Art Ladders: The Creative Climb

By Valerie Allen and Armin MersmannArts

Art Ladders: The Creative Climb episodes

May 24, 2022 Episode 24: Conversation with Todd Burroughs, Founding Director of Atelier School of Art
Valerie and Armin are joined by friend and colleague, Todd Burroughs of Atelier School of Art in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA. Todd conceptualized the Atelier School of Art from dream to reality with a passion that coincides with his immense enthusiasm for visual art. Just read this mission of the school to further understand Atelier School of Art's philosophy. "We are committed to helping people pursue their natural inclination to create. We have created an environment to nurture, educate and encourage individuals to achieve the highest level of success."
Todd Burroughs is the founding director of Atelier School of Art in Royal Oak, Michigan. He is best known for his realist drawings, oil paintings and passion for teaching. He has received numerous awards and honorifics for his paintings and teaching accomplishments. His art work is widely collected by personal and corporate collectors.
While attending Columbia College in Chicago, Todd had his first art exhibition. Shortly after he embarked on a 6-month trip to India to study art and culture. While in India his artistic interest shifted from Abstract Expressionism to Classical Painting methods. After returning to Chicago, Todd began a five-year program of study in oil painting at the Atelier Alternative in Chicago. He holds a Cum Laude degree in Historic Preservation and Fine Art from Eastern Michigan University.
While studying in Chicago he began his life-long research in to art-making processes. In 2000 Todd Burroughs returned to Michigan, and began teaching painting and drawing. His teaching experience includes teaching at museums, art centers and The College for Creative Studies. Additionally, he has always taught from his studio as part of his own art making process. The rational being that if you care for an idea, you are obligated to pass it on. Todd’s advocacy for education in the arts, and accessible studio practices for all led to him founding the Atelier School of Art in 2018. He regularly shares his knowledge through lectures, workshops, and teaching from the studio.
His art making primarily focuses on oil painting and drawing. His work also includes photography, digital art and NFTs. His pieces range from the monumental, eight feet by twenty feet, to the intimate, 1.5 inch by two inches, and embrace a broad range of drawing and painting methodologies.
Link to Atelier School of Art located in downtown Royal Oak, Michigan.
Link to Summer Workshops at Atelier School of Art There are workshops taught by Todd Burrough, Valerie Allen, and Armin Mersmann this summer.
International Painting Annual 5 exhibition-in-print, Manifest Gallery, Todd Burroughs Statement
Link to The Wellness Paradox Podcast Episode 10: Art as a Vehicle to Improve Wellbeing with Todd Burroughs

59 min
May 10, 2022 Episode 23: Conversation with abstract painter and printmaker Elise Wagner
This episode was recorded from the Frederick Holmes and Company Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seattle, Washington. Abstract painter and printmaker Elise Wagner opened her solo exhibition at this gallery on Friday, May 5, 2022. The title of her exhibit is TIPPING POINTS showcasing Wagner's artworks that give the artistic perspective on the science of our changing planet, and convergence of opposites. More than a dozen encaustic paintings and a 55” x 55” abstract work form the centerpiece of the exhibition. The exhibit will end on May 31, 2022.
“Elise has championed encaustic painting introducing the medium to people all over the world for decades and this exhibition will highlight the masterful painting and innovation that is integral to Elise’s amazing artistry,” said Fred Holmes of Frederick Holmes & Co, who’s been her gallery dealer in western Washington since 2013. “I am extremely excited to share what will be an unforgettable encounter with the union of art and science in contemporary abstract art.”
Elise Wagner is a painter, printmaker, educator and innovator. An east coast transplant from Jersey City, New Jersey, she has based herself in Portland, Oregon since 1986. The uniquely defining aesthetic in Elise’s work melds her creative and spiritual practices with her fascination with and education in various disciplines of science – physics, astronomy, geology, cartography and meteorology and how they relate to changing technologies and the environment. A 2015-16 Pollock Krasner Award Recipient in addition to numerous regional awards including most recently the Regional Arts & Culture Council Create | Learn | Build Grant. Elise shows her work at galleries in Washington D.C., Houston, Palm Springs, Astoria, Oregon and Seattle. So far this year, her work has been included in two important group shows - Wax Applications, Exploring the Breadth and Depth of Encaustic and Cold Wax Mediums at Texas A&M University and, her was included this past Summer in the Artworks Northwest Bienniel at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association Juried by Grace Kook-Anderson, Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum. Her work is included in corporate and private collections throughout the U.S. As an educator, Elise has been invited to teach and present encaustic painting and printmaking at conferences and institutions Internationally and currently teaches virtual workshops. In 2022-23 Elise will be teaching in Mexico, Cape Cod and Ireland.
Show Notes
Click here for Elise Wagner's Website
Click here for Elise Wagner's Workshops and Private Instruction
Click here for Frederick Holmes and Company Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art

