Advanced Pretend

This week, Jenn sits down with local Jackson Hole artist Sarah Jeffrey. Jackson Hole Public Art https://jhpublicart.org/ ArtSpot https://jhpublicart.org/art/artspot --> Sarah's work will be featured here at the end of October

This week, Jenn gets a chance to chat with the inspiring Andrew Vallee. Andrew grew up in New Hope, PA, near the studios of renowned furniture maker George Nakashima, and at a young age was greatly influenced by Nakashima’s work and philosophy. Graduating from WWU in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, Andrew continued his education apprenticing for noted master furniture maker Alan Rosen of Lummi Island. In 1997, he went into business with Wesley Smith, now Smith & Vallee Cabinet Makers, and has been building furniture and cabinetry ever since. They founded Smith & Vallee Gallery in 2007. Vallee’s work has been exhibited in Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and Museum of Northwest Art. Andrew lives in Edison, Washington, with his wife and two daughters. @valleeandrew on Instagram https://www.smithandvalleegallery.com/

You're in for a real treat this week as Jenn chats with her good friend, Chef Justin Kruger. Their conversation will make you hungry (and thirsty) as they navigate the world of culinary delights! @beerdrinkingchef on Instagram! Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with the ever-inspiring visual artist Travis Walker. Jenn and Travis met when she covered his work for Artist’s Magazine. At the time she was moving back to the Teton region of the Rockies after five years of living in Colorado. This may seem like wanderlust to some, but a trait that these two share is that they were both brought up as military brats. Both of them come from a background that allows a unique world view. For Travis, this perspective still feeds his creativity. His developed trait of seeing the world with fresh eyes allows him to capture moments on canvas with beautiful aptitude. Travis was born in Tokyo, Japan, an Air Force brat whose nomadic childhood was filled with comic books, science fiction, and drawing.  After graduating with a degree in Painting and Printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University, the allure of the western landscape drew him to the valley of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he has lived and worked for nearly 20 years, blending contemporary landscape painting with the fictional worlds of his past. Travis Walker's work can be found at Altamira Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming and Scottsdale, Arizona; Visions West Contemporary in Montana and Denver, Colorado; and The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.  He has been featured in SouthWest Art Magazine, Big Sky Journal, Mountain Living, Forbes, and The Guardian.  He is the founder of the nonprofit Teton Artlab, an Artist In Residence program based in Jackson Hole.   www.traviswalkerart.com @traviswalkerart on Instagram Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn has a fantastically in-depth conversation with media executive and content specialist Lisa Shroyer. From her bio: With 18 years in content, I’ve worked in all forms of media, including podcasts, streaming video, social, blogs, YouTube, live events, subscriptions, online education, licensing deals, books, magazines, ecommerce, media sales, and branded content. Hardwon, demonstrated success driving change management, product operations, and revenue transformation across teams and channels. Executive leadership team member with solid expertise in P&L and budgeting, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and contract negotiations. Passionate about building and mentoring high-performing teams, I create work environments that foster creativity, independence, and innovation. In addition to my professional experience, I serve in multiple leadership roles with the Colorado Mountain Club, as a wilderness guide, an instructor, and a committee member. Whether it’s on set, in the backcountry, or in the board room, I have the ability to influence people, to secure alignment across groups, and to drive results through practical and positive leadership. https://www.interweave.com/tag/lisas-list/ https://www.youtube.com/@biggerpockets/podcasts Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with a truly creative soul, artist Borbay. Borbay (born Jason Borbet) is an American painter recognized for his location painting and portraiture. In 2009, Borbay commenced his 20-year project to depict Frank Lloyd Wright’s ⁠Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum⁠ on canvas annually. He a native of New York who lives and works in Victor, Idaho, near ⁠Grand Teton National Park⁠ in Wyoming and represents himself. Borbet's work prior to becoming a full-time artist in 2009 is varied. He spent time as a cast member on a reality television show based in Boston. After that, he moved to the Upper East Side of New York and began work as a stand-up comedian. His vocation changed again when he started recruiting and placing talent for a creative agency, and then landed at Sweden’s Fantasy Interactive, an award-winning design and development company. In 2009, Borbet decided to become a full-time visual artist, as he nurtured a passion for art from a very early age. One of his biggest influences was his artist mother. He refers to July 2, 2009 as his “Independence Day.” This is the day that Jason Borbet decided to become a full-time artist, and take the name Borbay.