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A podcast focusing on the perspectives, lives, and stories of Kansans to provide greater insight into the state we all call home.
Ep60
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A Surprise Ask A Kansan Connection
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[00:00:00]
Gus Applequist: So something really cool happened this last week. Okay. On Wednesday, Cody Toll, a friend of mine, we're in the same band together, Everyday Lights, is the orchestra director at Manhattan High School.
Sydney Collins: Oh, okay.
Gus Applequist: And, several months ago, Cody was listening to the podcast, and he heard our episode with Greg Victors, the Wichita War Dancer
Sydney Collins: Right.
And
Gus Applequist: Cody was excited and inspired by that conversation and by Greg, and he reached out, and they collaborated on two pieces that they just premiered at the spring concert of the Manhattan High School Orchestra.
Sydney Collins: That's really
Gus Applequist: cool. Um, and so on one piece he played, his drum- and on the other piece, uh, he sang. So this is, this is exactly why- We started the podcast ... we started Ask A Kansan. We wanted to create those sorts of connections across the state. And, uh, Cody and Greg, thank you for, for what you've done and what you're doing and- Mm-hmm ... and what a joy it [00:01:00] is to see you all connect and, and create together in this way.
Meet Tanner Johnson
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Gus Applequist: Welcome to Ask a Kansan.
Sydney Collins: A podcast where we're amplifying, connecting, and uncovering stories across Kansas.
Gus Applequist: And today we have, we have a story, uh, a, a gentleman from not, not far from Salina, in Lindsborg. Tanner is his name.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: Uh, Tanner is a, is a guy that our Tanner, photographer Tanner- ... here for the podcast, first started telling us about, I think s- nine months ago, six months ago.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, a long time ago.
Gus Applequist: And, uh, and I had a chance to go down there and meet him and get- Mm ... to know him a little bit. And, and Tanner's been a great fan of the podcast. And so- Yeah ... it's kinda all coming full circle, uh, today with having him on.
Sydney Collins: And Tanner has a really cool story. We'll obviously let [00:02:00] Tanner tell it, while you're, while you're listening to this conversation, kinda track where, when he gets really excited, 'cause he's a very soft-spoken man.
Gus Applequist: He is.
Sydney Collins: And but when he starts talking about his wood carvings, he gets real loud. And then he gets real passionate, which I love. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, so but he has a really cool story. He's one of just these really cool people stories that we would- Mm ... love to find more of. Yeah. So if you know someone that has either a similar story or just, like, person got caught in the Missouri River on a tiny little rowboat, like, and survived it by a barge.
There is a story about this. I was
Gus Applequist: gonna say, this
Sydney Collins: sounds very specific. I'll tell you that later. like these are just those really cool stories- Yeah ... and lives that we wanna celebrate.
Gus Applequist: Without any further ado, here's our interview with Tanner Johnson
Sydney Collins: Oh, wow. Well,
Gus Applequist: welcome.
Sydney Collins: Hello. Welcome, welcome.
Tanner Johnson: Yes. Para que me dijeron que tengo que hablar español con ustedes.
Sydney Collins: Bien, y tú?
Gus Applequist: You did better than I did.
Tanner Johnson: No, I just watched Leland's interview, so I- [00:03:00]
Sydney Collins: Oh, yeah ...
Tanner Johnson: you know, I gotta, I gotta walk in and-
Gus Applequist: Yeah, we've had-
speak Spanish too ... you're our second Spanish speaker- Yes ... in, uh, almost- Like- ... as many episodes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah,
Sydney Collins: like two, two weeks-
Tanner Johnson: Yeah ...
Sydney Collins: I
Tanner Johnson: think. That's pretty cool. Yeah. That was cool. That
Gus Applequist: was- Welcome to Ask a Kansan. Thank
Tanner Johnson: you. I
Gus Applequist: appreciate it. It's been a long time coming. You've been a, a fan of the podcast for a while.
I
Tanner Johnson: have.
Gus Applequist: And so we- Yeah, it's- ... we appreciate that. It's always even more exciting to have a fan on.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. Yeah. That's right. Yeah,
From Hobby to Woodcarver
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Gus Applequist: Well, could we start by just having you introduce yourself for our audience and-
Tanner Johnson: Yes
Gus Applequist: kinda what you do?
Tanner Johnson: I, my name is Tanner Johnson. Um, what I do, my job is I work at Salina Vortex. born and raised in Lindsborg. Studied anthropology at K-State, led me to study abroad in Ecuador. And long story short, almost 20 years down there, and I'm back with my family now.
Gus Applequist: you have a hobby that, doesn't by any means define everything you do, but, but is a, is a big piece of why you're here today. Would you mind just sharing briefly about that as well?
Tanner Johnson: I... Yeah, of course. [00:04:00] I so I'm a professional wood carver. Um- I'm
Gus Applequist: sorry I called it a hobby then.
Tanner Johnson: Well, okay. It's-
Sydney Collins: He's professional 'cause people do buy his pieces.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. Yes, I sell. I, I, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Right, and I, and I travel a little bit and sell, so it's- Yeah. I wish it were my main job, but, you know. So I guess it is a hobby, but, but I do sell, so.
specialize in realistic faces is what my- Mm ... my goal has been, 'cause I think that's, you know, they say, like, the eyes are Mm-hmm ... to the soul and all that. Mm. And I think people have really- Been surprised, you know, to be, in all humility, you know, just that 'cause I've really, really worked on it.
Like, I can look at a picture and, and carve pretty close. People ask me, you know, like commission-wise to carve someone, and I'm like, "I'll get close. It won't be perfect," you know? And really tried to capture the essence of that. And, uh, started off, being from Lindsborg, started off with the Swedish and the normal. And I felt like I was just one of a crowd, 'cause there's a lot of flat plane, a lot of wood carvers, you know, that type of wood carving, which I'm not. But, [00:05:00] started with the Jewish characters and the scenes and the market scenes and the wedding and, and that type of stuff, and gotten into that, and that was my, is my niche.
Yeah. Right? That's what I... And it's, it's just that. For me personally. Yeah. You know? Love it. Just been great. It's just, loved it.
Lindsborg Roots and Music
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Gus Applequist: Well, I wanna dive into the wood carving, but before that- Yeah ... I wanna just get a little bit of your backstory. So you said you were born in Lindsborg?
Tanner Johnson: Yes.
Gus Applequist: Grew up there. Yes.
I take it in, like, the '90s-ish? Born- Uh, what was, what was it like growing up in Kansas, in Lindsborg in the, in the '90s?
Tanner Johnson: I, you know, music's always been a big part of my life, and that was, you know, kind of the start of the grunge early '90s. So I played bass guitar. I know you play bass. I
Sydney Collins: feel like I'm just surrounded by bass players. in the back is also a bass player.
Tanner Johnson: Oh, really?
