I don’t know how I did it, but somehow I managed to get American artist Esther Pearl Watson on the podcast. Actually I know exactly how I did it … I asked Martha Rich to ask her for me. Worked like a charm. I have been a huge fan of Esther’s for years, and finally met her a few weeks ago in New York. I was nervous and intimidated… until she opened her mouth. I quickly realized that she was hilarious, really nice, and actually a little bit shy herself. Esther’s story is amazing… she had a very unique childhood, to say the least, and it fuels much of her current work. Anyway, I’ll stop typing so you can start listening. Hit play right up there under “Looking for the Swimming Hole at Dinosaur State Park”, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, a few of my favorite pieces from her painting portfolio. Esther refers to them as memory paintings, and I called them “postcards from childhood”:

Amazing. Instead of sunny, perfect childhood memories, Esther illustrates the darker side… you know, things like “Before the Landlord Finds Us” {you’ll have to listen to find out why there are so many UFOs in her paintings}. Part of the reason I think she’s such a creative genius is because of the way she recognizes / embraces her experiences, good and bad, and turns them into creative projects. Speaking of which, she found an old diary in a dirty roadside gas station bathroom… and yep, she turned THAT into art too. Enter “Tammy Pierce”:

Creative. Genius. Since that day, years ago in a gas station bathroom, Tammy Pierce has become her own woman. {ps. the real owner of the diary was not named Tammy Pierce… it’s a name that Esther made up from various names found in her husband’s high school year book… and btw, her husband is Mark Todd – another insanely talented artist / illustrator / teacher}. Here’s a little taste of Tammy’s world today:

Oh Tammy. So many bad decisions. And there you have it… I beat the art history books and got Esther’s story now! It was such a thrill to meet her in person, and I’m over the moon that she said yes to the podcast. I hope you loved it as much as I did! Thanks to Esther for sharing her hilarious, creative stories; thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode; and of course, thanks to you for listening {AND thanks to everyone that’s given a rating on iTunes… ART FOR YOUR EAR is slowly moving up, row by row, in the “What’s Hot in Art” section because of you guys!}

Other people/things we talked about:

Mark Todd  /  Ashley Mistriel  /  Martha Rich  /  Alice Neel  /  ArtCenter College of Design, LA  

ps. I mentioned my brother, playing a hand mirror as a guitar in my “bossy older sister” air band… and should have mentioned that he wrote, played, and recorded the music for this podcast! Another creative genius. Thanks Cam, you’re the best  xo. 

Thoughtful, intelligent, and full of great advice. Today I’m talking to Baltimore based artist, educator, and part-time MFA student Sidney Pink. I have loved his weird and whimsical work for years, and, I just recently found out about some really interesting research he’s been doing around “arts entrepreneurship” – standardizing and adding business curriculum to the world of art academia. Clearly I had to ask him about that… and while I had him on the line, might as well ask about the strange characters that make an appearance in most of his drawings. You can listen right up there under that Japanese schoolgirl , or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, a few of my favorite “Sidney Pink” pieces: some schoolgirls, a business man, and an astronaut… obviously.

Thank goodness for that lightbulb moment when Sidney realized that he loved white space and decided to roll with it! Gorgeous, weird, narrative… perfect combo. Oh, and among other odd bits {like an octopus}, here are the laser guns I mentioned:

… and one of my most favorite pieces from Sidney’s portfolio, two girls and a tiger mask:

Oh, and a girl in a cow mask with laser gun shooting astronaut, of course. I loved his reason for the masks {not giving it away – you have to listen!}. And along those lines, I also really loved his advice for embracing the things around you, objects and experiences that are in your day-to-day life, and incorporating them into your work. Animal masks, for example.

In the speed round I asked one question I knew the answer to. The origin, or inspiration, for his name… current name is more accurate, I suppose. Here’s where it all started:

Reptilicus by Sid Pink. Such a good story… again, you have to listen! Ah, good old speed round comes through again. Thanks so much to Sidney for all of his great advice and wonderful perspective on life as an artist; to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode; and as always, to you for listening. I’ve already got the next episode ready to go … it will be up next weekend!