57 min
April 26, 2022 Episode 22: Conversation with artist Sergio Gomez
During this episode the dynamic artist Sergio Gomez joined Val and Armin for an in-depth interview on his mission of art, collaboration and using technology to further your art career. We learned more about NFTs, curating, how to organize International exhibits and his many collaborations with artists around the world.
We encourage you to read his journey in his own words on his website and also enjoy this quote that sums up Sergio's motivating approach to life. "Over the years, I have learned this big truth, don’t wait for an opportunity to change your current situation. Instead, convert each situation into an opportunity to move forward. Yes, it’s a matter of perspective or, as my wife would say, it’s a mindset. The most successful artists are those who capitalize opportunities that did not exist before. Sergio Gomez
Here is information on his upcoming exhibition at 33 Contemporary Gallery titled Transfiguration: Paintings, AR & NFTs by Sergio Gomez
Exhibitions Dates: May 16 to June 24
Artists Reception: Friday, May 20
Time: 7 pm to 10 pm
ABOUT EXHIBITION:
The Transfiguration Series is Sergio Gomez’s latest body of work. Sergio is a Chicago-based artist, gallerist, curator and educator who is known for his large scale figurative abstraction works.
This in-person and virtual exhibition will include new paintings, augmented reality experiences powered by Artivive, and a new collection of NFTs. Sergio’s NFT’s are ethereal animations derived from 30 years of painting the cycles of life.
33 Contemporary Gallery is located at : Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60609
Show Links for this Episode:
Sergio Gomez Website
33 Contemporary Gallery
Art NXT Level Academy
Lots of links for Sergio in one spot!
You can find Sergio on Instagram at @sergiogomezart. Be sure to follow his Instagram account! His stories and reels are wonderful and it's the perfect way to keep up with his artwork, projects and collaborations.
Please let us know your comments about this episode. We would love to hear from you! You can find us on Instagram at @artladders or on our Facebook Page at Art Ladders the Creative Climb with Valerie Allen and Armin Mersmann.
Thank you for your support!

56 min
March 29, 2022 Episode 20: Flip the Mic! Val interviews artist Armin Mersmann, co-founder of Art Ladders
This hour-long podcast is Art Ladder's listeners opportunity to learn more about artist Armin Mersmann. He and his artist wife, Valerie Allen founded the podcast in July of 2021. Armin Is an award winning artist and also an established teaching artist with a wonderful following. As you follow the conversation you will learn about his beginnings on his journey in art and his philosophical outlook on creating art.
Armin Mersmann was born in Remscheid, Germany, in 1955. Along with his parents, he immigrated to the United States in 1962. He grew up in an artistic environment and was greatly influenced and tutored by his father, Fritz, a successful oil painter. Mersmann feels his career as an artist was inevitable: “I never made the conscious choice to be an artist, it’s just what I did.” After six years of college, Mersmann began a very successful stint as a portrait artist in Chicago, IL. Although commission work was financially rewarding, he stopped doing it and soon found more interest in the fine arts—work that at times is controversial but more satisfying conceptually. “Art, my sanctuary, the very thing that gave me such pleasure, was now reduced to making a living. Art is too precious for me to make decisions based on finances.” This does not mean Mersmann will never do a commissioned portrait; rather, it has to interest him conceptually, and he insists on total control over the image.Although Mersmann is mainly known for his intense naturalistic graphite drawings, he also works in photography and encaustic wax, which is much more abstract than his drawings. “My interests have become exceedingly experimental with more attention placed on the surfaces of the work itself. Discovering and rediscovering my chosen medium is the everlasting stimulus that keeps me interested and excited. Accidental process and meticulous planning co-mingle in all my work. Texture, either real or illusionary, and that one ever-elusive brushstroke, the one that says it all; this keeps me searching and exploring.”Mersmann has taught drawing, the Creative Process, iPhoneography and Advanced Critique at the American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL; the Colorado Academy of Art, Boulder CO; Northwood University, Midland, MI; the Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI; and countless workshops within the United States.
Link to Armin Mersmann's Website
Link to Armin Mersmann's Instagram
Link to Armin Mersmann's iPhoneography Instagram
Link to our sponsor Golden Apple Studio and Residency
Please contact Shelley Stevens at [email protected] for info on September 2-3 workshops. Collage to Print: Exploratory Calligraphy with Valerie and Drawing the Abstraction in Nature with Armin Mersmann. Lodging can be arranged.

