Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 1

I'm Julia Neiman, your host for today's episode. My guest today is Izumi Tanaka from Pine Mountain Club. Izumi was born in Yokohama, Japan, and at an early age she discovered THE magic, influenced by her father and grandfathers passion for photography. Shes been taking pictures in one way or the other ever since.

After more than 20 years of working in documentary productions for television and films, she rekindled her passion for photography in the last decade shooting interiors, lifestyle and portraits and appearing numerous publications including Dwell, USA Today, and Los Angeles Magazine.

Izumi is also actively producing a body of work in fine art and documentary photography appearing in solo and group exhibits around the country and receiving awards for her work. Izumi is a charter member of Los Angeles Center of Photography.

She is also a long-time practitioner of Vipassana meditation and  teaches at "InsightLA" while currently working as a real estate professional specializing in "green homes".

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 2

Julia Neiman chats with local artist, Missy Vivenzio. Missy was born into art as the daughter of an Italian artist and being a distant relative to the prominent Victorian Illustrator, Aubrey Beadsley. She is widely recognized throughout California for her uniquely colorful oil paintings. Missy works in oils and oil pastels, painting mesmerizing portraits of women, vibrant jazz club scenes and cityscapes with a 40's and 50's feel.

Indie Artist Spotlight is produced by KFZR with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Art lovers, meet PMC based fine artist, Missy Vivenzio. Her mesmerizing art is currently on exhibit at the ArtWorks Gallery in PMC. Missy was born into art as the daughter of an Italian artist and being a distant relative to the prominent Victorian Illustrator, Aubrey Beadsley. She is widely recognized throughout California for her uniquely colorful oil paintings. Missy works in oils and oil pastels, painting mesmerizing portraits of women, vibrant jazz club scenes and cityscapes with a 40's and 50's feel.

Indie Artist Spotlight is produced by KFZR with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 3

Carolyn Gilbert is a talented crafter and fine artist who works in multiple genres. She created her handmade greeting-card business as an act of passion and love born of gratitude for being alive after surviving cancer. Carolyn believes that being grateful for what we have and extending that gratitude to others is an essential component to life and the cards she creates is her way of sharing that belief.

When creating her cards, hand-painted vases, scrapbook albums or anything else she creates, she works to grasp the essence of their experience and extends that experience every time her work is viewed.

Carolyn loves to meet new people and works with individuals and businesses to create messages that are compelling and unique. She built her company listening to her customers who are always the best source of new ideas.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 4

Deborah Angel is a creative, artist, and maker. Her skills include sewing, painting ceramic objects, jewelry making (specifically bead weaving and mixed media fabrication), abstract drawing, and mixed media painting and collage.

Deborah believes that Art is a form of expression; and should elicit an expressive response from the audience, other than isnt that pretty.

Her art is filled with pattern and complexity that tell visual stories and are filled with layers of life experiences and images. Creating and sharing the job of creating gives her life purpose and peace.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 5

Richard Krevolin's art attempts to bring beauty and color into the world. His works have been exhibited in private collections all over the world and at the Saatchi Other Art Fair and the Bombay Artisan Series in Los Angeles.

A graduate of Yale University, Richard also has a masters degree from UCLA and another from USC. He wrote, directed and produced the PBS documentary, Making Light in Terezin. He has had plays produced around the world and recently co-wrote and directed a feature length comedy, ATTACHMENTS, starring Academy Award nominated actress, Katharine Ross.

Richard started his career as a visual artist later in life. In fact, it was not until his 50th birthday that he picked up a paint brush, and he hasn't stopped painting since. After he started painting, his days are now suffused with shimmering light and at night he dreams in colors.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 6

Julia Neiman chats with photographer and local philanthropist, Mel Weinstein. Mel is an accomplished photographer and co-founder of the Artworks Community Gallery in Pine Mountain Club. Mel's photographs include landscapes, nature, travel photos, and architecture. He has photographed the homes of celebrities for Architectural Digest, and was commissioned to take photos of President Clinton and other notable figures. Mel is proud of his community-service work, supporting a food bank, and an indie filmmaker who documents the stories of veterans. He also sponsors the Mountain Communities Annual Youth Photo Contest and The Friends of the Library in Frazier Park. He organizes a community event to celebrate Martin Luther King's Birthday every year. Mel's dog Reggie ran against Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 7

Megan Monroe is a a fashion designer and so much more. She is a stylist, wardrobe consultant, makeup and skincare expert. She has been trained in merchandising and has assisted in the fashion departments on photo shoots, film and theater.

Megan's main focus is highly inspired designs from the most memorable decades, as well as wearable art and couture influence. She pushes the envelope naturally in her own designs, but also offers custom clothing in her business to fit the needs of others who have a vision and want help creating it.

Megan is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and currently lives in Pine Mountain Club. You can see her Clairvoyant Fashion line on the internet at https://rawartists.com/clairvoyant.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 8

Drew Lesso is a musician, composer, and conceptual artist. He is originally from Strabane, Pennsylvania, where he grew up in a successful musical family and has been playing piano since age five and eventually took over his father's business as a vocal coach.

While at Duquesne University Drew became interested in the computer lab with its punch card computer which led him to imagine musical applications. At the age of 19 Drew had a dream that made him wonder if there was a connection between sight and sound. His initial experiments attempted to find a correspondence between geometry and music.

Drew, who lives in Frazier Park, currently has a show at ArtWorks Community Gallery in Pine Mountain Club. The theme of that show is pareidolia which is when someone sees a pattern or image of something that doesn't exist, like seeing animals in the clouds, the face of Jesus on a burnt frying pan, the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich, or Mother Teresa on a cinnamon bun.

Indie Artist Spotlight: Episode 9

Mel Weinstein is an accomplished photographer and co-founder of the Artworks Community Gallery in Pine Mountain Club. Mel's photographs include landscapes, nature, travel photos, and architecture. He has photographed the homes of celebrities for Architectural Digest, and was commissioned to take photos of President Clinton and other notable figures. Mel is proud of his community-service work, supporting a food bank, and an indie filmmaker who documents the stories of veterans. He also sponsors the Mountain Communities Annual Youth Photo Contest and The Friends of the Library in Frazier Park. He organizes a community event to celebrate Martin Luther King's Birthday every year. Mel's dog, Reggie, ran against Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.