Other links from our discussion:

AKIMBO Dance & Movement Art Festival, Baltimore 

The Critical Response Process by Liz Lermon

Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education

I have loved the work of American artist Jessica Brilli for years. I’ve written about her a few times, and I’m sure there are many more posts to come. She has a love of all things vintage, as do I. The other thing we have in common… curating. Yep, we’re going to talk about a very exciting show {that kinda makes me want to cry} which will open later this month, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Ok, you can listen right up there under that lovely couple, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, a few pieces from her “Static” series, the work I posted about way back in 2012:

So good. But alas, she “got tired of painting typewriters”, and so she turned her attention to vintage, suburban landscapes. I follow her on Facebook, and she often posts work in progress. I find it fascinating to watch her work develop that way. Here is one of my favorite progressions:

She is also concerned with the topic of health care and care for the elderly, this is an acute issue for many families and professional medical care for elderly relatives is an important social issue.

Ah! A peek behind the painted curtain. That piece is one of the images that was inspired by the set of slides she bought at a garage sale {such a cool story!}. Here are a few more from that “Slide Show” series:

… and those are the slides! I also asked for a tiny peek at her studio, and look, a vintage radio… surprise, surprise! Of course, I had to ask her about her motel paintings. The image below is one of my favorite pieces of hers. It whisks me right back to family road trips:

Love. Speaking of love… “Jealously Curated | East Coast Edition”. What!? Yes, Jess and a bunch of other artists have put this beautiful show together, that opens November 23rd in Cambridge MA. The theme… everyone in the show has been written about on my site! How crazy amazing is that? And yes, I got a little teary-eyed when they emailed to ask me if I’d be ok with it. Ok with it? Um, YES. Here is a peek at the fantastic artists whose work will be included:

Gah! So, so good! I wish I could go to the par-tay {Jess said the opening party was in November, but it’s actually on December 3rd}. If you can go, please do… and then send me photos! Alright, that’s that. There was a quick mention of a Big Salad with the Seinfeld crew in the speed round, and then we said goodbye. Thanks so much to Jessica, for EVERYTHING, and thank you so much to you for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

{Links to artists above: Anna Jensen / Jenny Brown / Airco Caravan / Erin Fitzpatrick / Jeremy Miranda / Leah Giberson / Taliah Lempert / Zin Helena Song / Jessica Brilli}

Cactus people, tree people, folding chairs, and a bit of podcast anxiety. Even though LA based artist Ashley Mistriel was nervous to talk to me, she did it anyway! And I’m so glad because we had a great conversation about all sorts of things. One of my favorite stories was about Christian Clayton making her fill a whole ream of paper with drawings… now there’s a way to let “perfection” go! Anyway, you can listen to us chat right up there under that little cactus clan, or you can subscribe on iTunes. Here are Ashley’s “tree people” – the work that got her into the MFA program at Cal State Northridge {CSUN}:

The tree people have now led to the cactus people:

Sigh… I love those cactus people. Next, I noticed that her portfolio was not only filled with cactus people, but there were also a lot of chairs, so clearly I had to ask about that:

Lovely. Up next, a tiny peek at the thread installation that she did with a friend, artist Kristen Dikio:

So, she’s a painter, an installation collaborator, and a curator! Yep, she and another artist, Theresa Knopf, are putting together a show of collages at Good Eye Gallery in LA {November 28th 3-6pm, 4538 Eagle Rock}.

And just to call it out, this is the gorgeous piece that Ashley recently sent to me. I was so surprised and beyond thrilled… look how gorgeous it is:

Love. So much love! Up next, this is the piece she was talking about that got into American Illustration very early on in her grad school experience:

… and finally, this special piece, titled “Stanwood Drive”. Yep, it’s amazing what an afternoon out with your grandfather can inspire:

There. Just like that, it’s over. Nothing to be nervous about! Thanks to Ashley for not saying no to me, and thank you so much to you for listening! Hoping to have more art for your ear next weekend…. Bye!