51 min
March 15, 2022 Episode 19: Conversation with Printmaker Jay Handy
Artist Jay Handy, originally from Bay City, Michigan, is presenting a one-person exhibit at Studio 23 in Bay City starting March 25, 2022. The exhibit titled: This Must Be The Place, will include one-of-a-kind pulled prints depicting imagery found in vintage photographs of Bay City. Jay Handy imagined a community project that actually crowd-sourced the residents of this riverfront city in Michigan, to submit their family photos to be used as inspiration and collage elements in his artwork. Val and Armin are so happy that they had a chance to get to know Jay and look forward to attending his reception and workshop.
Jay Handy is a printmaker specializing in etching and chine collé to create the signature dreamlike quality that permeates his work. From the Harvard Business School to Lesley University College of Art and Design, the winding road he traveled to arrive at his current position as a passionate and prolific artist imbues his art with the characteristic sense of tension and nostalgia his work is known for. Jay resides in Madison, Wisconsin, where he continues to weave memories into preserved moments in time.
Nostalgia is a primary presence in Jay's work, which contrasts beautifully with underlying elements of artistic tension. Like most artists, Jay finds himself reaching back into his history for inspiration. His work seamlessly conjures up memorable moments in life that trigger a feeling and capture that special moment for the viewer.
Artist Statement from Jay Handy: My art is an exploration of memory, both in its function and its feeling. When we think back on a memory, it’s never quite the same as the initial experience that it was born of—a unique and complicated aura now surrounds it. Depending on the moment in time, it may be tinged with a hint of tenderness or a sense of forlornness.
I find myself caught on a memory, turning it over and over in my mind to uncover every unique thread of nostalgia, of joy, of tension. The memory becomes a distinct moment in time, with so clear a life and story all its own that I’m compelled to transform it from a vision to a tangible image. My use of etching and chine collé recreate the memory and transmute the unique qualities that frame it into a language that can speak to viewers and stir within them that shared experience of nostalgia and memory.
Regardless of who we are, where we’re from, or what time period we’ve lived through, we each have our own experience of memory and the often bittersweet qualities that those memories are preserved in. My art is the translation of memory from floating fragments to captured moments.
Thank you to Jay Handy for this wonderful conversation for Art Ladders.
Exhibition at Studio 23 in Bay City starts March 25, 2022. Studio 23 is at 901 N. Water Street, Bay City, MI with telephone number: 989-894-2323. There will be a gallery walk and talk that day starting at 4:15pm and a reception starting at 5pm.
Link to Jay Handy's "This Must Be The Place" exhibit reception at Studio 23 in Bay City.
Link to Jay Handy's Gallery Walk and Talk at Studio 23.
Link to Jay Handy's website.
Link to Jay Handy's Instagram
Link to Jay Handy's Facebook Page.
Please contact Shelley Stevens at [email protected] for info on September 2-3 workshops. Collage to Print: Exploratory Calligraphy with Valerie and Drawing the Abstraction in Nature with Armin Mersmann. Lodging can be arranged.
58 min
March 01, 2022 Episode 18 Tables are turned! Armin Interviews Val
As a fairly new podcast, Armin and Val decided to tell their own personal art stories. This is a way the Art Ladders audience can have a closer look at what makes these two artists tick. This week Armin interviews artist Valerie Allen and in the near future she will interview him. The discussion starts at the first glimmer of a young artist and follows Val through her pursuit of further education in art, career moves, life choices and what the future looks like for her as an artist and teacher.
Show Notes
Education:
University of Cincinnati: https://daap.uc.edu/academic-programs/school-of-art.html
Delta College: https://www.delta.edu/programs/current/art-and-communication/fine-art-graphic-design/art-design/associate/index.html
Career Path:
Midland Center for the Arts: https://www.midlandcenter.org
Studio 23: https://www.studio23baycity.org
Golden Artist Colors: https://goldenpaints.com/wap/Valerie.Allen/43
Upcoming Residencies:
Port Austin Art Residency: https://portaustinair.org
Golden Apple Residency: http://www.goldenapplestudio.com
Classes:
Upcoming Abstraction Now! Online Five-Week Session: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/273604106247
Website:
Valerie Allen Art: http://valerieallenart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerieallenart/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valerieallenstudio
Art Ladders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=art%20ladders%3A%20the%20creative%20climb%20with%20valerie%20allen%20and...
Sponsor of Art Ladders: The Creative Climb Podcast: Golden Apple Studio and Residency: http://www.goldenapplestudio.com

