Jeff Harms is an artist who deals in words and wit. He sails the world on a stage, regularly performing his family-friendly stylings of observational comedy for audiences from around the globe aboard cruise liners. Among other things. Jeff, 64, is married to the actress Hannah Rockey, whom he has Read more…
Ramón Aguirre’s paintings express his interest in mortality and death as a matter of life. In conversation he’s easy-going and generous, and laughs often. We sat down to talk in Ramón’s above-garage studio, where he paints and otherwise creates, where philosophy books and analog cameras he still uses are within Read more…
After helping Nico Wilkinson feed sunflower seeds to the two resident goats of the Quaill Club in Colorado Springs, we sat down with a lot to talk about. Nico, 25, works as a community organizer, poet, publisher, and spoken word performance artist who rattles cages, sparks laughs and loves to Read more…
Studs Terkel, the preeminent interviewer who sat down with thousands of guests over 45 years, talked with Milton Mayer, a journalist and educator, on December 27, 1974. Longtime colleagues and friends, this conversation was recorded four months after Richard Nixon resigned as president of the United States, and four months Read more…
Countless visitors have slowed their stroll at the windows of C.H. Rockey’s studio and print shop on Cañon Avenue in Manitou Springs, Colo. The array of art and the artist, who often can be seen sitting inside, looking out, stirs their curiosity. Rockey has lived and worked in the light Read more…
Ace McCasland and her Studio Luna Verde have a following. The hard-won creative voice that calls to lovers of her jewelry design and metalsmithing is one she’s honed through nearly 30 years of living rugged and ready, open to adventure and … mostly not at the flame and workbench. Ace, Read more…
I recently shared the story of Humanitou in PechaKucha style at the annual MACnificent fundraiser for the Manitou Art Center. I was one of 10 presenters sharing stories of humanness, creativity, community. PechaKucha is a 20 x 20 presentation format. It uses 20 images that show for 20 seconds each. Read more…
A chance encounter in May 2017 has played an integral role in the existence of Humanitou. It started with my playing hooky from work on a Friday to go soak in the mineral waters at SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs, Colo. I was looking to clear space in my mind. Read more…
Abby Kreuser does a lot of things. She has at least three jobs, plus is a full-time mom to a toddler son, Caius. She has been in the coffee business for more than half her life, and continues as a roaster producing coffee for a local shop. With her expertise Read more…
Humanitou is about story. It’s about humanness, creativity and reclaiming the best in ourselves. One way that comes together at Humanitou is through one-on-one conversations with creative, thinking, sharing humans. Through the stories others vulnerably share, we connect with our own stories. Each person who sits down with Adam Williams, Read more…
Laurel Astor brings a bowl of cut fresh fruit out to her small deck, where we sit surrounded by woods and the whirs of hummingbirds. It’s the food that gets us started. From its healing place in Laurel’s life to a book she published based on that experience. We talk Read more…
Jack Elder is a photographer by passion, a newspaper writer by trade. That’s the truth now and has been the truth often, mixed with and between a life filled with trades and passions. At 74, Jack’s accrued wisdom comes from a life lived broadly, and from his intellectual interests in Read more…
With a cup of coffee in hand and a gentle demeanor, Jack Elder sat down with Humanitou and dipped into the wide range of his life that has led him here, there and, seemingly, everywhere. Jack, 74, was an Army brat who went to military school. He was a young Read more…
A guitar hangs on the wall, and another leans into a corner in Xanthe Alexis’ living room. Poetry books are neatly stacked on the coffee table. An abundance of morning light and the art placed here and there fills out the vibe of creativity, comfort and quiet joy. Xanthe, 38, Read more…
Sophie Cowman is easy-going and honest. She has a fantastic sense of humor and earthy sensibility. Every chat enlightens the mind and lightens the heart. I first got to know her with a Humanitou conversation that I published late last year. Since then, I occasionally pop in to say hello. Read more…
Sunlight and a few dogs quietly stretch in Mark Wong’s home studio while he works at his potter’s wheel. His work fills shelves and other spaces throughout the studio, even though he makes an effort not to cling to anything for too long. “There seems to be a lot of Read more…
Life is in transition in Christine Reber’s household. A recent high school graduation for one of her three teenagers. A house move that, as those tend to go, will take some time to unfold. And a personal and professional life path that continues to evolve. “Everything that I’m involved in Read more…
Stepping into Floyd Tunson’s work-live loft, the magnitude is overwhelming. Thirteen-foot ceilings cap long walls filled with Floyd’s art. Light washes in from large windows. Dried paint speckles the wood floor. It’s fantastic. It’s tongue-tying. While I try to center my focus for the conversation at hand, I notice the Read more…
Many weeks ago, my two young sons asked to be part of Humanitou. They often have seen me working on Humanitou conversations at our table, transcribing, editing, preparing photos, publishing. They wanted me to interview them. So I did. In this experiment, I got to test my abilities as an Read more…
When I walk into the light, airy color of Fare Bella Studio & Gallery, owner-artist Patrice Filler is thinking ahead to the next day, when she will lead a wabi-sabi watercolor painting class. I’ve long been interested in wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic that views imperfection as a higher form of Read more…