We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lance Green a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lance, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

The worst unexpected problem has been the closure of gallery after gallery after the recession, especially in Santa Fe NM- In five years I moved to five different galleries after the closure of the ones I was in. Also the Taos gallery that I was in for nearly 15 years closed it’s doors in 2020. As a result of so many galleries either closing or floundering I have seen more and more galleries turn from being bold and willing to take risks to playing it safe and kind of dumbing down in order to carry what is in line with the trends and cliches that are familiar to the pedestrian buyer and more along the lines of what will be sure to sell. Another even more unexpected problem has been that a few of these galleries, including the one I was at in Denver have stolen some or all of the artwork that I and other artists had in said galleries. The feeling of violation and betrayal by gallery owners that I had been with, trusted and thought I had a close working relationship with for years was an infuriating kick in the gut.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Colorist and an Expressionist, a Storyteller that conjures mythical images that take the viewer beyond the mere likeness of a subject and into the secret soul that lies hidden beneath.

The greater part of my works are self portraits of sorts, but all are universal in their application, expressing the human paradox of grace and despair in a way that somehow speaks invocations for subject and viewer in hopes of resolving the work with a sound conviction in an ultimate redemption in all things.

I was very lucky in that my purpose was made clear to me pretty much from the get-go. I’ve been in love with making art since I was 3 or 4 years old, staring out with coloring stained glass coloring books in Sunday School while my grandma was upstairs playing the organ. The teacher scolded me for pressing too hard on the crayons, but I loved that pure color that you got when you pressed really hard. A word about Grandma. She was a master china painter as well as sculptor. When I stayed with them on the weekends I would do painting sessions with her painting flowers on china plates.

I had amazing influences in m life that pointed me towards being an artist. Besides my Grandma there was my stepmother, a Norwegian abstract painter/ sculptor. When I was 7 and my dad nervously had me over one night to meet her and within 30 minutes of meeting her we were on the floor listening to jazz and drawing out of a Michelangelo book. One of the most prominent mentor/guides was my high school teacher Linda Stevens. Despite my being a feral outlaw kid from a crazy violent home and a ton of trouble she saw my potential and did everything in her power to get me away from my tribe of troublemakers and into the art room.

The last and most outstanding mentor I had was Fritz Scholder. I discovered him in the mid-80’s and was obsessed with his unique intense painting. I met him the day of my Mom’s funeral 5 years later in Scottsdale. We ate at Trader Vic’s after the service and after lunch I went for a little walk. Right there next door was a gallery, and none other the Scholder himself setting up a show. I walked in and introduced myself and we ended up talking for a half an hour. Several years later I began studying under him at a series of two day one on one workshops and he remained a friend and mentor until he died in 2005

What sets me apart from others is definitely my style of painting. It is basically an expressionist style, but sometimes a little of my classical training and study of anatomy peeks through. I really don’t think anyone else I’ve ever seen paints in my particular unique style.

There are a few things I’m most proud of- one being that I’ve worked as a professional gallery artist for just shy of forty years, and the other, most importantly, is the way my work touches people. Every piece I do is done with a knowledge that even though I don’t know who it will be, I do know that I am creating it for someone in particular and it will reach them in the personal way they need to be reached. There is a shamanistic intent behind every painting.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Oh, boy. This is an easy question. I lived in L.A. for 40 years. Over that period I developed a unique and lucrative high end artful sign and mural business. In addition I ran the most successful art gallery in the entire South Bay area. It was not unusual to sell out shows and the projects I got were big jobs with big clients like Disney, Universal Studios, Hilton, a good number of Hollywood productions, etc. I was always busy dividing half my days into production work and making art, and the money was very good, plus I loved every minute of my work. In 2002 I came to a guest ranch in Granby to do a mural on their water tower, and we ended up exploring different areas of Colorado. While in Colorado Springs I met the director of the UCCS art gallery and we hit it off and became good friends over time. A year or so later he came up with a business proposition where we would take over a huge abandoned utility building and convert it to studios, a gallery and shops. In 2004 I sold my house in Long Beach and moved to Black Forest to get started on the business that I had already made some sizable deposits on, but within the first two months the whole thing fell through. So, there I was. Living in a strange and unwelcoming area in a town with a comparably non-existent art world with not even one real substantial commercial art gallery. I went out and looked at a few sign shops in town just to find some work to tide me over, but there was no artful sign place, just very dull mediocre signage and rather than my L.A. rate of $60-$100 an hour the shops offered $7.50 an hour with no benefits.
There I was- lost in a place with no opportunities, no job prospects, and only enough money to get me through a relatively short period, and then what? So, I rented a beautiful studio in Palmer Lake, went and spent a couple thousand dollars on every size canvas available, and for the next two years I painted every day, not knowing how, why or where. There were days when I would just sit by the lake and cry because I was making no money, funds were running lower each month, and there was nowhere to sell my work. I did get noticed by the Manitou Art Center, and they actually invited me to have a 25 year retrospective. I had 85 paintings in the show and sold one (yes, one) 12” x 12” painting. Now things were Really Bad.
So, one morning I got up, filled my Suburban to the roof with my best work, and drove to Taos and Santa Fe. The first night I had my choice of two galleries in Taos, and the next night I had four galleries in Santa Fe calling me. Not long after that I was contacted by the most prominent gallery in Scottsdale and have been showing there ever since. For the next decade I experienced the heyday of my career.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Well, this is kind of a funny story. When Fritz Scholder took me on as a protege he told me it wasn’t so much that he liked my work as it was that he saw me with a gift of “Artist as Shaman.” Before I say another word I have to make clear that I think 99% of New Age Shamans are phonies, and if someone tells me any of that “I’m a Shaman” stuff I know they aren’t “shamans”, just pretentious or deluded. But, I took Fritz’s belief in me to heart, and when I do paint I believe that sometimes something shamanistic takes place- some kind of healing or at least enriching energy goes into the work. So, at the risk of sounding trite or speaking hubris, if there is any goal or mission to simply bring at the least beauty and at the most a Spirituality and possible healing to those that view or acquire my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lancegreenarts.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lancegreen_arts/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lancegreenarts/

Image Credits
All photos by the Artist, Lance Green