Something (rather than nothing)

GERALD ROULETTE is native of Missouri and a graduate of Truman State University (BFA). He has been involved with art since kindergarten and was accepted into an art school in Arizona at 12 years of age. Roulette studied art in Strasbourg, Austria under the tutelage of Dr. William Unger and Oscar Kokoshka. He has earned multiple awards for his artwork and has lectured at colleges, universities and high schools across the USA. Roulette has worked as a high school 2-D art educator and football/track coach for 19 years. He has exhibited his work in the US and Europe.  A former NFL player, he has lived in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon three years ago. “Art is my way of capturing life. My sketchbook is a diary. Colors are feelings, and each stroke is an experience.” https://www.instagram.com/geraldaroulette/

Vanessa Stockard is an Australian painter. I had the great pleasure of speaking with her about:Cats borne of heaven and hellPaintingHer time in Oregon, USABecoming a MumSomethingNothing.Her paintings, generously displayed on instagram, will steal your heart. When I see her paintings, I instantly feel like I am living and laughing and loving. Make sure you take the time to experience them. Your life will improve.{Prior to interviewing her I suspected that she was part Trafalmadorian, one of those beings that inhabit Kurt Vonnegut's Trafalmador. Trafalmadorians are beings who exist in all times simultaneously, and are thus privy to knowledge of future events, including the destruction of the universe. I did not ask her about this as my independent research failed to yield any proof. However, I will ask her directly next time . . . }https://www.akbellingergallery.com/vanessastockardallthingsgreatandsmo

First episode of the ‘Something (rather than nothing) podcast’ 2020 was such a joy to record with Ana del Rocio. Keep your ears and ojos open for this great conversation. We spoke about mothering, epistemology, philosophy, women of color, politics, writing, music and so much more.ANA DEL ROCÍO (she/her/hers), is the Executive Director of Oregon Futures Lab. del Rocío is a first-generation Chicana/Peruana based in Portland, Oregon.She is a mother of two young boys and the past policy director and chief of staff to Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson. Ana was elected to Director for Position 1 in the David Douglas School District in 2017, in a historic election that saw people of color on the ballot for the first time in the "majority-minority" school district. She also serves on the board of Family Forward Action, and in 2019 was appointed by Governor Kate Brown to a statewide task force on maternal health outcomes.Ana is passionate about reproductive justice, grassroots organizing, and building political power for and with Black and Brown communities, Indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities. She stars on the screen in https://www.motherofcolorfilm.com/

Great new episode with JACK KENT! This episode was so much fun!!‘Sketchy People’ is the people-watching-comic by Jack Kent. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Jack draws the residents of his hometown and beyond.This project started in 2016. Jack's caricatures are drawn in a wacky pen and ink, cartoonist style. Portland’s sketch flag flies high and proud in each volume of ‘Sketchy People.”Who qualifies as "sketchy"? Good question. It could be what someone is wearing, or doing, or saying. Jack keeps his sketchbook close 'cause Sketchy People can be anywhere. You could be next!https://www.kentcomics.com/

This episode is a joy. Stay for the whole visit.PRUDENCE FLINT is a Melbourne based artist. She has held solo exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart and has exhibited in major state and regional galleries. She is a seventh time finalist in the Archibald Prize. She won the Len Fox Painting Award (2016), the Portia Geach Memorial Award (2010), and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2004). Her work is held in the collections of the City of Port Phillip, Artbank, BHP Billiton, City of Gold Coast, University of Wollongong, Castlemaine Art Museum and in numerous private collections. Reproductions of Flint’s paintings have recently appeared in international publications including Oh Comely (UK), It’s Nice That, Printed Pages (UK), Hi Fructose (US) and recently in Juxtapoz (US). Flint is represented by Australian Galleries in Melbourne and Bett Gallery in Hobart. She had her first international show at Mother’s tankstation Limited Dublin in May 2019.https://prudenceflint.com/

Christopher St. John is an artist and curator living in Eugene, Oregon. His work touches on the the incredible luck we have in living on a planet with a biosphere, the joy of form, and the importance of listening. Animals make regular appearances in his work.Christopher St. John’s work has been exhibited and collected across the United States and internationally across Europe, Japan, Canada, and Malta. He received his BFA from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. His work is in the permanent collections of two American museums. He is represented by Row Boat Gallery in Pacific and Galerie Biz’Art Biz’ Art in France.He is currently preparing for an exhibition in January at Eutectic Gallery in Portland, Oregon, and an exhibition in February at Sidestreet Arts in Portland, OR.https://christopherstjohn.art/

