Oh boy… do you know what this means? Yes, my podcast – “Art For Your Ear” – is back! I’m kicking off season no.3 with the talented and hilarious Sara Khan. Born in England, raised in Pakistan and now based in Vancouver, Sara has all sorts of experiences and stories to draw from. We’re also covering important topics such as giving birth to kittens and / or dragons. Listen right up there under “Womens Games”, or subscribe on iTunes.

First up, images from Sara’s series “Ubiquitous Follies” which I fell madly in love with last year. These pieces are a great introduction to the magical watercolor worlds she’s been creating recently:

See? Her own worlds, filled with mythology and hidden meanings. LOVE.

Speaking of love, here’s a peek at the gigantic wall Sara did for the 2018 Vancouver Mural Festival:

Oh my word. Seriously. So gorgeous, but even more impressive … that she figured out a way to translate her smallish watercolors into a large-scale mural done with house paint. House. Paint.

I thought this would be really interesting for you to see. Sara talked a bit about her work from a few years ago – which of course ultimately led to what she’s doing now – that involved using mainly charcoal:

These are great too, but you can see that she was looking for her style. Well, she found it!  Here’s what is happening in 2018… I found these on her site and her Instagram feed:

Gasp! Those figures?! Stunning. And finally, I couldn’t wrap up this post without a little look into Sara’s home studio. Ahhh, sunshine streaming in… see, it doesn’t rain in Vancouver all the time:

When there’s stuff all over the floor, you know some major work is getting done! Thanks so much to Sara for being my very first guest of this new season … and congratulations on your big news, Sara xo. Thanks to Saatchi Art and Create Magazine for supporting the episode, and thank YOU for swinging back over for a whole new season! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Pennylane Shen, Art Advisor Extraordinaire 
2. Vancouver Mural Festival
3. Thrive 
4. Video of Sara’s mural by Joe Bronson  {Joe Bronson’s IG}
5. The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art

THIS IS A DRAWING. Yes, “paint” drawn with colored pencils. For real. After listening to – and loving – both of her TEDx talks (2014 / 2018), I am so thrilled to be chatting with Australian-born, New York based artist CJ Hendry. A few fun facts: CJ stands for Catherine Jenna, she sold her entire wardrobe to buy drawing supplies, her favorite color is white, and she swears like a sailor… obviously I loved her immediately. Listen to episode no.140, the final episode of Season No.2, right up there under that perfect pink “paint”, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Big, beautiful objects of desire:

She doesn’t love the word “AMAZING”, so don’t tell her I said this … AMAZING! She’s got a lot of footwear in her portfolio, but I’m pretty sure those Aussie boots were the big first sale she mentioned.

Next … food! This is the first series of CJ’s I ever saw (2015). Clearly I had to write a post immediately when I saw these yummy morsels:

Um, yeah… my pen doesn’t do that.

Now, we didn’t talk about this next series, but I just found it (on her Instagram feed), and had to show you. An alphabet of metallic balloons, each letter drawn in a location that started with that particular letter:

… and of course, there are many more! I was quite proud of my self-control in only posting two of them.

Oh my word, and now her paint series. This might be my fave (simply because I personally have a thing for big juicy strokes of paint in my own work). Brace yourself:

Pick jaw up off floor. Continue reading:

And finally… “Monochrome”:

I absolutely will not say AMAZING (but I might be thinking it). I wish I’d been in New York when this show was open… I would have jumped in that bin of pink teddy bears for sure.