⁠]⁠ In 2009, he was called “Most Creative New Yorker” by Time Out New York. He says of this title, “As for Time Out, [it is] certainly a beautiful recognition, but I'll never let anything effect what really matters — the hard work I do each day, week, month and year in the studio. Without the work, you are nothing.” @borbay on Instagram www.borbay.com Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn chats with the incredibly creative and inspirational Grant Gosch. Grant is a writer and musician known for his latest book, "Kingfisher Lane." Grant began writing and telling stories as a child in Eugene, Oregon. He found his stride as a storyteller when he started a creative agency in Portland, Oregon serving some of the world’s largest brands. As a creative director, Grant has written and directed content for Nike, Intel, and other global brands. While working for large brands, his passion for storytelling translated to a weekly live storytelling performance called Live from Ocean Creek. Grant’s novel Kingfisher Lane is set on Alder Island.Grant lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children. When he is not writing, he can be found with his family, reading, fly-fishing, and exploring wild places. www.grantgosch.com @grantgosch on Instagram Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with her good friend, chef, and culinary expert Kevin Walsh. In this episode, they discuss Kevin's early love for cooking, his drive and desire to make and create every single day, and his move to working with and cooking for the elderly. Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with the amazing visual artist Amy Ringholz. If you look into the eyes of the wildlife that Amy Ringholz captures using oils, acrylics, ink and graphite, you might just recognize yourself. That’s because the Jackson, Wyoming, artist formally trained as a portraitist. She believes that experience gives her wildlife subjects a striking humanity that draws the viewer into their story. “I try to put my wild heart and love of freedom into my paintings,” says Amy. “When you place a piece of my work in your home, you have a piece of me. I want that work to inspire your life with beauty, creativity and love.  I want your heart to feel open and full, and your life to feel more meaningful because you get to share your days with one of my paintings.” Amy grew up the daughter of a teacher mother and artist father in Cleveland, Ohio. She double majored in drawing and art education at Bowling Green State University. It was there that she spent a semester in New Mexico, which cemented her love of the western landscape and wildlife. Lured by a job at a dude ranch that promised the chance to spend time with moose and bison, Amy moved to Jackson in 2002. A short time later, she was exhibiting her work at galleries across the West, and in 2012, at the age of 34, she was named the youngest-ever featured artist for the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. In 2013, Amy opened her own gallery in the heart of Jackson, and she joined Rowe Fine Art Gallery in 2020. https://amyringholz.com/ Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, we get to do ALL the talking! Jenn and Matt interview each other in this very different episode of Advanced Pretend. We chat about our artistic (and not-so artistic) pasts, what got us to where we are, and where we're going. Enjoy!!! Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with the incredibly skilled artist and writer Bly Pope for one of our most wide-ranging conversations yet. Bly Pope is a professional studio artist with a profound dedication and experience with hyperrealism and the classic fine art traditions. He graduated from Stanford University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Minnesota, where he has been an Adjunct Professor for over fourteen years, teaching classes in Drawing, Graphic Novel Illustration, and Artistic Interpretation from Vintage Cinema. He has also taught at The Minneapolis College of Art and Design for eight years, in Foundation: 2D, and The Interactive Visual Novel. His work has been shown and awarded in numerous exhibitions and has been purchased by The Cafesjian Museum of Fine Art in Armenia and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. His drawing, “Maryanna,” was selected to be a part of the National Portrait Competition Exhibition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery throughout 2013-2014 and was purchased by the Minneapolis Institute of Art for their permanent collection in 2017. His work has been collected by many private collectors worldwide. @blypope on Instagram www.popebrothersart.com Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with artist Liz Park. Originally from Pennsylvania, Liz graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2006 with a B.F.A in Painting. She then moved out to the Tetons (Jackson Hole, WY) where she lived for 10 years, working as a wrangler on a guest ranch, in the office at a ski resort, and even making granola bars on her way to becoming a full-time artist. Liz moved to northern Washington state in early 2017, which is where she currently works and resides. Her medium of choice for many years has been acrylic paint on varnished wood panels - she uses a simplified color palette and plays with negative space letting the wood grain show through to create interesting compositions, usually of wildlife and mountain scenes. In 2021, she began experimenting with using watered-down acrylic washes on canvas to mimic watercolor, still striving to create an interesting background to create compositions around. She also loves to draw and use whatever mediums she has on hand to bring to life the parade of fun, strange things that ramble through her brain. Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