DANGUOLE LEKAVICIUTE is a creative living in Portland, Oregon.  Born in Lithuania and raised/educated in Reno, Nevada, she found her creative outlet via a food and cocktail recipe blog that allowed her to hone her writing voice and photography skills that also formed a foundation for creative discipline. Pursuing that on the side, she spent 6.5 years post-college graduation working in state government in Nevada before moving to Oregon and slowly building the bones of a career in the creative industry.  She currently serves as Creative Director of a food and beverage marketing agency and occasionally finds time to create personal work that refuses to pick a lane, ranging in themes from: the American West, the cosmos, nature, humor, and combinations of all of the above.https://www.danguolelekaviciute.com/

Mystery/Thriller Writer ALLEN ESKENS!Allen Eskens is the bestselling author of The Life We Bury, The Guise of Another, The Heavens May Fall, The Deep Dark Descending, The Shadows We Hide, and Nothing More Dangerous.He is the recipient of the Barry Award, Minnesota Book Award, Rosebud Award (Left Coast Crime), and Silver Falchion Award and has been a finalist for the Edgar Award, Thriller Award, and Anthony Award. His books have been translated into 26 languages and his novel, The Life We Bury is in development for a feature film.Allen has a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from Hamline University. After law school, he studied creative writing in the M.F.A. program at Minnesota State University-Mankato, as well as the Loft Literary Center and the Iowa Summer Writer’s Festival. Allen grew up on the hills of central Missouri. He now lives with his wife, Joely, in greater Minnesota where he recently retired after practicing criminal law for 25 years.https://alleneskens.com/

"Seamus Murphy grew up in Ireland and is based in London. He is the recipient of seven World Press Photo awards for his photographic work in Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Peru and Ireland. He received The World Understanding Award from POYi in the USA for his work from Afghanistan and a film he made based around this work was nominated for an Emmy and won the Liberty in Media Prize in 2011. His work has been published and exhibited widely. He has made films for The New Yorker and Channel 4 Television in the UK. He is the author of four books including 'A Darkness Visible: Afghanistan' (Saqi Books. 2008) is based on 12 trips to the country between 1994 and 2007 and is a chronicle of Afghanistan’s extraordinary recent history. 'I Am The Beggar of the World' (Farrar Straus Giroux. 2014) offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Afghan women through their anonymous Landay poetry. He has collaborated with musician PJ Harvey on projects for 'Let England Shake' and 'The Hope Six Demolition Project,' for which he won a Q Award for Best Music Film in October 2016. Patti Smith listed Murphy’s film for Harvey’s 'The Words that Maketh Murder' as one of her Top 10 artworks, saying “... this unheralded piece (directed by Seamus Murphy) is a wisp of humanity celebrating the small things. “ Murphy and Harvey together published 'The Hollow of the Hand' (Bloomsbury. 2015) a book of his photography and her poetry. An exhibition and live presentation of 'The Hollow of the Hand' work took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London in 2015 and at Les Recontres d’Arles in France in 2016. His latest book 'The Republic' (Allen Lane. 2016) is an immediate and personal portrait of Ireland and was exhibited at The Little Museum in Dublin in 2017.His latest film 'A Dog Called Money,' another collaboration with Polly Jean Harvey, is currently screening around the world.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU5rf6RbjOE

I am so excited about this episode. Can't hold it back!This week on 'Something (rather than nothing)' VICKO ALVAREZ VEGA - in her words -***I never planned on being a comic artist. I never planned on being a teacher. I never planned on being an organizer or an activist. But I am so happy that I have done all that and more.I’m a native Tejana that has called Chicago home for 12 years and the creator and illustrator of the ScholaR Comics web and zine series. The comic follows the lives of ScholaR, Rosita, and Masir as they wrap their heads around their own tough realities. ScholaR has a few anger issues, Rosita is learning what it means to be undocumented, and Masir is coming into his own as a mixed race boy who doesn’t feel very “boy-ish”. Altogether, they’re a reflection of my friends growing up, the youth I’ve had the privilege of teaching, and the childhood stories that we all carry with us as adults.My latest comic zine, "Rosita Gets Scared", recounts Rosita coming to terms with her fear of deportation. The comic also serves as an activity book to be utilized in classrooms and with youth groups as a tool to encourage culturally relevant social and emotional learning. Weeks into its release, the comic was covered by Telemundo, Newsy, and Radio Vocalo, and has been ordered by activists, educators, and parents across the country. I’m very excited to have found community in people of color comic cons and I’m very happy about the growing opportunity to connect with like minded educators.My workshops and discussions cover a variety of topics including

•  Comics / Art as Activism
   
•  Becoming and Independent Woman/Latinx Artist
   
•  Immigrant and people of color portrayals in comics + literature
   
•  Do It Yourself (DIY) zine making and publishing
   
•  Career days and art workshops for middle school and high schoolers
   
•  Drawing and Writing as therapeutic practice
   

For questions email Vicko directly at [email protected]***