Other Links/Info: 

Ashley’s Instagram feed

Good Eye Gallery show – November 28th 3-6pm, address in Eagle Rock

A few of the teachers she mentioned: Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, Martha Rich, Samantha Fields

Oh. Jessica Bell. She is one of the most lovely people you’ll ever meet, and someone that changed my outlook on my own artwork in one magical, caffeine/chocolate filled afternoon. She’s smart. And determined. And a self-taught artist who just finished her MFA. Yep, she has an undergrad in Art History, started making art on her own, got a teeny tiny studio space with a tarp instead of a roof {for real}, worked for years, applied for her MFA and then rocked it out. I was so excited to talk to her that, well, we just kept on talking! After we “hung up” I kept recording, so if you want to listen past the BEEP, please do. You can listen right underneath Jessica installing her thesis show, or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, some of her mixed media work from a few years ago:

Ah. Paint, paper, tape, fabric, thread. And color. I absolutely love her sense of color. Now, as if finishing her MFA wasn’t momentous enough, she’s also just been nominated, for the second time, for the RBC Canadian Painting Prize {the winner gets $25,000 and their work in the RBC Collection… so yes, it’s a pretty big deal!} In 2013, as she was driving from Vancouver to Ottawa to start her MFA she had just been nominated, and two years later as she packed the moving truck to leave Ottawa and head back to Vancouver… you guessed it, she was nominated again! The two pieces are very different, yet you can absolutely see Jessica in both of them:

The winner {there are only 15 finalists} will be announced at the Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver on November 18, 2015. Good luck, Jessica… we’re cheering for you!

We talked a lot about her MFA experience. Turns out, quite a few of her final paintings were inflatable. Yes, I said inflatable:

I want to hug a painting! So, jumping back to the speed round, I purposely asked a question that would lead to this answer because I really wanted to show you the knitted wall hanging she made for me. I thought she was sending one of these smaller pieces {which would have been wonderful too}, but no, she sent me a huge, heavy, beautiful piece that gave her carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s hanging in my living room right now:

Love. So much. And with that, we finished things off. Jessica is exhausted after her MFA, so I suggested she take a nap for the winter. Look, she can do it on one of her inflatable paintings…

Shhhhhh. Thanks Jessica. And thanks to you… see you next week for another episode. xo

…..

Other links mentioned: Sarah Gee Miller, Ben Skinner, Being Boss podcast, Heather Craig {Heather was the artist who told Jessica, “You can’t make art in the cracks.” That might be my new most favorite saying}, and Initial Gallery in Vancouver. ps. Conan… Jessica is waiting for your call.

Michelle Kohanzo is a huge lover of art, which works out quite well because she also happens to be the Managing Director at The Land of Nod in Chicago. Yes, she has an amazing eye and is ALWAYS on the hunt for talented artists to bring into the Nod family {hint hint}. Listen right up there under the red canoe, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. The first thing Michelle and I have in common… our love of weaving, and the work of Maryanne Moodie {ps. how gorgeous is this piece?}

Whoa. So good. Boy, I wish I could do that… one day! Next up, an amazingly gorgeous shoot that Michelle arranged with LA based photographer Stephanie Vovas for The Land of Nod. Here is a peek at the work that came out of that magical weekend at Camp Wandawega:

Gorgeous! And yes, those few final shots were a little bit special… it’s Michelle and her daughter Emily! They got all glammed up, hopped in a canoe, and Stephanie shot these beauties {including the lead image in the post… which might be my favorite}. In fact I even included the image of Emily in the camper in a show that I curated at the Bedford Gallery in 2014. Up next, I asked Michelle about a few of her favorite artists:

Soft sculpture by Tamar Mogendorff / Ashley Goldberg / Emily Jeffords / Me. Yep, those jars are two of my hand-cut collages that Nod commissioned for the Spring 2016 collection?! If you want to get your work in front of Michelle, listen to her tips on the podcast, and then send your submission straight to her inbox {for real}. michelle@landofnod.com  … good luck!