For this week's episode, Jenn had the distinct pleasure of speaking with the one and only Tatiana Berman. Tatiana Berman is a violinist and immersive artist who explores topics through different artistic mediums. Whether as a violin soloist, speaker, or producer, she is consistently pushing creative boundaries. Tatiana is the founder of Constella Arts, creator of The Power of Sound project, co-creator of Not So Classical, and star of the documentary "Forte" available worldwide. Tatiana’s unique projects brought her to venues including the Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Chicago Contemporary Art Museum, Santa Fe Symphony, and the Lafon Performing Arts Center. The Not So Classical album is available on all digital platforms. The original performance concept Not So Classical has been praised by Forbes, NPR, and Playbill for its innovative approach to presenting a classical music experience. As founder and artistic director of the Constella Arts, Tatiana facilitated the presentations of over 70 world premieres and brought music to schools where arts funding has been cut. During the 2020 pandemic, in partnership with Culturenet Tatiana became an online sensation generating hundreds of thousands of views for her virtual solo performances. Tatiana’s music video Vitali Variations and other digital projects can be experienced on networks across the globe. Tatiana is a producer of documentaries Maestro (maestromovie.com) and Nordic Pulse (nordicpulsefilm.com). Tatiana is the process of recording her next album, The Power of Sound, preparing for a solo art exhibition, and currently in development is an orchestral recording of two world premiere Concerti. Whenever Tatiana is not performing or painting, she enjoys leading various workshops and making appearances at a limited number of speaking engagements and podcasts with topics that include the culture of sound, self-expression, creativity, and music education.

Christian and Lisa Hanley dreamt of creating a lifestyle in the Tetons where they could not only raise their family and enjoy the amazing outdoors, but also pursue the careers they loved. They wanted to open a bistro where they could share their passion for food and drink. In 2015, that dream became a reality when they purchased Forage Bistro and Lounge. Both Lisa and Christian fell in love with food at young ages. Over the course of the last 25 years, they have amassed a tremendous amount of culinary experiences that are now culminating in the ownership of Forage. Instagram: @foragebistroandlounge www.forageandlounge.com Christian’s path took him to study Culinary Arts at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. After graduating, Christian worked in Vermont, Washington DC, Colorado and Texas, before landing in Teton Valley. He cooked at various local hotspots before becoming Chef and Co-Owner of the Grand Old Grille in Driggs. On a 2007 trip to visit friends in Arizona, Christian met Lisa and the two have been together ever since. Realizing he wanted to be closer to her, he sold his stake in the Grand Old Grille and moved to Arizona where he fine tuned his craft as the Executive Chef for a family of restaurants.On the other hand, Lisa’s love of food brought her to the front of the house. For more than 25 years, she has covered the gamut, working as Hostess, Server, Wine Buyer, Manager and General Manager. Wanting to learn all aspects of food and beverage, Lisa attended the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver, earning a Culinary Arts Associates Degree in Applied Science. After graduating from the Art Institute, Lisa completed the Level 1 Sommelier Course with the Court of Masters Sommeliers.At Forage Bistro, Lisa and Christian Hanley combine their skills to offer an experience with creative food and great service to Teton Valley. While Christian helms the line and places the finishing garnishes on each entree, Lisa manages the front of house, builds up the wine list and whips up the ever changing dessert offerings. Taste Testers, Madelyn and Oliver (aka Lisa and Christian’s kids), make sure that all food coming from the kitchen is of the highest quality. As a family, the Hanleys create a menu and atmosphere that keeps locals and tourists coming back for more. Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with the incredibly thoughtful and imaginative artist Mike Piggott. Mike Piggott was born in 1963, Charlottesville, VA. He received his BA at Virginia Commonwealth University and studied at the Winchester College of Art, Winchester, England.  Mike Piggott has had numerous solo exhibitions at the Tayloe Piggott Gallery, Jackson, WY, the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center, Lynchburg, VA, and at the Neapolitan Gallery, Richmond, VA, and participated in various group exhibitions.  Mike Piggott lives and works in Victor, Idaho. When Mike Piggott arrived to the Snake River Valley he drove in from Grand Teton National Park in the North and stopped at the lookout very close to where Ansel Adams took his famous photo of the Tetons. A bald eagle soared through the air and Piggott knew something was afoot. We’re lucky to now know the fruits of his powerful first encounter with the place he now calls home—a wonderful oeuvre of works that are at once playful and enigmatic. With a rich understanding of art history, Piggott creates compelling and curiously biographical works that document the qualities of life in the American West that span old and new. The works nod to folk art and faux naïf, while toying with two-dimensional abstraction and color-field painting approaches. Mike Piggott’s images bring a haunting air even as they are pleasant and joyful. There is a mercurial fascination with the fragility of life that Piggott communicates with his deft brushstrokes. He admits that he likes to skirt the mysteries and complexities of life for which we have few words that never seem to define the experienced sensations. He conveys this with his shadowy figures, be they ice skaters or cowgirls, his desolate cabins, and with the adumbrations of lakes or streams.  www.tayloepiggottgallery.com Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

