Contents

• Introduction to "Left Behind" exhibition and transforming discarded materials into art
• Benjamin Timpson's butterfly wing portraits honoring Indigenous women
• Peter Leighton's surreal digital collages from rescued photographs
• Esther Siegel's vibrant assemblage sculptures celebrating second chances

Benjamin Timpson: Ten Thousand Wings of Light

The Artist's Journey

Benjamin Timpson discovered his Puebloan ancestry through a DNA test, setting him on a path to honor Indigenous women through his art. Learn how he transforms tragedy into luminous beauty, spending months arranging thousands of butterfly wings into portraits that glow like stained glass.

Creating "Melodi"

Each tiny butterfly wing catches light differently, creating a breathing, shimmering quality in Timpson's featured piece. Discover the meticulous process behind these portraits and why butterflies represent hope and transformation in Native American traditions.

Peter Leighton: Dream Logic in Digital Collage

From Darkroom to Digital

This self-taught Texas artist evolved from traditional darkroom techniques to pioneering digital collage work. Hear how Leighton rescues forgotten snapshots from flea markets and estate sales, giving them new life as visual "novelas."

The Pearly Gates Archive

Leighton's featured work feels like flipping through someone else's photo album while half-asleep. Explore how he creates these reality-bending compositions where strangers' memories merge into impossible yet perfectly logical dreamscapes.

Esther Siegel: Matchmaker for Forgotten Objects

Late-Life Artist

Coming to art after careers in psychotherapy and book arts, Siegel brings a lifetime of experience to her assemblage work. Learn how she evolved from scrapbooking to "painting pictures with objects," becoming a conductor for discarded materials.

"Unbridled Spirit"

Inspired by Frida Kahlo's fierce independence, Siegel's featured piece channels freedom and joy through salvaged materials. Discover how her "glass-half-full" approach transforms industrial scraps and antique oddities into uplifting sculptures.

Featured Artists & Links

Supporting artists through the First Fridays podcast helps build a vibrant creative community. By subscribing and sharing these stories, you directly contribute to platforms that give emerging and established artists the recognition they deserve. Visit NOT REAL ART's First Fridays exhibition series to explore the full "Left Behind" collection and discover new work every month.

Benjamin Timpson creates luminous butterfly wing portraits that honor Indigenous women's stories. Follow his meticulous process at goodnight35.com or on Instagram @bentimpson.

Peter Leighton transforms forgotten photographs into surreal digital collages that blur the line between memory and dream. Explore his visual fictions at pbleighton.com or follow Three artists take what's been discarded and forgotten, transforming butterfly wings, old snapshots, and industrial scraps into art that glows with new meaning. From Benjamin Timpson's luminous portraits that honor Indigenous women to Peter Leighton's dreamlike photo collages and Esther Siegel's joyful assemblages, discover how these creators find beauty in what others leave behind.

Contents

• Introduction to "Left Behind" exhibition and transforming discarded materials into art
• Benjamin Timpson's butterfly wing portraits honoring Indigenous women
• Peter Leighton's surreal digital collages from rescued photographs
• Esther Siegel's vibrant assemblage sculptures celebrating second chances

Supporting artists through the First Fridays podcast helps build a vibrant creative community. By subscribing and sharing these stories, you directly contribute to platforms that give emerging and established artists the recognition they deserve. Visit NOT REAL ART's First Fridays exhibition series to explore the full "Left Behind" collection and discover new work every month.

Benjamin Timpson creates luminous butterfly wing portraits that honor Indigenous women's stories. Follow his meticulous process at goodnight35.com or on Instagram @bentimpson.

Peter Leighton transforms forgotten photographs into surreal digital collages that blur the line between memory and dream. Explore his visual fictions at pbleighton.com or follow @penny.prints.editions on Instagram.

Esther Siegel brings joy and second chances to discarded objects through her vibrant assemblage sculptures. See more of her uplifting work at harmonygaits.com or on Instagram @harmonygaits.

Contents

• Heidi Brueckner's revolutionary bubble mailer portraits and 20-year journey with disposable materials
• Clare Burson's transformation from NPR-featured musician to ceramic mender creating singing sculptures
• Dehejia Maat's mysterious collage worlds built from yard sale photographs and found fragments
• How supporting these artists strengthens our creative community during crucial times

Details

Heidi Brueckner's Bubble Mailer Revolution

Discover how this Oakland painter with German training turns Amazon packaging into vibrating, three-dimensional canvases. Learn why those little bubbles showing through the paint create such unexpected texture, and how her "recycled quilts" for contemporary faces connect consumer waste to human dignity. With over 100 exhibitions and an Italian art prize, Brueckner's two-decade practice proves this is far more than a gimmick.