Gus Applequist: Yeah. Of the eight or so people around here-
Sydney Collins: Like, we've had-
three of
Gus Applequist: us are bass players Which is odd
Sydney Collins: because you don't- No, but on the, even on the podcast, we've had at least two.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. the right instrument.
Sydney Collins: It's the right, like- It, it's, I agree 100% ... every, like it's more popular than I thought. Like, I thought everyone's gonna be [00:06:00] guitar players. No. Yeah.
You're all bass players.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: It is a surprise, actually. What about us percussionists?
Tanner Johnson: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Sorry. Rant. No, that's
Tanner Johnson: funny. So music, you know, kinda defined that kinda junior high, high school with all, you know, the, on the heavier side of rock and all that. And that was a big time for that, so that was just- Mm-hmm
my wheel. I was just, that was... That's the first thing I think of, I guess, when I think of Kansas and, you know, 'cause Lawrence was real big back then with grunge. Yeah, yeah. And I was a little too young to be able to go to anything, you know, but, that definitely defined the,
my first 18 years here.
Anthropology to Ecuador
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Gus Applequist: So how did you get interested in anthropology?
Tanner Johnson: I, high school, left for South Dakota, Dakota Wesleyan University, for no reason other than I wanted the cold. like... And, and to get away, to be honest.
Mm. spent two years there to realize that wasn't where I wanted to be or what I wanted to study. Came back to K-State, and my mom [00:07:00] actually goes, "Why don't you take an anthropology class?" And I was like, "What's that?" Mm-hmm. You know? So I took Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, and had this Dutch professor who was just absolutely amazing, Harold Prince, and it just, whoot-
just changed everything. I was like, "You can study this? This is a thing?" You know, like, "I can, I can watch, look at history and people's cultures and-" and all that stuff?" And it was like, "Oh, yeah." You know? And, uh, like I said, just little by little it led up to, "Hey, you wanna study abroad?" And going kind of back to the music thing, there was this band called Sepultura from Brazil. I was like, "I would love to go to South America." And, uh, there was, um, a professor, another professor at K-State doing bird studies in a cloud forest in Ecuador, and she needed a volunteer. So I went straight from Manhattan or Lindsborg to the cloud forest, uh, like December 28th, 2003, uh, and spent New Year's in the cloud forest.
Sydney Collins: Can you define [00:08:00] cloud forest for me?
Tanner Johnson: Um, basically cloudy all the time. I know that seems a little too obvious, but, Mm ... just not the torrential like you think of the Amazon and the- Okay ... and the, you know, the big river like that. So smaller river, smaller forest, but still big trees and bamboo- Okay ... and pajatoki, uh, with the sombreros. the- Mm ... Panama hats.
Gus Applequist: Could you just give us your, your definition of what anthropology is?
Tanner Johnson: Well, I studied cultural anthropology. Okay. So it was culture, tradition, language. I went down there. I was supposed to come back and write like an 80-page paper as an undergrad on, um, culture, traditions, they had any other... Just everything. I remember the professor asked, like, even, like, if they all part their hair the same way, just every little detail, every little thing I was supposed... I was like, undergrad, you know, I was 21. I was like, "Well, you know, what am I gonna be?" Came back and, um, was ready. I was ready to write. I was like, I, [00:09:00] I had seven months 'cause I was down there till August and then went back to school two weeks later.
It was, you know, looking back, just right? 'Cause reverse culture shock and I was, you know, I was, I was bathing in a river. They were washing their clothes by hand, you know, and then I come back to a class of 200 people or whatever, 120 or whatever it is, and it was just like, no, I, I couldn't handle it.
I was, you know, it was just, it was just too much. Reverse, like I said, reverse culture shock. And my anthropology professor was on sabbatical.
He was gone. And the bird professor, for lack of a better word, was gone also. She had changed universities, so nobody knew who I was.
Sydney Collins: Oh. Oh, that's painful.
Tanner Johnson: So I came back and go, "Well, I guess I'm not writing my paper, and, uh, guess I won't graduate. And I'm going back to Ecuador." So it- s- after seeing the poverty, I kinda got a guilty conscience and was like, "I gotta go back and help. I got, I, I, I can go teach English." Sure. "I can help with tourism." And that's what I did. I was a translator in the forest. There was, the University of Missouri went down. I would translate for [00:10:00] them in the forest as far as birds or catching fish in the creeks, and, uh, taught English for eight or nine years from kindergarten to 12th grade, just all grades, and-
Gus Applequist: When did you learn Spanish in this timeline?
Tanner Johnson: Okay, so I took two semesters before I went down, got there and said, "I don't understand a thing." Because, you know, you can learn s- you can... I'd, uh, you know, I knew my vocab. Like, I knew ventana, casa, Mm-hmm. I was like, "Okay, I, I got this." You get down there and it's not university Spanish. It's rural.
Producer: Mm-hmm.
Tanner Johnson: Mm. You know, like, yeah, just totally different. So they're, they're . I was like, "Okay, that wasn't a word I know," you know? I was just like... So I was down there for seven months, no English, no foreigners for...
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Tanner Johnson: Which is true for the whole time I lived down there. No foreigners for, I don't know, 50 miles I guess you could say.
I was the only one. came back and actually worked as a translator at Heartland Schools- [00:11:00] okay ... here in Salina for a few months before I decided I was going back to Ecuador forever, you know.
Gus Applequist: Wow.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah.
Choosing a Life Abroad
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Gus Applequist: So yeah, walk us through that, decision and, and what led you down there, to call it not just a place you're visiting, but home.
Tanner Johnson: You ever have one of those moments in your life that you just know and you can't explain? Like that heart, like you just follow your heart, and everybody you talk to goes, "You're crazy." "You're gonna die down there." You know, it's a, it's third-world country. Do they have water? Do they have blah, blah, blah.
Okay, if people live there, there's water. You know, it's, it'll be okay. It's like... And, uh, just defending it to everybody, and I just knew it. I just didn't overthink it. And, you know, I was 22, single, and it was like, "I'm just gonna do it."
Gus Applequist: so from that point to when you moved back to the United States, how many years was that?
Tanner Johnson: well, I came back after the study abroad and went back down in March of [00:12:00] 2005. So I was... You know, so I'd, I'd been back since August 2004. So you know, what, seven months I was here and decided to move back. I... That was the longest I went, was I didn't come back till 2011. That was six years. My... To be honest, my, my visa expired, and I was, I was illegal down there. Yeah. But I was so far in the forest, it was like... You know?
Sydney Collins: No one was coming looking for you.
Tanner Johnson: No one was looking for me. The, the GPS didn't even work where I was, so I was like... The tourists always come and go, "Well, you picked a good place to hide, 'cause you gotta know they were gonna find you," you know? So it's like, "Well, that's not my point of being here, but you know." And people down there would say, kind of think the same thing, is like, "What's, what's this guy doing here?" Like, "What did he do?
What's he hiding from? Who... You know, and I got that all the time. They would ask, they would come- What did you build back in
Sydney Collins: the States?
