meaningful way.

  • Episode 40: John Paul Caponigro - Find Your Way

    August 18th, 2018  |  1 hr 6 mins
    john paul caponigro, photography

    Getting to interview John Paul was definitely at the top of my wish list while visiting Maine during the month of August 2018. As I say in the interview I've been following his work for years and have always been impressed with how generous he is with his teachings and processes and also the depth and beauty of his images. If you are looking for a technical discussion on Photoshop and cameras to choose this is not the one. We had a fairly philosophical conversation about many subjects including defining a mission in life, being present, nature, spirit of place, creativity, play, and how to find your own way as an artist and a human. I love how thoughtful and specific he is with his words and wisdom. It’s no wonder he is a sought after lecturer and teacher.

  • Episode 39: Caitlin G McCollom - Following My Vision

    August 6th, 2018  |  1 hr 14 mins
    caitlin g mccollom

    Four years ago when she hit a low point in her life, artist Caitlin McCollom could not have imagined that today she would be a full time artist with a successful career. When you don’t have anything, you don’t have anything to lose someone once said. Then why not just create the work that fulfills your soul as opposed to what everyone else wants you to do she thought. Starting from the emptiness of nothing forces you to surrender and appreciate all of those meaningful physical and spiritual moments that you might have before taken for granted. It was a painful reset but it allowed her to start making the work she was meant to make.

  • Episode 38: Claude Van Lingen

    July 30th, 2018  |  52 mins 39 secs
    claude van lingen

    At the age of eighty seven Claude Van Lingen has had a long career as an artist and is still doing as much as he is able to create work everyday. He has since he was a child sought to learn about and practice art, and as an adult has additionally spent many years teaching young artists and giving back. Initially he was trained in a very academic style but then eventually got into more abstract and non conventional work and made breakthroughs after following his own advice that he gave his students in a class on creativity he created.

  • Episode 37: Pooneh Ghana - For the Love of Music

    July 21st, 2018  |  56 mins 23 secs
    music, photography, pooneh ghana

    Most of us have seen great live and behind the scenes images, or portraits and press photos of our favorite bands, but do you ever wonder who gets to take those? Pooneh Ghana is local but for the past 10 years she has been spending a lot of her time traveling all over the US and the world photographing at music festivals, touring, and doing portrait and video shoots. Many of the bands you have probably heard of but some maybe you haven’t. She is inspired to capture these musicians and events because of her love of music and to help share and support the community.

  • Episode 36: William T. Carson & Rebecca Rothfus Harrell - SOURCE MATERIAL

    July 15th, 2018  |  56 mins 6 secs
    rebecca rothfus harrel, william carson

    SOURCE MATERIAL is a collaboration between artists William T. Carson and Rebecca Rothfus Harrel, conceived by Troy Campa, the owner and curator of CAMIBAart. Turns out each artist was a big fan of the others artwork and jumped at the chance to work together. But to what extent would they collaborate? Would their individual work just hang side by side or would they create pieces together, or any variation in between.

  • Episode 35: Madeline Irvine - Naturally Curious

    July 7th, 2018  |  55 mins 33 secs
    drawing, madeline irvine, painting, salt

    Madeline Irvine uses a hyper saturated salt solution to draw and paint works on paper that reference the ocean and recently try to address issues around climate change and the importance of buffer zones. When the water evaporates from the paper it leaves behind crystalline salt structures that grow independent of any control or intentions imposed upon them.

  • Episode 34: Dawn Okoro - Punk Noir

    June 23rd, 2018  |  1 hr 6 mins
    dawn okoro, figurative painting, punk noir

    Dawn Okoro is a figurative painter who uses bright and bold saturated colors and as she has in her most recent exhibition, Punk Noir, captured the spirit and presence of creative people in her community who live with a kind of punk attitude. She started out at a young age being good at art but ended up studying psychology and law for many years and took a circuitous path to becoming the artist she always wanted to be.

  • Episode 33: Paul Soileau

    June 16th, 2018  |  1 hr 6 mins
    christeene, paul soileau, rebecca havemeyer

    Paul Soileau simply considers himself an artist even though he does practice and inhabit many different forms of art, theatre, performance, music, dance, and ways of self expression. More than creating a singular piece of art he is utilizing his body, voice, creativity, and soul to craft a unique and inspiring experience for his audience, one that he would want to witness himself. Rebecca Havemeyer and Christeene Vale are his most well known and traveled characters.

  • Episode 32: Laura Caffrey - Reject/Respect

    June 9th, 2018  |  54 mins 17 secs
    assemblage, laura caffrey

    Laura Caffrey has spent the last 20 years creating artwork out of junk. Well maybe not always what you might consider straight-up junk but often things that most people would not stop to pick up off the ground or buy from a thirift store. Laura on the other hand is always looking for what she considers treasures and materials to create really beautiful and thoughtful assemblages of those strange and wonderful finds.

  • Episode 31: Charles Heppner - Moved by Beauty

    June 3rd, 2018  |  57 mins 48 secs
    charles heppner, painting, photography

    Visual artist Charles Heppner’s work spans many different mediums and has many themes but ultimately focuses on the sanctity of beauty, especially in nature, how its appreciation makes us human, communication, and the interconnectedness of everything. He is devoted to both being an artist and a great parent and has figured out how to be present in both as he has integrated his art practice into his life as a stay at home dad.

  • Episode 30: Jason Phelps - The Creative Self

    May 26th, 2018  |  59 mins 38 secs
    active voice, jason phelps, performing arts, tutoring

    For the last thirty five years Jason Phelps has been studying and practicing a diversity of performing arts including acting, dance, music, and voice-over. Additionally he has also been dedicated to and invested in education, tutoring, mentorship, voice training, and directing. Jason is also passionate about exploring the different facets of the father and son relationship, social justice, being a mentor, what it means to engage in acts of compassion, and how can we be our best creative selves.

  • Episode 29: America Martin - It's Not Enough Just to Look

    May 19th, 2018  |  59 mins 29 secs
    america martin, los angeles, painting, sculpture

    America Martin endeavors daily to capture this gorgeous and interesting world and the people in it with her art. She translates what she sees by holding and acknowledging the many moments and gestures of life through painting, drawing and sculpture. It’s not enough just to look.