And lastly, I thought this photo was a perfect way to wrap things up … CJ in New York, drawing, while wearing all white:

Livin’ the dream. I’m quite sure she can afford all of the petrol, rent and snacks her heart desires at this point! Thank you so much to CJ for doing this with me – I had such a great time, and I feel like this conversation was a great way to finish season two! Thanks to Saatchi Art and Create Magazine for supporting the episode (and don’t forget to check out The Other Art Fair … London, Chicago, Los Angeles and Brooklyn are this fall, so deadlines are coming up). And finally, high fives to you for always showing up to listen – I appreciate it more than I can explain in words. I’m going to spend the summer recharging, getting ready for my fall book tour, and recording a whole bunch of new episodes for SEASON THREE … see you in September! ps. In the meantime, feel free to pop over to iTunes to give Art For Your Ear a little love ♥

Other links:

1. CJ on Instagram
2. TEDx 2014
3. TEDx 2018
4. Monochrome
5. The Other Art Fair via Saatchi Art

Doesn’t this look like one of those “artists in their studio” photos that you’d find in an art history book … well, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly where this photo is headed. Today I’m interviewing TWO talented ‘n successful artists at the same time… two talented ‘n successful artists who also happen to be a married couple. Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson live together, make art together, have a daughter together, teach together, and yes, they even show their work together! In fact, they’ve got a show opening next Thursday, June 7th, at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles (Culver City). I’ve been lucky enough to get to know this hilarious, insightful, talented couple over the past few years, but this episode gave me a chance to ask ALL of my very important questions… like who made the first move!? Listen right up there under that super cute photo of Esther & Mark from 2002, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First, a zine. Now if I’d had this ahead of time, I wouldn’t have had to ask Mark about his childhood in Las Vegas:

Ok, now I have more questions.

Speaking of zines, I give you the BUTT BOOK:

Hilarious! This is one of many collaborative creative projects these two do when they get together with all of their amazing friends. Butts as a zine theme … pure gold.

So, I’ve interviewed Esther before – both on the podcast (Ep.28), and also for my new book about women artists. Her “memory” paintings are a beautiful, funny (and sometimes sad-ish) nod to her childhood:

Gah! I love them so much! She doesn’t have any sculpture in this upcoming show, but I couldn’t control myself … I had to put that tornado in.

Next … Mark’s records! Paintings, ceramics, googly eyes, and Lionel Richie:

Seriously … SO FUN!

I got to hang out in their home studio last time I was in LA, and it really is filled to the brim with fantastic stuff. Here’s a tiny peek:

Love! AND, that final piece above is finished and ready to hang in the new show… it’s the FOOL MOON painting Esther was talking about. Yet another serendipitous moment ♥

Ah yes, and here’s one more moment (brace yourself if you’re afraid of heights):

A post shared by Mark Todd (@mark_todd) on Nov 29, 2017 at 6:39pm PST

No. Just NO.

Almost finished, but clearly I have to show you Esther’s bulldog cowboy boots:

… and since Mark doesn’t have boots that are this cool, here he is with a dinosaur. Thanks so much to Mark & Esther for doing this with me! I’m counting down to hanging out with them when I’m in LA this fall! Speaking at Art Center, eating mac ‘n cheese, and hopefully painting a butt on something. Thank you to Saatchi Art and Thrive for supporting this episode, and of course, big thanks to you for listening. The final episode of season two will be up next weekend.

Other links:

1. Esther, Episode no.28
2. Esther on Instagram / Mark on Instagram / Lili on Instagram!
3. Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
4. Aaron Smith, Episode no.90
5. Martha Rich, Episode no.1 & Episode no.72
6. Fun Chicken (their online shop!)
7. Kolaj Fest, New Orleans
8. JUNE 7, 2018 … Their show at Vielmetter Gallery, Culver City CA

Sure, she used to serve pancakes to unhappy customers, but those days are long gone! Today, Ekaterina Popova is a painter, the founder/editor of Create Magazine, and she’s about to become the host of her own soon-to-launch podcast called Art & Cocktails… yep, it involves drinking with artists. Works for me! The only way I was able to get Kat on my podcast was to agree to be on hers, so we’re interviewing each other today. Since it was only 9am my time, I opted for Baileys in my coffee. Yum! You can listen to all of our dirty laundry right up there under Kat’s dirty laundry, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First, her absolutely beautiful domestic “messes”:

Gasp! Those color palettes, and don’t even get me started on the light in these “everyday” spaces. Speaking of every day… here are just a few of Kat’s daily sketches:

What!? These are just sketches?! FRAME ALL OF THEM and call it a day!!!