Tanner Johnson: Exactly, which I heard more than once.
Gus Applequist: Hmm.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah.
Forest Life and Family
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Gus Applequist: Describe the life you built, down there.
Tanner Johnson: So 2005, moved down, lived by myself in the village that was closest to the cloud forest. So I, [00:13:00] we walked, there was one truck to town. At 4:00 in the morning, you missed it, you were walking an hour to the bus 'cause the buses couldn't make it. Had to cross the river 11 times. Wow. So when it rose, you were stuck. So I remember one year I got stuck two or three months in the village without, like, being able to go and get at the- the supermar- or the shopping mall or, you know, or something like that. Mm-hmm. And, uh, was always like, "Oh, my goodness." once a year, you know, you go. But, um, met my wife in 2009. No, pr- no. Sorry. 2008. And my first daughter was born 2009. So three years, built my own, with help, my own bamboo house. You know, carried all the, on my shoulder, the wood and the bamboo and cut and learned a lot. One neat thing real quick, so like when it's a full m- you know, 'cause termites and there's no, like, chemicals down there, so if you cut it at the right m- uh, lunar phase, you won't get termite- termites.
Sydney Collins: Really?
Tanner Johnson: And it's scientifically proven is what they told me down there. [00:14:00] A, a, a Chilean guy that knew, would, he would know. And, uh, so if you... So funny little additive there. My wife's grandpa, who I didn't know at the time, but their other older people said, you wanna know when to cut something, bring me a cat." Yes. Same, same eye reaction too. So down there, and I haven't looked here, I, I just know I haven't thought about that to see, but when it's right, the cat's eye is just a little slit, and that's when you can cut.
And when his eye is full, you can't. And I've never... I don't know why I've never thought to look see if the f- cat's eyes are bigger and smaller here. I don't know.
Gus Applequist: So it's like, like a certain time of day?
Tanner Johnson: Yes. Yeah. Yes, like at 2:30 it, it's a slit in the eye. Depending on- Go cut ...
Sydney Collins: how much light the
Tanner Johnson: pupil's letting
Sydney Collins: in.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. Wow. And the, yeah, of course of the, the moon. I, I was blown away. And it's true, 'cause he, 'cause he, he built her wife, my wife's grandpa-
Sydney Collins: I have two cats, now I'm gonna like thinking, "What can I cut down in my house?"
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. It'd be interesting. Like, look, I've never been around... I don't have... I'm not around cats here, but to look and see if it's, if they still get the slit.
I'll bring, I'll bring one
Sydney Collins: over and we'll [00:15:00] figure it out.
Tanner Johnson: We'll see if it's full or if it's a slit. Yeah. I'm su- sure it's the same, but I don't know. So that's a neat, neat story. I remember when I first heard it, I was like, "No way." so then when I got with my wife, um, had to go ask for her hand. Mm. Old school tradition, went by myself only, you know, foreigner for, like I said.
And, uh, her dad had passed away-
So I didn't get to meet him, so I went, and it was her brothers who, you know, weren't real nice and made it as difficult as possible. And- 'cause she'd been married before and had a daughter and, and, all that stuff.
So that was, that was pretty crazy.
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Tanner Johnson: And then I, um, built another little bamboo house next to theirs. We lived in it, and it was s- half of this room. And it was our bed, and then the kitchenette right next to it. And then, you know, we'd, you know, sit on a bench and eat and stuff. So that's how we started, bamboo house with a tin roof. got to know her grandpa very well, who at the time would've been 90, 91, 92.
Sydney Collins: Oh my goodness. [00:16:00]
Tanner Johnson: He said, "I got a piece of land, I wanna plant some corn." Let's do it, you know, let's, let's check it out. And he's like, so he showed me how to sharpen a machete, and we went and I, I cleared the land for him.
He, he, he helped. He, he, I'm not saying I did it. We, we did it, at 92 or whatever it was. And we cleared
pretty darn close to two acres. That was almost that whole thing, him and I.
Gus Applequist: How long did that take you?
Tanner Johnson: took us a while. Couple... I would say a couple months, two, three months.
Sydney Collins: That's
Pandemic Reality Check
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Tanner Johnson: I do remember, fast-forwarding the pandemic, 'cause it was like a military lockdown down there, we bought a hectare from her other grandpa, and that was the full hectare, so that'd been like two and a half I think is what it is, acres. My wife and I, we'd get up with the girls, 'cause they were- 11 and 8 at that time, 2020. we'd get up like at 6:00, 5:30 in the morning, grab the pots and the food, and we'd go before, like anybody was out in the streets 'cause you weren't allowed to [00:17:00] leave your house. Mm. And we'd come back at nightfall. So we just cleared the land, and I'm not exaggerating anything, in three weeks we cleared all that land and burnt it all. The two of us, my wife and I. And then l- the last week I had a guy help me burn and, and cut up and stuff 'cause it was so much. we planted 110 trees.
Sydney Collins: Holy smokes.
Tanner Johnson: In, in about a month.
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Tanner Johnson: It w- yeah, looking back, it just ... Crazy. But I, I, you know, I think of all the stress, down there we were wanting the vaccine, and we were, you know, like we were... 'Cause if like, if something happened to me down there, there were no hospitals.
Sydney Collins: Right.
Tanner Johnson: You know, it's, and if like, one guy had to go find an oxygen chan- tank from like the shrimp fishery, the, you know- Oh, yeah ... and bring it back for his wife 'cause there was no oxygen in the hospitals, and that's how she survived, 'cause he went and found an oxygen tank. So down there it's a lot different than here, people complaining about toilet paper or whatever. Not to diminish it, but- No. I mean,
Sydney Collins: a solid point.
Tanner Johnson: It's, it's, it was like what- looking at that, 'cause that's when I first got internet, was 2020, to talk [00:18:00] to mom, 'cause she's like, "Have you heard of this, uh, coronavirus?"
And I was like, "No." And then like two months later, 'cause she was planning on coming down February 2020 to Ecuador. I was like, "Yeah, no. Not gonna happen." got internet and I saw the stories about no toilet paper on the shelves and all that, which you guys all know better,
Sydney Collins: so. I think I'm more impressed you didn't get internet until 2020.
Tanner Johnson: Smartphone, that's the first smartphone- Yeah ... was 2020. I remember I used to come back, 'cause I, so I started coming back in 2014 to work at Vortex to pay off my student loans. 'Cause I, so I didn't graduate, my loans went from 25,000 to 40,000 like that. Oof. Brutal. Interest. Yeah. It's like, well, I gotta get back, or if I ever wanna go back and live, they're gonna garnish my wages.
They're, I, I'm not gonna be able to. So I paid that. came back from 2014 to 2019, paid that off 'cause I lived w- at home with mom and didn't have to- Mm ... you know, mom and stepdad. And then went back down to Ecuador 2019 and got stuck there for the pandemic. Didn't come back till 2023, and that's when I brought the girls 'cause of the violence and the crime and the drugs had reached the towns.