Clare Burson's Singing Ceramics

From NPR airwaves to shattered pottery, explore how this Brown-educated artist-musician wraps broken pieces with yellow thread like sunshine trying to hold memories together. Uncover the surprising connection between her songwriting past and her ceramic kalimbas—sculptures that literally sing. Each wrapped fragment becomes a diary entry, a whispered conversation across decades.

Dehejia Maat's Fever Dream Collages

Step into the junk drawer universe of this DC-based artist who builds mysterious worlds from yard sale photographs and discovered elements. "Moth Momma" draws you into spaces between light and darkness, inviting you to complete unfinished stories. From formal galleries to coffee shops, Maat brings her accessible art into everyday spaces, proving beauty belongs everywhere.

Supporting Artists in Crucial Times

Chelsea and Georgia reveal why these artistic perspectives matter now more than ever. Learn how subscribing to First Fridays and engaging with NOT REAL ART directly supports emerging artists who show us fresh ways of seeing our throwaway culture.

Featured Artists & Links

Supporting artists isn't just about buying art—it's about building community and sustaining the creative voices that help us see our world differently. Subscribe to the First Fridays podcast and explore more groundbreaking exhibitions at NOT REAL ART's exhibition series. Every listen, share, and visit helps keep these vital artistic conversations alive.

Heidi Brueckner transforms consumer packaging into powerful portraits that vibrate with texture and meaning. Follow her 20-year journey of turning disposable materials into dignity at heidibrueckner.com and @heidi.brueckner on Instagram.

Clare Burson mends broken ceramics with thread and yarn, creating sculptures that can actually sing—a beautiful fusion of her musical past and ceramic present. Discover her tender, time-gathering work at clareburson.com and @clarebursonceramics.

Dehejia Maat builds mysterious collage worlds from forgotten photographs, inviting viewers to complete her deliberately unfinished stories. Explore her fever dream universes at dehejiab.wordpress.com and @dehejiab_art, or find her published poetry in "Deep Rooted Soul Sista Poems."

Contents

• Mandy Cano Villalobos creates sacred altars from abandoned objects and personal stories
• Ghost of a Dream builds shimmering monuments from discarded gallery invitations and lottery tickets
• Merridawn Duckler deconstructs symbols like wedding toppers to reveal hidden narratives
• How environmental awareness meets emotional archaeology through found art

Sacred Trash and Personal Rituals

Discover how Mandy Cano Villalobos transforms pig blood, breast milk, and abandoned toys into powerful altars that elevate forgotten stories.

Archaeologists of Disappointment

Learn why the duo Ghost of a Dream dumpster dives outside galleries to create shimmering walls from the art world's discarded dreams.

Invisible People and Overlooked Stories

Explore how poet-playwright Merridawn Duckler finds the extraordinary in museum security guards' breakrooms and deconstructed wedding toppers.

Environmental Art as Emotional Archaeology

Uncover the deeper meaning behind transforming trash into treasure during Environmental Awareness Month.

Featured Artists & Links

Supporting independent artists through podcast subscriptions helps build a vibrant creative community. Visit NOT REAL ART's First Fridays exhibition series to experience the full "Left Behind" show featuring dozens of artists transforming discarded materials into powerful statements about memory, hope, and environmental consciousness.

Mandy Cano Villalobos creates ritualistic altars from abandoned objects, conducting interviews to uncover the personal stories behind discarded items. Follow her transformative process at mandycano.com and @mandy_cano_villalobos on Instagram.

Ghost of a Dream (Lauren Was and Adam Eckstrom) collect lottery tickets and gallery invitations to build monuments to wishes and disappointments. Discover their archaeological approach to art world glamour at ghostofadream.com and @ghostofadreamart on Instagram.

Merridawn Duckler is a cross-genre artist revealing invisible narratives through poetry, plays, and installations that challenge our assumptions about celebration and abandonment. Explore her multifaceted work at merridawnduckler.com and @merridawnduckler on Instagram.

The primary focus is to democratize the experience of engaging with art, eliminating the intimidation often associated with art galleries. We aim to provide an inviting platform that encourages listeners to explore the depths of artistic expression without the burden of elitist jargon or gatekeeping.

Each week, we will spotlight three artists featured in the latest First Fridays exhibition, unveiling their unique stories, struggles, and creative breakthroughs.

This podcast is not solely for artists, but for anyone seeking to infuse their lives with creativity and inspiration.

Takeaways:

• Each episode will spotlight three artists from the First Fridays exhibitions, sharing their unique stories.
• Our discussions will avoid jargon and gatekeeping, focusing instead on genuine conversations about creativity.
• Listeners will not only discover new artists but also feel inspired to explore their own creativity.
• We are committed to creating a community for those who feel disconnected from the art world.

Links referenced in this episode:

• notrealart.com
• First Fridays exhibition series