1 hr
February 15, 2022 Episode 17: Conversation with artist Robert Schefman
.Armin and Valerie had the distinct honor of interviewing artist Robert Schefman about his life as an artist, his new body of work, The Secrets Project, and his recent notification of being a finalist in The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery opening this spring.
Born and raised in Detroit, Robert Schefman earned a BFA in sculpture from Michigan State University and an MFA in sculpture from the University of Iowa. He lived and worked in New York City for fourteen years, returning to the Detroit area in 1990. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI; The Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN; Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester, MI; Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI; The Krasl Art Center, St. Joseph, MI; Manifest Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; Foley Square/ Federal Plaza, New York City; the Brooklyn Army Terminal, New York City; Ward’s Island, New York City; and United Nations Plaza, New York City. Grants awarded include the Pollack-Krasner Foundation, the Bernard Maas Foundation, the Arts Foundation of Michigan, and the State of Michigan Creative Artist Grant.
Schefman’s drawings, paintings, and sculptures are in multiple private and public collections, including the Eli and Edythe Broad Museum of Art, East Lansing, MI; the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC; the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI; the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL; Wayne State University, Detroit, MI; Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, MI; and the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.
The Secrets Project
Robert Schefman's recent series of paintings and drawings explore the hidden world of secrets. Using social media as a device to reach a large audience, Schefman posted a request asking followers to send him one personal secret that he could use as a subject or an element in his paintings. The response was immediate and revealing. More than one hundred anonymous secrets were sent through the internet or by mail to the artist’s post office box.
Using the private information gathered from strangers’ letters as a point from which to investigate the conceptual nature of secrets, Schefman explored the specific responses and began to develop the ideas for this series over the course of several years. Many of the pieces in the Secrets exhibition refer directly to the actual secrets touchingly revealed in the anonymous letters or messages received by the artist. Additionally poignant were the descriptions of relief or catharsis brought on by confessing personal baggage, often for the first time.
Here are links for Robert Schefman:
Robert Schefman: Website
David Klein Gallery: Artist Robert Schefman
The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today