I've had, students shot, died now. Mm. Killed. [00:19:00] Yeah. Yeah. So it got bad. I had to get the girls out, and we got out just in time. Got her out just in time
Back to Kansas Together
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Gus Applequist: So, so you arrived back here, you said in 2023?
Tanner Johnson: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: Now as a family?
Tanner Johnson: Uh, well, with the, with the- With the girls ... girls. Okay, got it. Yep, she's last year.
yeah, last year was a big year, 'cause we didn't get married down there. So I got a fiance visa for her, she came here and we got married. So last year we got married, bought a house, and we're all together. Oh my gosh. So last year was like, woo. Thank you. Yeah. That was a big year, so.
Gus Applequist: Wow.
So how, what was it like coming back to Kansas then? And, and now- Yeah ... as a family calling Kansas home.
Tanner Johnson: I, I can tell you that I was surprised at how much the girls talked about how beautiful Kansas is.
Gus Applequist: Hmm.
Tanner Johnson: Cause you would think coming from the cloud forest and the crystal clear river that we would drink out of and bathe in, coming to here, they'd have been like... They were talking about all the big trees, all the towns that, you know, Tree City USA that, you know- and see the signs and, [00:20:00] and, uh, you know, it's, it's flat so they like it.
'Cause like to go to the farm was like a half-hour walk.
uphill. And then, and then bringing stuff back on your shoulder, you know, on your back. Oh, goodness. and, you know, and they helped me quite a bit actually on the farm bringing stuff back, like when we'd have corn harvest and stuff, you know. And, uh, so coming back here, they were, they, they like kind of the flat.
They still like going up to like Coronado Heights and stuff, but that's, you know, that's- that's easy walk. So, and they... But just beautiful and how you can see everything for so far, you know. Mm-hmm. And just really just how beautiful, you know, this, this side of Kansas was, so. Hmm. If, because we haven't been to the whole, whole state yet too much, so.
Gus Applequist: We haven't either.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've lived
Sydney Collins: here.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. Wow. So that was, um... And everybody's been so nice. You know, Ecuador, people are nice, but, here you get the feeling that if I ask somebody, they would help me. Mm-hmm. You know, they really would. They would help me. And I, they might down there, but [00:21:00] you know, you maybe just don't ask for favors- Mm
'cause it's... I don't know. I don't wanna make that sound bad, but. but here the people are so nice, and they've been so helpful in the school, and like the principals and the teachers and everybody's been Really helpful with all that and make the transition smooth as possible for them. Which was kind of funny 'cause I remember the first day of school, it was fifth and eighth grade, they didn't have a translator or anybody, so I had to be there the first day of school. Oh, gee. Wow. And, and the one secretary is, was, she's not there anymore, but from Honduras, so she took one of, the older one, and my younger one, I went with her. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, we s- we split up, and it was like, oh. You know, after leaving her and that goodbye, which you can imagine.
Sydney Collins: Oh, yeah.
I can.
Tanner Johnson: And then coming to, you know, 'cause we came in May, so that was a couple months later, and it was just all building up, and then we went like this, and I had to go translate in school. I was like, "Well, what are we doing? There's no sys-," you know. Like, 'cause they have very, they've never really had to worry about it [00:22:00] too much, so.
But they've been helpful. You know, they got the Rosetta Stone and, and all that. And then, you know, on the one hand, it was almost better that they didn't have a translator 'cause it was like me in Ecuador. Yeah. I had to learn. For sure. There was nobody to help me, you know? So it was like, that's what it was for them, too, and I would say it, and looking back, it's, it's been better for them 'cause their English is spot on, you know?
They, they know all the phrases and everything, you know? So
yeah.
Gus Applequist: I'm curious, how does, your family's Ecuadorian culture blend with, you know, American and Swedish culture in Lindsborg?
Sydney Collins: Very specific, yeah.
Tanner Johnson: it, it kinda feels like, um, two different worlds, I guess you could say. Mm-hmm. Like, in the house, we're still in Ecuador.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Tanner Johnson: She, she's cooking all, you know, the rice and the, the special chicken with, you know, her s- her spices and, and all that. And then we go out, and we still speak Spanish, you know, but, it just changes, and it just kinda fits. In Lindsborg, [00:23:00] it's, I feel like we fit in, but I'm from there. Mm-hmm. You know, so it's... people know me and say hi, you know, you know. It's not, so we're not really strangers, I guess. Mm-hmm. And I, I've gotten out enough with the wood carving now to, people recognize me. And I, I always try to dress like this, and I, I think that kinda helps- know, people recognize and, and stuff like that, so.
Finding Woodcarving Style
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Gus Applequist: Well, I guess then we'll segue into the wood carving. How did you, how did you find wood carving?
Tanner Johnson: I started in Ecuador, you know, by myself, no, no internet in those days, like I said. 'Cause it was probably 2018, so it's been s- seven, eight years. I s- I started making spoons and bowls and plates, the utilitarian stuff, you know- Mm-hmm
'cause just, 'cause down there, you know, in, I don't wanna say poverty mindset, but "Well, I need to make something I can use, not just- Mm-hmm sit on a shelf," you know- Mm-hmm ... down there. and then I started, like, carving faces onto the ends of my spoons, the handles. And then I was like, "Well, why not just carve a [00:24:00] person?"
Mm-hmm. And then, then it just... And then I got internet in 2020, carving little figures. And one of the volunteers for Earth Watch, who went down for the, the bird netting when we first went to the cloud forest- ... when I first went down, said, "Hey, I'd like to buy, you know, like some of your carvings." And I was like, "What?" They were, they were terrible back then. They, you know- ... to be honest. You know, I know every artist says that, but I should have brought an old one to look at. it's, it's, like, it's so embarrassing. And he's like, "Yeah, I have a store up here in Upstate New York." And he's like, "I'll, I'll give you $500 and you send me carvings you want."
I was like-
Sydney Collins: Oh my gosh. Deal.
Tanner Johnson: Yes. You got it. So that was really, really nice of him. Looking back, that was, he really helped me out, so.
Gus Applequist: those figures, you know, were they people in the community? Or where, where, you know, what were those-
Tanner Johnson: I, you know- ... you know,
Gus Applequist: based on?
Tanner Johnson: For some reason, I never carved, really carved Ecuadorian culture.
I don't, I guess in those days, it, it's who I, it's, it's who I was. I was... [00:25:00] I wasn't, but I was Ecuadorian. You know, I- speak English. I started dressing like them. In, in the beginning, I didn't have the beard, and cut my hair short, like, you know, like I just fit in. cause I remember one time in, in the village, a group of tourists walked by and didn't, like, say hi or look at me. And I asked a local guy, he's like, he's like, "Well, they can't distinguish you from us anymore." And I, and that's when I started growing my beard out again. I was like, "Oh, okay. I, I achieved that side of it. Let's, let's not, not lose myself completely here."
Mm-hmm.