And finally, she told me about her trip to Laos and the work of this amazing woman, Carol Cassidy {the link she mentioned was wrong, but the link here is right.} Here’s her studio, and some silk weaving in action:

Such a great story… empowering women through art/craft. So inspiring. So, I could stop right there, but I feel like I should cap the post off with a few more of Stephanie’s Wes Anderson-esque shots of Michelle and Emily:

Love! But wait, there’s more… speaking of Wes Anderson, look what I found on Michelle’s Instagram feed. This is Michelle, her husband, and their kids. Beyond fantastic:

Ha! So good! Alright, NOW I’ll say thanks to Michelle, to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and of course to you for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend. Bye!

Obsessive consumption, rule-based projects, impostor syndrome, telling our inner a**hole where to go, and “making piles of crap” because that’s the only way you get better. Oh. This woman. So smart, so funny, so talented. I’m talking to Portland based illustrator/educator Kate Bingaman-Burt … she always has a ton of cool things on the go, so I am slightly stunned that I was able to get her for the podcast. She tucked herself away in a quiet corner of her office at school, and we talked and talked and talked {we went a little longer than normal!}. Maybe it’s because she’s a teacher, but wow, she had so much great advice to share. Listen right up there under the swirly IKEA cone, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. First up, one of Kate’s credit card statements… hand-drawn as self-imposed punishment:

Yep, she drew {and shared} all of her credit card statements until her debt was paid off. This is where her rule-based projects really took off. They of course led to her daily drawings… she drew everything she bought, every day, for YEARS. There are zillions of them, but here are just a few of my favorites:

Gah! So good… and what I might love even more is her hilarious commentary on each purchase! Clearly when obsessive behavior is involved, you have to organize your zillions of drawings somehow. Enter Kate’s monthly zine, “Obsessive Consumption” where she catalogued all of these hand-drawn purchases… which then became a big, beautiful book by the same title:

So. Good. Speaking of good, have you seen Handmade Nation? It’s a fantastic film by Faythe Levine. I love it so much, but until this podcast I had no idea that Kate did all of the illustrations for it! Who knew?

ps. If you haven’t seen this movie, you totally should. {Note to self: Invite Faythe Levine to be on the podcast}. And finally, in the speed round, I asked Kate about her favorite place to shop. I thought she might say IKEA or thrift shops, but nope… office supply stores! Apparently when Kate’s feeling creatively blocked, she wanders the label aisle to get unstuck {pun absolutely intended}. Here are a few of her purchases from the shelves that get her creative fires burning:

Post-its. Kate loves post-its, as I’m sure you can see from the number of pads she buys at one time. Ok, I’m off to set up some rule-based projects for myself so that I can make piles of crap, and you should too … because that’s how you get to the good stuff! Thanks so much to Kate for taking the time to do this with me, thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thanks to YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

ps. I hate to ask, but if you like my podcast, could you rate it on iTunes? It helps spread the word! xo

Yes, you’re seeing that correctly. It’s a bunny-deer. Today I’m talking to LA based ceramicist Debra Broz. Her work is so fun, and oh so very labor intensive. They’re like ceramic collages! All of these pieces are one of kind – two pieces truly merged into one… that’s right, no molds… just very precise cutting tools, a truckload of patience, and some major talent. I couldn’t wait to find out how she worked her “slow magic” to reimagine these little animals, and she was kind enough to tell me everything. Listen right up there under the bunny-deer, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. First up, the two-headed lamb that started it all {and a couple of my other favorites}:

Gah! So weird and amazing and bizarre and beautiful! I told her I was going to find a few critters at my local thrift shop so she could work her slow magic with them… this is what I found:

Um, yeah. I’m going to need to see that pig head on something… I’ll have to pack up a box and send him down! Ok, next up, the “Twin Persians” and the horses with hands {ps. she bought the hands in 2007 and the horses 2014… ah, a seven year wait but oh so worth it. They’re now joined in harmony!}

Weird! And wonderful. Here’s the bird/deer that she mentioned. I love this one. Oh, these colors!

I love it all! And before we wrap this up, here are a bunch of links to some other tidbits we talked about:

~ To buy her work, please visit her site, and if you’re brave enough to have her do a commission with your grandmother’s ceramics you can contact her via her site too!

