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On this episode of Surprised by Art W/ Luc & Kirk they discuss the concept of confidence and try to figure out, through paintings, poetry and film, what makes confidence sexy.

On this episode of Ted Lasso Luc Travers and Kirk Barbera are joined by Ted Lasso expert and creator of the biggest Ted Lasso fan group on Facebook, Joel Marquez.We discussed the show Ted Lasso and its relation to today's topics "Infectious Optimism" or "Infectious Benevolence." Luc then surprised both Kirk and Joel with a fascinating painting and Kirk surprised Luc and Joel with an inspiring poem. You won't want to miss the episode!Joel's facebook group is called "Ted Lasso Talk." If you have an optimists attitude, or you'd like one, join up!Joel's wife, Deanna, runs an etsy shop called Dlifeful, where she sells Ted Lasso inspired mugs, tshirts and more!

On this show Luc Travers will surprise Kirk (and YOU!) with a painting and Kirk will surprise Luc with a poem based on a theme from the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. That theme: "A Sense of Adventure."Indiana Jones is one of the most beloved characters in cinema and in popular culture. On this episode Luc and Kirk will share classic art that will help you to appreciate and enjoy this movie more than ever before. Become an adventure seeker in your everyday life and enjoy this episode of Surprised by Art W/Luc & Kirk!

We were happy to have author Don Watkins on the show for our summer finale.The topic this week was "struggle." As always Luc chose a painting and Kirk selected a poem. Don is the co-author of the best selling books Free Market Revolution and Equal is Unfair.He's the host of the show Liberty Unlocked and he teaches communication skills at donswriting.com

Shortly after the recording of this episode, Luc Travers posted this to the facebook group: "Oh man, that episode recording was a wild, emotional ride! I went from warm nostalgia, to eager hope, to anxiety, to confused anger, to relief, to relative serenity in the space of 45 minutes!"Kirk agrees. This was an intense episode that dealt with a very heavy topic. What is social harmony? On this episode, you'll hear a variety of different answers, including two radically different approaches by two different artists.Special thanks to our voice recording volunteers: Alexandra HartlineHeather SchwarzMike Dartt

Today Luc and Kirk are joined by sculptor Kelsy Landin. Make sure to follow her on Tiktok @landinart where she has become very popular creating videos of the sculpting process. Instagram she is @landinofficial and youtube Landin Art.Luc chose a spectacular statue to surprise us with. All three of us discussed various aspects of the sculpture as well as its artistic meaning. At first, it was not obvious how it fit into the topic of "Self-creation" but after exploring the work with Luc, we saw a very unique and important aspect of creating the self that many of us do not consider.The poem showed a contrary view to the idea of Self-creation, which gave the three of us much to contemplate.Enjoy this special episode of Surprised by Art, and visit https://www.troubadourmag.com/post/surprised-by-art-8-self-creation to view all the of artworks from different angles, and to read the poem.

This week Luc and Kirk delve into the religious concept of revelation. Does revelation refer solely to the divine? How can revelation be brought down to earth? How is it relevant to our day-to-day lives? In painting, revelation is a very popular concept. The same is true in literature and poetry. What do you think? Does revelation have to be divine? Can we attain secular revelation? And what would that mean?Special thanks to our voice recordersKelly Bowers & Sean Doherty.

is there a difference between aloneness and loneliness? What are the benefits and drawbacks to being alone? Our two artists today have very different things to say about being alone and loneliness. You may be listening to this alone. But are you alone with Luc and Kirk in your ears? There are times when it is important to break away from others and be by yourself. But there are times when connection is a strong desire. This and more is what we explore on this episode of Surprised by Art!*Note to parents. Kirk uses one swear word in this episode!

Not only did Luc and Kirk discuss the topic of romance, but they discussed rom-coms, read some Shakespeare, talked about literature and of course were surprised by the painting that Luc chose and the poem Kirk chose.What do you think is a romantic spark? When does it happen? How does it happen?Special thanks to our voice recording guestsPatrick Reasonover of justaddfirewater.comEmily Meer from the Surprised by Art Facebook GroupHillary Romero from Hilco HomesView the painting here: https://www.troubadourmag.com/post/surprised-by-art-5-romantic-spark

In this episode Luc and Kirk explored the idea of the role of a mentor in ones life. To what degree should we revere them? How personal does the relationship have to be? What value is there in a mentor? How can you be better mentor? What truly does a mentor do? How is a mentor different than a teacher?Luc shared a wonderful sculpture with all of us and Kirk chose a poem (stole mightt be a better word! From a talk by Lisa VanDamme, "Life Poetry and Keats.")This podcast is a conversation one that will certainly surprise you with the inherent truths in great works of art. You do not need to be a scholar to approach these podcasts. Luc and Kirk provide approachable ways to make art more meaningful in your life.Special thanks to: Lisa Vandamme for her reading of the poem. You can follow along with Lisa's literary readings and commentary on her Read with Me App.  Painting Voice Recorders: Adriana Carlson - Author of the young adult novel Penelope and the Hob KingMolly Johnson - Esteemed member of the Surprised by Art facebook group!Jake Rivas - of Jake of All Trades, a financial podcast for millennialsHere's the poem:Great SpiritsBy John KeatsGREAT spirits now on earth are sojourning;He of the cloud, the cataract, the lake,Who on Helvellyn’s summit, wide awake,Catches his freshness from Archangel’s wing;He of the rose, the violet, the spring,        The social smile, the chain for Freedom’s sake:And lo!—whose steadfastness would never takeA meaner sound than Raphael’s whispering.And other spirits there are standing apartUpon the forehead of the age to come;        These, these will give the world another heartAnd other pulses. Hear ye not the humOf mighty workings in the human mart?Listen awhile, ye nations, and be dumb.

*To view the full painting visit: https://www.troubadourmag.com/post/surprised-by-art-3-childhood-wildnessOn this episode you get to hear a fundamental disagreement between Luc and Kirk regarding the interpretation of the poem. This was a wild ride of a show. You'll get to experience a wonderful painting that most people pass by. It's a hidden gem rife with meaning, despite its minimalism. Luc and Kirk discussed the nature of wildness, bravery, thrill seeking and more with this painting.WIth the poem, Luc and Kirk got to experience a knight's tale, from a very unusual and unexpected location.We wanted to give a special thanks to our voice recording volunteers! They did a wonderful job describing the painting. Deanna Hekkinen of Piisan Academy, Rachael Rivera, and Jason Letman

On this episode both Kirk and Luc are quite surprised at what they find similar and different between the chosen painting and poem.Luc chose a wonderful painting to illustrate "Righteous Defiance," and Kirk chose a rousing poem to define the topic.The audio podcast is designed to help you visualize the painting without seeing it, but eventually you should explore the painting for yourself. We recommend exploring it after you hear the recordings of other people giving their first impressions.You can see the painting and some close ups of it here: https://www.troubadourmag.com/post/surprised-by-art-righteous-defianceSpecial thanks to our volunteers, who took one quick glance at the painting and described it: Jennifer Minjarez, Atul Kapur, Amy Chou, and Sean Doherty (in order of appearance).

Today Luc and Kirk cover the topic that you chose "Man's Loss of Faith."Luc picked a painting that really affected Kirk. And Kirk wowed Luc with his selection.Though paintings are of course visual, we have used audio descriptions of the painting to give you as clear an idea as possible of the painting. We do have a thumbnail that you can see as the artwork for this podcast episode. You can also go to https://www.troubadourmag.com/post/surprised-by-art-man-s-loss-of-faith to experience the painting in the way that Luc recommends.You can also read the poem there.*Note to parents this episode does have a few swear words in it. 

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