Tools and Tropical Hardwoods
---
Gus Applequist: the materials
that you [00:26:00] had, uh, down there are
probably different than what you use today.
Tanner Johnson: Yes.
Gus Applequist: What was it like down there?
Tanner Johnson: you, you think of the you know, tropical hardwoods you always hear, and that's what I started on. So I had the farm. So before the lemons, I had, uh, the cacao farm, which... started cleaning by myself, clearing the land and all that, and then planted cacao after the lemons actually, so about in the same pandemic time period. I would cut down branches and then carry them home, you know, a half-hour walk, and then square them away and then carve on that. And it was so hard at the wood.
I, and all I had was my wife's fish filleting knife like three inches, three or four inches, 'cause she worked at the tuna factories and had a knife that she kept from, you know, 15 years earlier. So I sharpened that up a little bit and carved, and just cut myself every which way. Oh. Oh. You know, 'cause no gloves, nothing.
Yeah.
Relearning the Knife
---
Tanner Johnson: And it wasn't sharp, 'cause I didn't have a strop or any- Mm-hmm. You know, it was just... Mm-hmm. uh, most the time I would just be like this doing stuff [00:27:00] with my hands, 'cause this finger was just always just stuck. Mm-hmm. Oh, wow. You know, 'cause of all the... I mean, it's fine now, but.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Tanner Johnson: Um, and first time I came back to the States and to carve, I got a piece of bass wood and about sliced the of my hand because it was so soft. It went oh. So I had to relearn. But it was kinda nice, 'cause then it's like, "Oh, I don't get tired doing this at all." You know, it was-
Gus Applequist: That ex- I was looking at this guy.
Tanner Johnson: Mm-hmm.
Counting 650 Carvings
---
Gus Applequist: And I saw on the bottom of him the number
Tanner Johnson: Yes.
Gus Applequist: That's a, that's a big number.
Tanner Johnson: That's a big number.
Gus Applequist: You've
Tanner Johnson: carved
Gus Applequist: a lot. So
Tanner Johnson: I started in 2021 selling, kinda my social media, all that stuff was when I started doing all that. And I have, that's when I started the counting. Mm. So in five years-
Gus Applequist: So that, that doesn't even fully encapsulate, the amount of carvings you've done then.
Tanner Johnson: Eh, pretty close.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Pretty close. Yeah. busy. It's slowed down now that the wife and daughters are here, but- Uh-huh. 'Cause I, when I come back by myself, the weekends, that's all it was, so I [00:28:00] wouldn't be thinking about Ecuador and missing. Mm-hmm. 'Cause that was a, that was a rough time period looking back. Yeah.
Gus Applequist: I imagine, and, and I know from talking to you b- previously and through a pre-interview, that there is sort of, Tanner's wood carvings before and after kind of a certain moment. I think you know which moment I'm talking about. Yes. Could you, could you talk about that- I- ... and what you discovered?
Finding Purpose in Memory
---
Tanner Johnson: I remember kind of struggling to find my niche, and not really purpose, 'cause then I was still carving just to keep busy on the weekends and, and all that.
But I I was always doing different hats and various beards. And I honestly don't know if it was a specific like I watched this movie or read this book, but it was like Jewish people. Like I can, I can carve and kind of honor their memory, you know, about, you know, 'cause the Holocaust and, and pre-Holocaust. And, and it, [00:29:00] and it just clicked. So I bought a book of, um, a photographer who went, Roman Vishniac, A Vanishing World or A Vanished World. And he went into Warsaw in Poland like 1938. So like- Wow ... he knew what was happening.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Tanner Johnson: And he dressed up, snuck in a camera. He, sometimes he dressed as a Na- a Nazi officer or whatever to get there, and took pictures. so like this guy, this guy here is Uh, a storekeeper one of the- Wow ... in, in, in, in that book. I carved... And, and so when you're honoring somebody's memory, you know, and you're... So, like, this is somebody's great-grandfather, and in that time would've been father, son, brother, right? So this is important.
This person, particular person, was very important to somebody- Mm-hmm ... you know, and I can kinda help in my own small way, just like I said, in all humility,
Gus Applequist: kind of honor that memory
Tanner Johnson: and what happened and, and kind of spread the word, like I said, [00:30:00] in my own small way, not trying to make it sound bigger than it is, but And, and that sense of purpose changed all the details, all the, the amount of time I took.
'Cause I used to carve, know, the Santa ornaments, I would carve, you know, four or five in a weekend and just knock them out, and it just fact, you know, man, whatever. Um, assembly line carving basically, you know. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And this is like one a weekend, take your time, make sure the ears have the right, make sure his tilt's right on the head, the nostrils are this way.
W- you know, whatever, 'cause it's, it's from the picture. It's, it's gotta be- Mm you know, not perfect, but close as I can, you know. And that's what changed. That's when I noticed that, that, that change really started.
Gus Applequist: feel like this is a fairly unique thing within wood carving. You know, I, I don't... Okay, I'm a, I'm a amateur wood carver myself.
Yes. Uh, my work is nothing compared to this, um, and so it's such a joy to- So
Sydney Collins: right now we're gonna put on screen Gus's wood [00:31:00] carving. did you bring some?
Tanner Johnson: Yeah, I have some. Oh, I was gonna say.
Gus Applequist: Um-
Tanner Johnson: But, but you haven't carved 650 carvings
Gus Applequist: either. That's very true. Yeah. I'll, I'll... Yeah. I won't, I won't- Hey, there you go
belabor the point. But yeah, I, I have my own little wood carvings here. and, um-
Sydney Collins: I am just gonna- I'm trying to think ... You're fine.
Gus Applequist: I'm gonna look at
Sydney Collins: this guy.
Tanner Johnson: I like the Mohawk.
Gus Applequist: um- I like
Sydney Collins: that. Oh, he has a little heart tattoo on his arm.
Gus Applequist: Yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, I was talking about, how your, your wood carving has a deeper purpose. And, um, I, I, I'm familiar with a few of the different names in wood carving like Carly Resaw, and-
Producer: Yes.
Gus Applequist: Yeah ... um, and, and you know, great carver. Carves, you know, w- or carved wonderful things.
Producer: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: but, but you're unique I think, in that, that you, you're, y- you sort of have a goal in mind with your carving. yeah. That's- And I, I just, you know, bravo Thank you. I think that's really cool. Thank you. It's, it's a serious art form.
Tanner Johnson: I, I... Yeah. [00:32:00] I, I agree.
Art Form and Antisemitism
---
Tanner Johnson: It was funny because I taught a class with a couple other local carvers in Lindsborg at the Sandzene.
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Tanner Johnson: And I remember the guy saying how funny it was to juxtapose, like, flat p- plain carving with a high-end art gallery.