~ If you’re in California before December 27, her work is in a show, titled RE-MADE, at the American Museum of Ceramic Art.

~ Speed-round gem, her favorite movie from her teen years… Reality Bites (classic!)

Thanks so much to Debra for giving us a peek behind the curtain, thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Horses on couches, bears swinging from chandeliers, and drawings that might not be exactly appropriate for children’s books … I’m in! Today on the podcast I’m talking to LA based artist Kelly Puissegur {apparently pronounced “Persegue”}. Anyway, we talked all about the process behind her crazy narrative paintings while we enjoyed an evening, nerve-debunking cocktail. Listen right up there, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. First up, a few pieces from the first post I ever wrote about Kelly. These paintings are from her etsy shop:

Oh. Those pugs. So good! Next, we took some time to talk about three pieces specifically. They are titled: no 1. The After Party / no 2. This Will Make You Smile / no 3. Almost Happy. Oh, and one little tidbit she threw out was that she actually plans all of her crazy paintings with collages first! Clearly, I had to see those and she was kind enough to let us peek behind the curtain! There are a few below:

Aren’t those planning collages cool!? I’m so glad she let me show them! I love that she gets inspired by found vintage photos, like this horse on the couch. Yes, she found a photo of a horse on a couch?! Next, she mentioned her friend who had a big “APPLAUSE” sign in his house. That very cool sign inspired these very cool pieces:

Love! Now, I think Kelly should illustrate a book, don’t you? She said she’d love to… but we agreed that there are a few pieces that might not be quite right for kids’ books. Here’s a little inappropriate sampling:

Yeah. Maybe not exactly right for a sweet bedtime story. So, during the speed round I found out that her favorite animals to paint are horses. I agree… her horses are so good:

Ha! So so good. Now, we didn’t talk about this, but I think it’s a great way to sign off…

Sigh… don’t you wish that you could hang out inside one of her paintings? Me too… and I can guarantee there wouldn’t be any parking on the dance floor! Thanks so much to Kelly for working up the nerve to do this with me {and I promise to live up to our deal at the very end}, thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and to you for looking ‘n listening! There’ll be more art for you ear next weekend.

Other links:

~ We talked about Jennifer Davis’ work

~ Kelly’s originals on Saatchi Art, and prints in her Etsy shop

Usually when you hear the name Jaime Derringer it’s associated with the very stylish, very popular blog, Design Milk. Since 2006, Jaime has spent her days writing about / discovering incredibly talented designers … furniture, jewelry, architecture, and of course artists. But when the sun goes down, or whenever she has a bit of free time {which isn’t often} she is also an artist herself. Drawing, painting, and a fine combination of both. I didn’t know much about how she started, her process, when the heck she fits this into her very busy life… so I asked her. Listen right up there, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them.

Now, before we talk about art, we have to watch this little tidbit that came up fairly early in our conversation: Ross Geller from “Friends” on keyboard… Jaime, is this what it looks like when you rock out on your new synthesizer? Ha! So, so awesome. Alright, time for art. Here are some of Jaime’s abstract paintings, and her gorgeous “string” drawings:

I would hang a little cluster of these together on a wall. I love the combination of precision and her “go with the flow” / “happy accident” approach. It’s kinda crazy that these pieces were made by the same person! And, a little peek into her drawing sketchbook that she works in at night… once her day at Design Milk is over, and her little girl has gone to bed:

She has been keeping a great record of her sketchbook pages through the years… you can see them all right here. And finally, her love of jewelry design has made its way from her body {every time I see her she’s wearing some kind of stunning piece}, to her newest venture, ADORN\milk:

Gah! Gorgeous… art that you wear! Boy oh boy, she has amazing taste and is such a wonderful supporter of independent artists. These are a few of my favorite pieces – you can find them here: bracelet by pico design \ earrings by maple + mauve \ ring by maison 203 \ necklace by vulantri – and of course the whole collection can be found here.

And with that I will say thanks so much to Jaime, to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and to you for listening… there will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend!