This was the 104th Santa Fe Indian Market and SWAIA has been putting on a ceremony for the Best of Show Award since 1977. It's always incredibly exciting and quite honestly, emotional to watch and be a part of this ceremony because the individuals that win are so grateful and, more often than not, surprised that they were selected as the best in their classification, the very best of what they do, whether it would be beadwork, kachinas, pottery, 2D media, all those things are judged.

The artists that win ribbons for being the best of their respective classification, are then juried to see who wins the best of show award. They pick the final person who they consider to be the very best of everything that year and in this case, it was Sergio Lugo for his magnificent floating pot.

I would encourage you, if you can, to watch this on youtube, because if you see it on YouTube you get to see the winning pieces and the reactions of the artists to winning. It's pretty impressive just to see the emotion that these individuals have and how important Santa Fe Indian market is to them and how grateful they feel for what SWAIA does.

I genuinely love watching his ceremony, because each individual talks about their tribe, family, and culture and how instrumental it all is in how they got there and how they made such amazing works of art.

I never get tired of these ceremonies. In this case, it was for the 104th Santa Fe Indian Market.

In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by the brilliant contemporary American visual artist Eric White. We spoke for over 3 hours, so the interview is going to be cut into two parts. This is part two.

Eric is widely celebrated today for his intricate, cinematic paintings that effortlessly blur the lines between reality and surrealism. In our conversation, Eric takes me back to his early days as an artist. He sheds light on his formative experiences, the pivotal moments in his schooling at Rhode Island School of Design, and his early years as a professional illustrator.

We dive deep into his artistic journey, discussing how his unique visual vocabulary developed over the years, the inspirations that shaped his signature style, and what it was like finding his footing in the competitive art world. Whether you're an avid collector, a fellow creator, or simply fascinated by the origins of great art, this podcast offers an intimate glimpse into an exceptionally creative mind.

For more information on Eric White and his artwork, visit his website:
https://ewhite.com/

In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by the brilliant contemporary American visual artist Eric White. We spoke for over 3 hours, so the interview is going to be cut into two parts.

Eric is widely celebrated today for his intricate, cinematic paintings that effortlessly blur the lines between reality and surrealism. In our conversation, Eric takes me back to his early days as an artist. He sheds light on his formative experiences, the pivotal moments in his schooling at Rhode Island School of Design, and his early years as a professional illustrator.

We dive deep into his artistic journey, discussing how his unique visual vocabulary developed over the years, the inspirations that shaped his signature style, and what it was like finding his footing in the competitive art world. Whether you're an avid collector, a fellow creator, or simply fascinated by the origins of great art, this podcast offers an intimate glimpse into an exceptionally creative mind.

This is Eric White part 1 on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 407.