Sorry for the outburst. Ok, moving on… to a residency in Iceland:

Sigh, so dreamy. I truly admire Kat for not only her sense of adventure, but the hustle she puts into getting herself to all sorts of fabulous places. Grants, applications, selling work… yep, this woman makes things happen.

Oh yes, and when she’s not painting, or traveling, or both… Kat runs Create Magazine. And it’s FANTASTIC:

Look at her … like a proud mama bear with her baby {if her baby lived in a magazine shop}. I love the calibre of artists she includes in Create, the beautiful design, and I also love how much artists love being included in its pages! Most of the images above are Instagrams taken by the artists featured in the spreads. Yeah, I’d Instagram the hell out of that too! ps. I had to include Ashley Longshore‘s cover … Jesus in Guccis for the win.

And finally – this is the best – little Ekaterina in Russia doing what she was meant to do…

… and a grown-up, about to turn 30 later this year, Kat doing what she is meant to do! Destiny? I believe so. Thanks so much to Kat for doing this double interview with me {and giving me a reason to drink at 9am};  thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and of course, thank you so much for listening. There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Art & Cocktails Podcast {launching soon!}
2. Kat on Instagram
3. Create Magazine
4. Elspeth Pratt, Artist and Professor
5. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
6. Janna Watson, Episode no.133
7. Bunnie Reiss, Episode no.78
8. Vancouver Mural Festival
9. “A Big Important Art Book … Now with Women” (my new book)
10. Big Important Merch! (mugs, shirts etc)
11. My art site / My art Instagram

You know when you set out to interview a complete stranger, but instead you end up with a new friend who somehow totally understands your love of weeding other people’s gardens, staring into space, and eating at gallery cafes?  Yep, my plan had been to interview New York based artist, designer, and general creative genius Doug Meyer about his beautiful new book, but as usual, one thing led to another and we wound up talking about WAY more than that. You can listen right up there under that still from New York Magazine’s video about Doug’s amazing apartment, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Where do we even begin? Well, let’s start with just a few of the wildly wonderful environments Doug has created for various clients:

Oh my word, yes! In any of those spaces, you’d feel like you were living INSIDE a work of art. Speaking of which, Doug and his husband live INSIDE a work of art:

Yeah, that’s his apartment in Chelsea. ?!? All of these images are from an article in New York Magazine. Here’s the video from the same article that Doug and I were talking about. You have to see this place to believe it:

Right!?

Ok, and now… the cameos! Have a look and tell me you don’t want one:

Well, now I want one for each member of my entire family, mounted on that crazy beautiful wallpaper.

And finally, yes, we even talked about the book! “Heroes : A Tribute” is exactly that:

“The book pays homage to some of the first victims of AIDS and AIDS-related diseases—brilliant creative figures such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring, Rudolph Nureyev, Freddie Mercury, Rock Hudson, John Duka, Tina Chow, Klaus Nomi, Halston, and Angelo Donghia. In Heroes, artist Doug Meyer honors 50 innovative pioneers from the worlds of art, design, film, and dance whose contributions may be unknown to a younger generation.”

And here’s a little peek into this neon-covered object d’art:

So gorgeous, so powerful, and so important. ps. I had to throw in that group of heroes I found on Doug’s Instagram feed… it makes me really happy to see a bunch of them hanging out together. Thanks to Doug for sharing all of his hilarious/inspiring stories; thank you to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and great big thanks to you for listening. There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Heroes : A Tribute {BUY the book today!}
2. Doug on Instagram
3. Doug & Gene Meyer
4. Holly Solomon, Collector & Curator
5. DIFFA
6. New York Magazine / The Cut

