In episode 50 of The Art Colony podcast, former journalist Joe Woolley interviews our host, Gaston Lacombe. Gaston, a Canadian-born artist and American citizen, recounts earning history degrees in Ottawa, living 16 years in Latvia in roles from teacher and newscaster to embassy cultural work, becoming the first head of Latvia’s national LGBT organization, and leaving amid threats. In Washington, DC he earned a photography degree, worked as a photojournalist, and created the globally published Captive Project documenting animal welfare in zoos. After first visiting Provincetown in 2016, he left his marriage, moved there, and opened a Whaler’s Wharf studio in 2018. He describes evolving from mixed-media photography to hard-edge painting, his tape-and-color-code construction process, and how the podcast deepened his community ties, spotlit a thriving, largely queer-driven art colony, and led to plans for a July 21 live anniversary event.

Zoe Lewis, born in Rottingdean on England’s south coast, joins us this week as she describes becoming a largely self-taught multi-instrumentalist, learning through bands, travel, and absorbing world rhythms across 70+ countries. She recounts leaving planned tourism studies after joining punk-era bands, traveling with minimal resources, and eventually settling in Provincetown around 1990 after being offered extensive restaurant and late-night shows. She credits Provincetown’s community for sustaining her artistry, and explains her songwriting as joyful, story-based, nostalgic, and often inspired by everyday “magic,” including residencies in Greece and Key West. Lewis performs her song “Entre Chien Et Loup,” then shares current engagements: her long-running 1920s Speakeasy at The Red Room (July 21 and Aug 17, 2026) and “Zoe With a Z” at the Art House, plus touring, recordings, and collaborations.

Artist Joshua Wilmoth joins us this week as we talk about how he has shaped the town’s look through murals, store facades, interior decor, and massive Carnival installations. He describes his celebration-driven, maximalist, unapologetically queer mission against blank white walls, recounts growing up in South Florida with intensive arts education, studying at Tufts/Museum School, and pivoting fully to art. He explains his mural process (client consultation, digital renderings, chalk outlines, no projection), materials (latex house paint), and working fast outdoors amid weather and public attention. He discusses live painting, painting on found glass and frames, and announces gallery representation with Greg Salvatori, including a street-facing mural and a show opening June 26 (up through July 3). They cover Carnival floats, past large-scale pieces, dream projects (Town Hall, water tower), and a brief speed round.