Jenn had the absolute pleasure this week of chatting with Ryan Ariano, author, writer, outdoor adventurer, and father. Ryan has been writing professionally for close to two decades. After getting his start writing surf documentaries, he moved to L.A., where he worked in the story department at Paradigm Talent Agency and wasted long nights talking story with fellow professional film geeks. His obsession with rugged mountaintops took him to the Tetons where he wrote and developed projects for Brain Farm Digital Cinema and more recently Fisher Creative, a local outdoor photography and film production house. Most of his journalism consists of outdoor and film/TV articles. His days are spent fighting the wilderness and doing jiu jitsu, so he can sit still long enough to binge all the gangster and warrior content his heart desires. Read More: https://www.looper.com/author/ryanariano/ @rynoariano on Instagram Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with Ben Roth, a sculpture and visual artist from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. According to Ben, "I have been a student, traveler, adventurer, restaurateur, and artist. In art I found my path. I enjoy the exploration process of my ideas and their eventual prototyping and creation from raw materials and found objects. After discovering my affinity and skill for metalwork, I began selling my artwork and I am now sculpting, building furniture, making wall-hung art, and installing public art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and across the West. The biggest inspiration in my art is nature, especially the logic of nature and the patterns therein, and my work is guided by the natural world. I never fail to be amazed by the genius of nature while creating artistic copies of skulls, animals, trees, and more. I would not be where I am without all of the people willing to buy local art and support my work.  I am thankful to be able to do what I love and would not be able to do without the individuals and businesses who commission me to create art for them.  I also would not be where I am without all of those who help me with public art installations and for John Simms for teaching me how to weld and lending me his studio as I got started as an artist." @rothinator on Instagram www.benrothdesign.com Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with the stunningly skilled Heidi Jung. Heidi is a contemporary American painter known for her large-scale painted depictions of botanical imagery. Jung has been noted with originating a new and challenging method of painting with Sumi ink and charcoal on Mylar on panel.  Jung attended Metro State University in Denver and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Drawing. Notable exhibitions include a solo show at the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities, as well as an invitation and solo show at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Influences include Robert Motherwell, Franz Klein, and Jim Dine. Her arresting and recognizable images of stark, black-and-white, specimen forms have been shown in galleries and collections nationwide.  In her latest series, Portraits of my Children, her subjects come from plants, trees, and flowers grown at her studio and garden in Denver, Colorado.   Instagram: @heidijungartwww.heidijung.com Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

This week, Jenn sits down with the amazing and inspirational Rainier Wylde to discuss how to officially and unequivocally "rockstar your life." An experienced teacher, writer, and speaker, Rainier has embraced life for all that it is. He has celebrated its highs and learned from its lows. He has managed a Fortune 500 company and built businesses, he has also elegantly blown them up, burned them down, and started over from scratch. He holds a master's degree in psychology and has spent countless hours working with men and women in navigating the human soul. Through the various positions he has held, he has discovered that life must be claimed to hold any worth. His work is to inspire others to live, fully and deeply, in the here and now. Instagram: @rainierwylde https://www.rainierwylde.com/ Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com

For our first-ever episode, Jenn sits down with the immensely thoughtful artist Michelle Jung. Michelle Jung’s paintings are complex, reflective compositions that obscure the line between realism and abstraction. Up close, the brushstrokes appear as ribbons of color intertwined. From afar, they merge to create a timeless image of nature. She notes, “I intentionally leave space and room in my paintings for the viewer’s eye to explore beyond the image itself. I want their familiarity with nature to play a part in the experience.” Born in Connecticut, Jung received her MFA in Painting from the Academy of Art University and her BA in Art History from Colorado State University. Jung has participated in numerous juried international and national exhibitions. She has exhibited in juried group shows in more than a dozen museums, including the Autry Museum of the American West, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Mystic Seaport Museum, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. She has had two solo gallery exhibitions in New England. And in 2021, she had her first solo museum exhibition at the Santa Paula Art Museum in California. Michelle is a member of the Salmagundi Club, an elected Artist Member of The Guild of Boston Artists, a Signature Member of the California Art Club, a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists, and an Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master. Jung maintains studios in California and Nevada. Instagram: @michellejungstudio www.michellejungstudio.com Find all of our episodes on every podcast platform. Our Instagram: @advancedpretendpod Jenn's Instagram: @mntntownjenn Matt's Instagram: @ninestoriescreative Our Email: advancedpretendpod@gmail.com Advanced Pretend is produced by Nine Stories Creative Podcast Studios www.ninestoriescreative.com