You know, it's like it doesn't fit. And I remember thinking, "Well, I'd like to be here. I'd like to be in the- Yeah ... Sandzene someday." And, and you know, and it was like I, I feel like, and I know it's me and my personality, I, I tend to be more serious about things and like this is what we're... You know, this is how it's gonna be and this is what I wanna do.
but that sense of purpose, You know, not to get into heavy topics or anything, but with the rise in antisemitism and all the stuff we're seeing like in England and Toronto and, and, you know, I won't e- I won't mention all the other stuff. But it's, it's not good, you know? And they always say, like at least I read quite a bit about it and, and it's the rise in antisemitism is kind of a precursor to societal problems.
Like there's something bigger coming or something bigger is [00:33:00] going on. It's not just this, right? So I was thinking, you know, what can I do? And, you know, 'cause it's... You, you feel so tiny. Like, well, I was already kinda doing it, but then on my, on my captions on my social media, I can bring up this or say, "This is what's happening."
And, you know, maybe one person will say, "Oh," you know. And it was funny because, maybe about a month ago... Not funny. I shouldn't say funny. But somebody came up to me who doesn't know I carve Jewish people and, and doesn't know that side of things We were talking about Israel and the war and all that, just hot topics that you can't really touch, you know. And he said word for word, "Hitler should have finished the job."
Gus Applequist: Oh.
Tanner Johnson: And it was crazy it was just the craziest thing to think nowadays, like this is 21st century. We're still, we're still dealing with the same stuff, you know, like it hasn't. And it was one of those moments [00:34:00] where I felt this, this clarity and this sense of calm because I've been studying so much and I was able to explain. Like looking back, you know, I, I can say, you know, in all humility, I'm proud of myself because I didn't yell at him. I didn't come back at him with the same anger because it wouldn't have helped anything, right? So I slowed it down and explained to him that you can't judge. Like, let's say you disagree with what the government's doing.
Well, not everybody agrees with what the government's doing. You know, we can agree to that here in the States, whether it was Biden or Obama or whoever it is, right? So you can't judge a whole people by their government because, you know, no country has 100% approval of their government. It just doesn't happen. You know, and I mentioned that there are over 7 million Jews in United States, you know, over, you know, the most, of course, are in Israel, but there's a, there's a lot. So it's not fair to judge them for something that's going [00:35:00] on in another country, right? Just like, you know, you wouldn't judge us or Lindsborg people for something that happens in Sweden, for example, you know, it's, it's, so.
Choosing Jewish Studies
---
Tanner Johnson: So that was, that was a big moment for me. I had already decided, but that was kind of the, the final straw, I guess you'd say, to, to go back to school and, and, uh, major in Jewish studies and kind of learn more and, know, d- to round out my history and carve respectfully or if it leads to whatever it leads to, but I'm open for it, you know?
And, uh, that was kind of the moment where I go, "Yeah, this is the right... This, this needs... I need to do this. These people can't be talking like that," you know? That's... So.
Gus Applequist: What a wonderful journey you're on.
Tanner Johnson: Thank you. like I said, when I chose, when you asked about me choosing Ecuador and, and following my heart, felt like I've never been afraid to do that. You know? 'Cause people, when I tell them about the Jewish studies, it's usually... Which I haven't told too [00:36:00] many people, it's usually, "What are you gonna do with that?" or, "Are you going to convert?" You know, that's usually... That, that's all they think of it as is, like, why else would you, you know, like... And, and it's, it's neither of those things, So it's very misunderstood, you know, and Internet just amplifies and exaggerates- Mm ... everything, good and bad, you know, so it's, it's so hard to tell. But
Spiritual Beliefs Explained
---
Gus Applequist: I, I am curious, and, and if you'd rather not answer this question, you totally don't have to.
Mm-hmm. But, you [00:37:00] know, so, so you mentioned not converting. Um, do you consider yourself a person of faith or, or do you have a belief system? and if so or, or not, are you willing to share about it?
Tanner Johnson: Yes. I am very comfortable spiritually. I... There's this book that really helped me, funny enough, called Zen Mind, Jewish Mind. I don't know why, but people, you know, it's 3,000, 4,000 years. They have been literate. They have read. You know, they go to the, the cheders and all the s- you know, the schools and the yeshivas, and always been very about books. So th- you know, just always right there. So and that's all written all there, and they're learning, and so they can build on it and build on it and build on it.
And I'm like, "Why don't we hear more about this, this wisdom?" 'Cause that's, that's quite the accomplishment, you know? And this book- I wanna say a rabbi, but he'd been into the Hinduism and the Buddhism, so Zen mind, Jewish mind, and he kinda wrapped all of that into [00:38:00] his belief system and, uh, talked about how God is us and we are God. So there's nothing to believe or not to believe. It's just part of who we are, right? he, he talks about... The one thing that really kinda set it off for me, he talks about the name Yahweh, like Jehovah and, and all that. So it's, you breathe in
Gus Applequist: Yah,
Tanner Johnson: way. So it's just breathing, right? It's yah, And it's just, it's just a part of us. So there's, there's no denying it. You know, it's not like thinking of Odin and Thor and, and Asgard, you know, that, that are gonna do whatever. And everybody's on their own journey, and I'm not trying ... This is just- mine. and that's what kinda solidified that spiritually for me.
So that's when I say I'm very comfortable, it's 'cause I breathe, right? I'm, it's, it's a part of, we are, in my opinion, you know? So it's, that makes it easier, you know? So, like, [00:39:00] church and, and all that stuff. Like, I grew up Lutheran, you know, in, in Lindsborg and all. I don't go to church or, or any of that stuff.
I'm just more spiritual than religious.
Gus Applequist: Thanks for sharing.
Tanner Johnson: Sure, yeah.
Gus Applequist: Appreciate it.
Hand Tools and Roughouts
---
Gus Applequist: Okay, I have a question- Mm-hmm ... as a, uh, fellow woodcarver.
Tanner Johnson: Yes.
Gus Applequist: Um, for those of you that don't know anything about woodcarving-
Tanner Johnson: Mm-hmm ...
Gus Applequist: you know, you can buy blanks, which are chunks of wood, typically rectangular prisms, like- Uh-huh
square chunks of wood. And some of the hardest work can be getting from that chunk to something that resembles a figure before you do all the fine stuff. And there's, there's different kinds of people in the world. There's the kind of people that, that use like a band saw to cut out the shape, and then there's the kind of people that just start chopping away. So which, which are you, Tanner?
Tanner Johnson: So you've heard enough of my story. What do you think?
Gus Applequist: I think you started in hardwood where, and in a place where you probably didn't have equipment.
Tanner Johnson: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: So I bet that you're cutting, uh, all the way. All [00:40:00] the way. And you're not doing- Yep ... anything with the saw.
Tanner Johnson: Yep. So, like, so what I do on This is eight inches, come in 12 inches. I'll cut off that, and then that's where I get like the barrel. Sorry. So there's your piece, right?
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Tanner Johnson: There's your 12 inches that it comes in, so two and a half by two and a half by eight. there's the two figures out of that. Um, and then start carving. And then, so like something like this will be a three by three-
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm ...
