This episode is a recording of a lecture I gave at the 2026 Scottsdale Art Week event where I talked about a recent book I published and the exhibit that I curated, both titled "Ed Mell & Maynard Dixon: Icons of the West." This was a project of mine where I compared and contrasted the lives of artists Ed Mell and Maynard Dixon in a way that was interesting to me, because I had never really thought about that comparison in such a granular form.

You see, I had done a show featuring Ed's works alongside the work of Maynard Dixon in the late 90s, but that project was much, much different and more based on the visual aspect of their respective art. It wasn't the same as thinking about them historically and how their paths were paralleled in many ways. After Ed passed away, I looked at the comparison of the two artists a little differently. This time I looked at it not just as a comparison between Maynard Dixon and Ed Mell, my friend, but rather Ed Mell, the historical figure and important artist.

The best way to to view this podcast is on YouTube because you can see the slides of my presentation and the images that I talk about. That being said, you can just listen to me talk about these two icons and it will be just as informative and entertaining.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this lecture I did this past March on Ed Mell and Maynard Dixon at Scottsdale Art Week and I'm glad to be able to publish it as an episode of the Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.