1 hr 7 min
February 01, 2022 Episode 16: Seize the Day
In this episode titled "Seize the Day", Armin and Valerie discuss ways to keep focused on creating art in a busy world. There are so many ways that life happens and many can cause artists to slow down and lose momentum. These reasons and situations can be managed with intentional thought but some are inevitable. They talk about situations such as working 9 to 5, providing the role of a caregiver, taking time to travel and even being sick. One situation that is surprising is an artist who has all the time in the world and still needs ways to motivate and get back in the groove.
Art Ladders wants to thank Golden Apple Studio and Residency for sponsoring this podcast. Armin and Valerie are anticipating the days when they will be attending their August residency. Thank you to our producer, Taylor Cramer, of Cold Shower Media.
Valerie will be conducting a free webinar, "Abstraction Now" on February 20, 2020 at 2pm Eastern Time. This webinar will take place on Zoom so artists all over the world are welcome to register and attend. You can register at this Eventbrite LINK. The session will be recorded and sent to registered participants for people who cannot attend the live version.
Story Blocks by Ann Vincenti Michelman. This is an example of creating art while also being a caregiver. Click link here.
Please follow Art Ladders: The Creative Climb on Facebook. Click Link Here. and on Instagram at @artladders. Clink Link Here.
Thank you for listening! Armin and Val

43 min
January 18, 2022 Interview with Artist Michelle Courier: Visual Artist and Entrepreneur
Technical Note: Michelle's portion of the interview was recorded in her Westward Gallery location in Denver, Colorado where the ceilings are quite high and acoustics have an echo. Regardless, her words for artists are super and the content is strong. Enjoy!
Michelle Courier, visual artist and entrepreneur, is the owner of Westward Gallery in Denver, Colorado. Courier is a graduate of University of Michigan with a Bachelors in Fine Arts degree. She considers herself a realist, impressionist, and a contemporary artist with a touch of traditionalist.
We here at Art Ladders are honored that Michelle took time out to have a warm conversation with us about her five-year adventure that started with a brave move from Michigan to the West where she established herself as an artist of influence while opening a fine art gallery in the city of Denver, known for having strong connections to the arts.
About the Artist:
https://www.westwardgallery.com/michelle-courier
Press on Westward Gallery:
https://www.westwardgallery.com/press
Special thanks to our sponsor, Golden Apple Studio and Residency
http://www.goldenapplestudio.com
Thank to our podcast producer, Taylor Cramer.
https://www.coldshowermedia.com

42 min
January 04, 2022 State of the New Year
Episode 14 is Art Ladders’ State of the New Year message for our listeners. Val and Armin discuss the goals and dreams for 2022. Basing decisions on Art Ladders’ Word of the Year, “Discover”, the hope is that 2022 will bring opportunities to develop abundant artwork and teach quality online classes. After a recap of 2021 art activities, they delve into an informal discussion of intentions and insights that will set up the coming year of 2022 to be productive and successful in their studio practice and art business lives.
Thank you to our podcast sponsor, Golden Apple Studio and Residency at www.goldenapplestudio.com. For more information on the residency program, email Shelley Stevens at [email protected].
Contact Studio 23 in Bay City, Michigan about their upcoming “The 100 Day Project” at [email protected] or call at 989-894-2323. www.studio23baycity.org
Thank you to the artists who participated in Land to River curated by Val in 2021. It is one her proudest accomplishments during her time in the nonprofit art world where she recently retired. Here is a link to the exhibition description. https://www.studio23baycity.org/portfolio/4090/
Val recommended Artsy as a Facebook page to follow for articles on art and artists. https://www.facebook.com/artsy
Article on Agnes Martin: How to be an Artist
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-agnes-martin-artist
Website of Alice Sheridan, of The Connected Artist Club and co-host of Art Juice podcast with Louise Fletcher. https://alicesheridan.com/podcast/
Armin’s upcoming classes available for registration on Eventbrite.
Art Talk: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/237484621897
iPhoneography: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/237649314497
Graphite Drawing: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/237498653867
Future interviews for Art Ladders:
In January, artist Michelle Courier of Westward Gallery in Denver, Colorado. https://www.westwardgallery.com/michelle-courier
In March, artist Jay Handy of Jay Handy Ink in Madison, Wisconsin. https://jayhandy.com
39 min

About Art Ladders: The Creative Climb

From the publisher's feed

Join us on Art Ladders, the Creative Climb, where we explore the inspiring journeys of artists and uncover the wisdom they've gained along the way. In each episode, hosts Valerie Allen and Armin…