Tanner Johnson: that I cut in half triangle-wise, so you can see the corner.
Gus Applequist: Gotcha.
Tanner Johnson: Right. So I split- Yep ... like with an ax and, and just split it down the middle. And that's my latest one there. so all hand. I don't use any of the, uh- Okay.
So I do use a circular saw to cut off the four inches. Mm-hmm. Down in Ecuador, it was all hand saw, and it was a bear. Because- I can only imagine. 'Cause they have to stand, so you have to cut- Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm Yeah ...
Tanner Johnson: you know, so. But I think that's where the hand strength, forearm s- forearm strength comes from.
Yeah. And [00:41:00] 'cause I think if I tried to hand saw something now, I'd probably be like, "Eh." Yeah, maybe not, you know?
Where to Find Tanner
---
Gus Applequist: So if, if somebody's watching and they're saying, "Man, I'd like to see of your work," or, "I'd like to purchase something, um, or just connect with you," how, how could they do that?
Tanner Johnson: My... I have a website, which is tannerjohnsonwoodcarver.com. I'm not on that one. I just started a while back, and, uh, I definitely prefer social media, like the Instagram. Instagram is, is probably my favorite. I'll answer messages there. Facebook is okay, but the Messenger, you know, 'cause I have a personal page, too, so my Messenger goes back and forth, so I don't get the notifications. Oh, yeah. Um, so- We understand that. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, yes.
Sydney Collins: for anyone who tries to reach out.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. So I would say Instagram. Like, I have the YouTube channel, which I kinda started doing, um, some AI with the new short generator, the IA generator. Oh,
Sydney Collins: okay.
Tanner Johnson: And, uh... Did I say IA? Either way. Yeah. [00:42:00] AI. We know what you're talking about.
Which has been fun. So I, I'll put in, like, create a video about 19th century Jewish shtetl in Eastern Europe, and blah, blah, blah, and then it just makes it, it's just so much fun to bring it to life. Yeah. Wow. So, but definitely Instagram.
Gus Applequist: Well, thank you, Tanner, for- Thank you ... for, uh, for taking time to be on the podcast. I appreciate it. And for- Thank you for asking me ... for your fandom. I know we, uh, sometimes are in your ears as you're carving, I think, right? Yes, yes, for
Tanner Johnson: sure. Yes,
Gus Applequist: yes. So, so yeah. Yeah. We, we appreciate that- Yeah ... and all you've done to help further what we're trying to do, too.
Tanner Johnson: Yeah. Thank you. Uh, thanks, and thanks for, for sharing, and I've enjoyed a lot of your guests and your interviews. And thank you to Tanner for inviting me, and everybody. And, uh, yeah, I appreciate it. It's been, been wonderful.
Gus Applequist: Thanks.
Tanner Johnson: Thank you
[00:43:00]
Hosts Reflect on the Interview
---
Gus Applequist: Hope you enjoyed that interview with Tanner. I, is a unique human- Yeah ... as all of us are. his story. I love his woodcarving, obviously. and, and yeah, I, I love people that are just pretty open and honest about who they are and what they believe. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. I just, I don't know, he- again, I love the really cool people stories that just, you just wanna listen to them over and over and over again.
Mm-hmm. So I, I love it.
Gus Applequist: I think it's so, um, romantic and devastatingly sad, that there, there are people whose memory is only held in a photograph, in a book, and now in a woodcarving- Oh, yeah ... on a
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: You know? And, and, um, we as a, as a society have the duty to make sure [00:44:00] no one else goes through those same things.
Mm-hmm.
Fart or Art Game
---
Sydney Collins: Well, to lighten the mood a little bit-
Gus Applequist: Hard pivot.
Sydney Collins: Hard pivot. Our segment today is Fart or Art?
Gus Applequist: And- I'm trying to make sense of this subtitle ...
Sydney Collins: so is the name of this Kansas art piece its actual name or the name of a fart?
Gus Applequist: So, like, there's different names for farts?
Sydney Collins: Yes. Okay. That I and ChatGPT came up with.
Gus Applequist: Okay.
Sydney Collins: All right. So basically, it's true or false- Okay ... is really what it is. If it's true, it's art. If it's false, it's fart.
Gus Applequist: Okay. Okay, I got it.
Sydney Collins: So I'm gonna show you a picture of a piece made by a Kansas artist.
Gus Applequist: Okay.
Sydney Collins: it is the name of the piece-
Gus Applequist: Oh, man ...
Sydney Collins: it's, it's true f- true or false.
Gus Applequist: I hope none of my art-loving friends are watching, 'cause I'm probably-
gonna embarrass them.
Sydney Collins: So first one, Midwestern Breeze. Do you think that is the actual name of this art? Uh. Or do you think that is the name [00:45:00] of a fart?
Gus Applequist: This is harder than I expected it would be. This piece is in Kansas?
Sydney Collins: Wow, is beautiful So the sky sculpture is one of the eight wonders of Kansas art because it is position- it, it positions the viewer a... Oh, goodness, a big word that I don't know. Okay. Uh, between the sculptural imma- imagery and the natural sky. Um, let's see. Where is it at? Um, joint effort of artist Phil Epp, painter and designer- Ah ... Terry Corbett-
Gus Applequist: Oh my
Sydney Collins: goodness ... um, ceramist, ceramist and designer, and Conrad Snider.
Gus Applequist: I know two of those three names.
Phil Epp is a- It's in
Sydney Collins: Newton
Gus Applequist: m- massive, you know, presence in the Kansas art scene. Mm-hmm. Uh, ch- I'll say this is, uh, this is fact. This is actually called Midwestern Breeze. Am I wrong?
Sydney Collins: This is a fart. this is actually called Blue Sky Sculpture. it is in Newton, and I can put the [00:46:00] link below. So, but yeah.
I
Gus Applequist: feel like they should maybe have, uh, asked you for a naming suggestion- 'cause I low-key like your name better than
Sydney Collins: Midwestern- Midwestern Breeze?
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: is the name of a fart.
Gus Applequist: Okay.
Sydney Collins: All right. Next one. So yeah, Blue Sky Sculpture.
Gus Applequist: Nice.
Sydney Collins: right. This piece-
Gus Applequist: I was gonna say,
Sydney Collins: I think I've seen this ... With Love. Yes, this one actually is in town. So, um, this piece, uh, was done by Cody Sanders. Mm. So he, um, is an artist and a tattoo artist here in town. Nice. He actually, I have two of his tattoos.
Gus Applequist: Uh, the, the hand makes me... I c- I can... I'm gonna say this is fact.
Sydney Collins: Yes. With Love. You're correct. This is art. Nice. So, um, Cody is a professional artist and a proud owner of Sub- Subvert Studio- Mm
which is a tattoo studio and an art gallery located, um, in Salina. Every first Friday of the month, he opens his doors to local and regional artists- Mm ... fostering a [00:47:00] vibrant and creative community downtown.
