Somehow, in between all the chaos of schedules, I managed to catch up with Lamb and Ortiz to get a little bit of history and an inside look at the creation of their current show “Jus’ Sayin’.
So Guys, tell me a little bit about your background and your art?
Jonathan Lamb: I studied art at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado under the guidance of Mick Reber, my painting and drawing mentor.
Michael Ortiz: Before Like Minded I had been working in the printing and design industry for mad years with school off and on gathering different techniques both in physical application and digital application. My art these days a mix between painting, printing techniques and street art
Nice! So, how long have you guys been working together and how did you meet?
JL: We have been working together as Like Minded Productions since 2007 and had been painting together informally for a few years prior to that. We randomly met in an elevator of a high rise apartment building in Denver.
MO: The apartment building was one I was living in, in Uptown Denver, I was waiting for the elevator and saw Jon come up to the door. I let him in and rode the elevator with him to the floor he was visiting had a conversation about art during that time and have been great friends since.
How did you come up with the concept for the “Jus’ Sayin” show?
JL: The phrase has been a running joke in our printshop for a few months now along with a few other sayings. It just kinda stuck as the idea for the show got more fleshed out.
MO: Plus the theme of the show involves commonly used phrases and sayings.
You both have worked successfully on solo projects in the past, what is your creative process like working as a collaborative unit?
JL: A shared vision and complete honesty with each other starts it off. From there- lot’s of music, ideas and the sky’s the limit. The trick is to work after the sun goes down.
MO: It works well because we run a very art oriented business, we’re both artists with a lot of knowledge of both trades of printing and art. Working collaboratively comes easy because we’re always working together on projects, we surround ourselves with art and art minded people, and we can always give each other advice. There’s also the different qualities that each of us have and we’ve figured out how to use them toward our advantage.
In this show you give a nod to locals in neighborhood (NoDo) and other local Denver icons like Pam Grier who grew up in Denver. Do you feel it’s an important theme for you guys?
JL: Work, Live, and Play in the same place. I think Denver just kinda seeps into the creative process.
MO: Being a Colorado native, involving Denver and Colorado comes natural to me, also as Like Minded we really feel we are contributing to the growing art scene here. Over the past few years Jon and I have strived to provide the community with art in many different ways. We have involved ourselves in art shows consistently within the past 3-4 years, we’ve done large mural projects for galleries, outdoor walls, and art events in Denver. As well as being active artists in the community, we also provide a service for artists to come and receive advice and affordably reproduce their artwork so that other artists can also strive in Denver. We really feel it is an important theme because we want growth in the arts here.
That’s what I’m talkin’ bout’ Willis! So, most importantly now, what’s your “go to” snack food in the studio, or do you just run on pure creative juices?
JL: Cheba chews, although our local Thai food take out spot probably benefitted pretty well from the “Jus Sayin show”
MO: That and whatever pizza places were around us.
Where do you see yourselves in 2012?
JL: Atop of a Mayan Pyramid battling off the impending apocalypse
MO:Ditto
Jus’ Sayin’ runs through October 7th at Knew Conscious Gallery.