Dan Friday has lived in the Northwest his whole life, a shining product of the studio glass movement. Friday has cultivated his artistic vision with strong influence from his indigenous roots in the Pacific Northwest. Craft, form and idea drive Dan's work from conception to object. The past two decades working with artists such as Dale Chihuly and Paul Marioni have given Dan tools and inspiration to develop craft and produce his art. He feels fortunate to have experienced the rich diversity of Seattle for his skill development. Currently Dan's work is in collections around the world.  

Episode recorded at Blue Rain Gallery August 2021

Join us this year for Dan Friday exhibition during our Annual Celebration of Native American Art in August 2022. Dan will also have live glass blowing demos at Blue Rain Gallery the weekend of the show. Stay tuned for more info, or head to our website blueraingallery.com  

Leroy interviews two collectors and close friends, Mike Eagle and Terry Raider. This episode is in honor of Mike Eagle who passed away shortly after the episode was recorded. He was passionate about art and Native American culture. You can view his and Terry's art collection at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, IN.

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Learn more about collecting art in episode 15 of the Blue Rain Gallery Podcast (The Passion to Create is No Different Than the Passion to Collect)

View episode videos on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtdLbtOjOfGpCEJuLvZRGXKFj1XNmimCj

This episode was produced by Leah Garcia and hosted by Leroy Garcia. Music by Mozart Gabriel Abeyta. 

Leroy Garcia talks with Preston Singletary about his upcoming exhibition at the Museum of the American Indian opening January 28, 2022

“Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight features works from internationally acclaimed artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit American, b. 1963), and tells the story of Raven, the creator of the world and giver of the stars, moon, and sun.

Through an immersive, multisensory experience, Raven takes visitors on a journey of the transformation of darkness into light. In addition to Singletary's striking glass pieces, the exhibition features storytelling paired with original music, coastal Pacific Northwest soundscapes, and projected images.” (https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=976&utm_source=si.edu&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=exhibitions).

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Blue Rain Gallery Pops-Up in Alexandria, VA during Preston Singletary’s Exhibition Opening of “Raven and the Box of Daylight” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

January 28 – February 1, 2022

The Alexandrian Hotel, Old Town Alexandria

Hours: 10am - 6pm each day

Blue Rain Gallery will feature a collection of Preston Singletary’s glass sculpture in a special pop-up exhibition at the Alexandrian Hotel to compliment Preston Singletary’s exhibition opening.

Call the gallery at 505.954.9902 to find out about special receptions and discounted rates on lodging.

https://blueraingallery.com/events

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Available works by Preston Singletary: https://blueraingallery.com/artists/preston-singletary/view-all

Preston Singletary at Blue Rain Print Shop: https://bluerainprintshop.com/collections/preston-singletary

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Leroy on Artist with Brian Podcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1L3Mm4wZ3UT1ppcQUvgIKQ?si=c77815b964cc42f8

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/artist-with-brian/id1478451890?i=1000543400421

Follow Artist with Brian Podcast on Instagram @artistwithbrian

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Blue Rain Gallery Podcast

Hosted by Leroy Garcia

For four decades, Kim Martindale has been producing many of the countries most prestigious and successful art shows. Closely involved in the art world from an early age, Mr. Martindale has brought his professionalism and enthusiasm to all areas of his work.

(Courtesy of http://www.krmartindale.com)

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Blue Rain Print Shop https://bluerainprintshop.com

Blue Rain Gallery https://blueraingallery.com

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Hosted by Leroy Garcia

Podcast host and gallery owner, Leroy Garcia talks about season one of the Blue Rain Gallery Podcast.

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Produced by Leah Garcia

Meet Robin Jones in this week's episode of the Blue Rain Gallery Podcast. Her show "One Thread" opens at Blue Rain Gallery October 29th with an Artist Reception from 5-7pm.