Gus Applequist: If you're not familiar with downtown Salina, or you've, you're sort of familiar, but you haven't really explored it, a lot of murals that are hidden.
Sydney Collins: Oh, a ton
Gus Applequist: of them. Um, this is one where- This is definitely like a back
Sydney Collins: alley ...
Gus Applequist: you have to go down an alley a little ways- Mm ... to find this one. Um, so it's kinda like a hide and seek thing.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: And I think, Tanner, am I right that Boom Salina has a, a database- It lives ... of these on their website, so you can kind of figure out roughly where they are?
Sydney Collins: BoomSalina.art.
Gus Applequist: BoomSalina.art. Thank you, Tanner.
Sydney Collins: Right. Okay, next up. This piece, Nuclear Disarmament. Is that the name of this art piece or is it the name of a fart?
Gus Applequist: The calculus in my brain is like, okay, so disarmament is not a word that I think Sydney uses. However, she said she used chat.
Sydney Collins: Chat.
Gus Applequist: So I'm, I'm like doing some, some calculus here. I'm gonna say that's the actual name.
Sydney Collins: That is the actual name. uh, so it is art. So [00:48:00] this piece, um, is by Jonah Graff. Jonah currently lives in Topeka, where he has lived all of his life. He works as a welder and fabricator, uh, locally, and in his free time creates recycled metal art- Wow ... um, as a therap- therapeutic outlet.
Gus Applequist: I feel like this is like the main character of a big budget movie coming at you. Oh, yeah. Like, it look, it has main character energy.
Sydney Collins: It does.
Gus Applequist: Love it.
Sydney Collins: All right, next up Prairie Root Rumble
Gus Applequist: Rumble's kind of a giveaway on this one. I think this is a fart.
Sydney Collins: It is a fart. So do you know the artist by chance?
Gus Applequist: Uh, this, this has some of those impressionist, uh, vibes about it, like Sanzaine, but it's not a Sanzaine.
Sydney Collins: Nope.
Gus Applequist: Um, I'm guessing a student of Sanzaine. That's my best guess.
Sydney Collins: Stan Herd.
Gus Applequist: Okay,
Sydney Collins: yeah. So Stan Herd, [00:49:00] um, is the crop artist. Oh. But he also, um, is a painter. So-
Gus Applequist: Crop artist meaning the ones, like that arranges the seeds and stuff? Or-
Sydney Collins: Crop artist as in he does a giant mural- Oh, in the, in the field.
Gus Applequist: Wow.
Sydney Collins: So this one is... Oh, I forgot to put the actual name up here, but this one's actually called Cottonwood Study- um, by Stan Herd. Um, but yeah, so he does, let's see. Da, da, da, da, da. Herd, um, is an American crop artist and painter who creates images or earth works, is what he calls them- Okay ... on large areas of land, especially in Kansas. work is sometimes called living sculpture.
Gus Applequist: Mm.
Sydney Collins: Uh, he plots his designs then executes them by, uh, planting, mowing, and sometimes burning or plowing the land.
Gus Applequist: Sounds like probably the most exhaustive-
Sydney Collins: Yeah ...
Gus Applequist: art thing. If
Sydney Collins: you-
Gus Applequist: Especially for temporary.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, if you check out his website or even, um, his Instagram, it [00:50:00] is wild. 'Cause he travels all over the world and does this too.
Gus Applequist: Wow. Oh,
Sydney Collins: cool. So it's really cool. All right, last but not least, we have Window Down Warning.
Gus Applequist: That's, like, if you came up with that name, I'm really impressed because this, it makes sense, like for both things. Well, it's
Sydney Collins: two dogs in a car- Yeah ... in a convertible.
Gus Applequist: It makes total sense. I'm guessing that this is a fart.
Sydney Collins: It is a
Gus Applequist: fart. But, but it was a good effort. It was a really good
effort to me.
Sydney Collins: I just love the window down warning. it is a fart. This one is actually called Daisy and Mo.
Gus Applequist: Aw.
Sydney Collins: So Daisy and Mo. so Daisy and Mo, is by April Spicer. So April is a visual artist living in Marysville, Kansas.
Gus Applequist: Okay.
Sydney Collins: After teaching high school and junior high art for 16 years, April has now been painting full time for about six years. these past few years, she has very much, enjoyed creating public art and has completed many murals. Wow. So I found a lot of these people-
Gus Applequist: I was gonna
ask ...
Sydney Collins: through, [00:51:00] the Kansas Mural Making Guide. So, um, Kansas Commerce has a website, um, has a page where it lists all kind of the Kansas muralists.
Gus Applequist: Wow.
Sydney Collins: And, um- Mm ... if you dig deeper, you can find other, their other artworks, so.
Gus Applequist: I wanna ask our audience, if there's a mural that inspires you- Oh, yeah ... would you send it to us? We'd love to hear about your favorite mural. Yeah, this, I real- this is fun. I like the face that's in the car.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm. Too.
It's just very happy and bright.
Sydney Collins: That's a, if you go to her website, that's the majority of her, um, paintings that are for sale. This one i- is for sale. Hmm. Um, it's mainly, uh, vintage cars. Like she'll go to car shows- Wow ... she'll, she'll take pictures of them and then she'll paint them.
Gus Applequist: like that's- It's pretty cool
such a great way to have a good fan base- Oh, yeah ... that's gonna buy your stuff- Mm-hmm ... is using something they love.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: Wow. Very cool.
Sydney Collins: They're really
Gus Applequist: good.
Sydney Collins: So yeah.
Gus Applequist: Wow.
Sydney Collins: That is the- That was
Gus Applequist: fun.
Sydney Collins: I came up with the name.
Gus Applequist: I demand more art and fart or f-
Sydney Collins: Well, I came up with the- Whatever it's called. I was thinking in the shower, this is like a couple weeks [00:52:00] ago, and I was like, "Art or fart?"
'Cause I knew like Tanner was gonna come on and we've had a couple other artists lately, and I was like, "What rhymes with art?" I was like, "Fart, um, rhymes with art." And then I was like, "I don't know what to do with that." And so we thought, I was like, "Oh- That was great ... we could do Farter Art." So there you go.
It was a proud, proud moment here.
Episode Wrap and Plugs
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Gus Applequist: Well, that brings us to the end of another episode of Ask a Kansan.
Sydney Collins: Uh, please check us out at askaKansan.com. Uh, please sign up for our Curious Kansan newsletter. Check out the Ask a Kansan store.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. If you liked the podcast today, we'd really appreciate a, a review, hopefully a five-star.
Um, not, not gonna beg for it. Probably not after this
Sydney Collins: segment.
Gus Applequist: Um, yeah, reviews are a great way to help connect us with a new audience. And also, if there's anybody you know who you think might enjoy Ask a Kansan, we'd sure appreciate a recommendation as well.
Sydney Collins: We'll see you next time.
Gus Applequist: Thank you.
[00:53:00]