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Robin Jones left her career in the theater to paint. It came as a pivot in her life when she was trapped at home for two weeks during Hurricane Ike when she was living in Houston. This forced time at home inspired her to paint large abstract and figurative paintings, and she has focused on painting ever since.

Jones’s paintings are realistic portraits, both of young people and endangered animals, and sometime historical figures too. Young people, Jones feels “will inherit the planet that we leave them—and they are also among the strongest and most influential voices in the climate change and animal liberation movements.” She paints on aluminum rather than canvas, and often incorporates gold leaf into the overall composition. Jones says “I love using metal leaf in my paintings for multiple reasons. These metals are of the earth, they are considered ‘precious’, and therefore I feel they give a reverential quality to the subject matter (similar to the Madonna and Child paintings of the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance). I also love, aesthetically, the way the light reflects off of the metal, changing as the light in the space shifts.”

Her new series, One Thread, continues to honor the above key elements. The paintings are at once fresh and vibrant, yet profound and poetic. Robin Jones is an artist on the rise, and her work carries a message deserving of an audience. Do not miss an opportunity to see her new series of paintings at Blue Rain Gallery in October.

Available Works

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Hosted by Leroy Garcia

An introduction to the art of patina with artist Nathan Bennett and Leroy Garcia.

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Nathan Bennett describes the method as “using different metals and applying them through the use of fire and various chemicals to create colors on bronze.” The technique is just as complicated and as messy as it sounds, and it requires a great deal of time and patience to master. Bennett’s interest in art stemmed from a young age, receiving 2 university scholarships right out of high school to pursue his dreams. However, during a period of pain and confusion at the age of 18, Bennett was told, “take time to find yourself” and it was then that he found patina and his gift in mastering the art.

While discussing the process with the artist, one could hardly believe that Bennett doesn’t have a solid background in science and alchemy, considering the immense technical terminology and understanding that patina requires, but trial and error led him to create the most vibrant colors and beautiful images.

Even for those who are not aware of the complex patina process, Nathan Bennett’s art proves to be nothing short of compelling.

Available works by Nathan Bennett

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Hosted by Leroy Garcia

Rik Allen and Shelley Muzylowski Allen talk about their history and introduction to glass art on Zoom with Leroy Garcia

Available works by Rik Allen

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Leroy introduces artist Erin Currier and learns about her upcoming show Passion, Pathos, and the Human Potential, opening at Blue Rain Gallery September 10th, 2021 from 5-7pm

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My artistic practice has taken me on a lifelong “shoestring” adventure—packed with action and magic—that has variously found me training in Beijing with Kung Fu masters; tango dancing in Buenos Aires; in riots in Chile; eating dinner on dirt floors with Tibetan exiles in Nepal and at the dinner tables of famed filmmakers in Italy; on the couches of Panthers and Weather Underground; in medicinal ceremonies in the Amazonian jungle; at Tahrir Square with a million Egyptians... I am a humanist artist: unapologetically narrative, and for whom art and the social world are inseparable. I use the proceeds of the sales of my art to witness the world firsthand—i.e.-when I sell a painting, I buy a plane ticket and go!  

It all began with a natural integration of my sociopolitical beliefs with a sheer joy of art-making, and has since developed into an artistic praxis by which I integrate the human realm- its individuals, cultures, and struggles- with its refuse, in order to address the issues I feel most passionate about. I have been to more than 50 countries, immersing myself, to the best of my abilities, in the daily life of countries like Nepal and Nicaragua, cities such as Istanbul and Caracas, studying languages, getting around on foot or by bus, sketching, making friends, and collecting disinherited commercial “waste”. Inevitably I return to my studio in Santa Fe, NM, to create series of works that are exhibited and collected internationally.  

-Erin Currier  

Available works

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Visit Blue Rain Print Shop to bring fine art to every day life www.bluerainprintshop.com

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Hosted by Leroy Garcia

Leroy and Stetson ride down memory lane and talk about the meaning and process of making kachina dolls.  

Produced by Leah Garcia