First of all, today is World Collage Day!? For real. So, how perfect is it that I have the lovely and talented Clare Celeste Börsch on the podcast? Perfectly perfect! Clare is an American artist based in Berlin… who has also lived in Thailand, Brazil, Italy, Argentina, and that’s just the first part of the story! I’ve loved her work for years, and assumed she was a full-time artist. Well, you know what they say about “assuming”… it makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. I feel like this episode is a piece of art history in the making because only two months ago, Clare finally made the jump to being an Artist with a capital A. Why? Because a tiger told her to. Listen right up there under that lady sleeping on a petal, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Where to begin? With Clare’s tiger, obviously. Thankfully, he has finally been set free:

This is a brand new piece {as in two days ago} that Clare made to celebrate/embrace this exciting JUMP into being a full-time artist. The story about her tiger dream was magic, as is this collage.

These are a few pieces that represent what Clare was doing for the last few years {before the glass and installation pieces}. I own prints of a few of these, and yes, I LOVE them:

Sigh. So lovely … and insane cutting skills, no?!

Ooooh, here’s the installation Clare created {and that I wrote about just a few weeks ago}:

Ridiculously beautiful {even that yellow snake, whom I hate}. So much attention to detail, so many perfectly cut bits of wonderfulness, and all done while her baby napped. I mean, COME ON.

From gallery walls to New York Magazine! Yep, for somebody “doing this on the side”, Clare has certainly had some very cool commercial clients:

Speaking as a person who buys wine for the labels {don’t you dare judge me}, I’d buy all of these!

And now… Clare’s newest body of work. Collaged worlds living inside glass panels:

Right!? Oh I think she’s on her way to creating the 3D collage world that’s in her mind. I am so happy that tiger is out of his cage!

And as usual, I like to finish things off with the artist in her element:

Gasp! That light! Also, look how organized her cuttings are? Honestly, that makes my heart race with Type A excitement {I feel like you might be judging me again?}. Thank you so much to Clare for being my guest today; thanks to Saatchi Art and Create Magazine for supporting the episode; and huge thanks to you for listening! There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Vincent Serritella, Episode No.9
2. Kate Woodrow, Literary Agent
3. Fulcrum Arts, Pasadena CA
4. LACE 
5. Kolaj Conference, July 2018
6. Joseph Cornell
7. “A Glorious Freedom” by Lisa Congdon
8. Raffy Napay (Textile installation artist)
9. Clare’s beautiful, newly restructured Instagram feed!

Brace yourself, because you’re in for a hilarious, inspiring, glittery, curse-filled adventure! New Orleans based artist, artrepreneur, and fabulous woman Ashley Longshore is my guest today. She makes, well, everything! From paintings to bedazzled large-scale lipstick tubes. Personally, I think her next art/product should be a flowery pink perfume {with glitter floating in it, obviously} called “#fuckyeah ~ exuding confidence and pure joy since 1976”. I’d buy it by the barrel! You can listen to our conversation right up there under those fabulous lips, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, a few of my favorites from her “painting” section – from Jesus to Lil Wayne, Mona to Frida:

Love! Even more love when you see the scale… that’s Frida now living in the home of one of Ashley’s collectors. Stun. Ning.

Ok, I think Ashley is all of us in this photo and video. If and when the New York Times writes a glowing review of you / your work… sobbing:

A post shared by Ashley Longshore (@ashleylongshoreart) on Apr 26, 2018 at 6:36pm PDT

Yep. Alllll of that.

Next. Cake sculptures. A big one to jump out of, and one that I truly lived:

Ok, fine, I didn’t know what bukkake was, BUT I DO NOW. Clearly I’m going to need that sheet cake sculpture… she literally did make me google bukkake {but I don’t think she was sorry!}.

Ahhh, the 7th floor of Bergdorf Goodman. I had a lot of favorite moments in this interview, but the way she went from being invited to show one piece, to taking over the entire space? Yeah, Ashley Longshore is officially my spirit animal. Here’s a peek into just some of the fabulousness of that show, and the opening night in New York:

Gah!!! Ah-mazing. And yes, that’s Blake Lively lovin’ everything Ashley creates, AND one of the windows on 5th Avenue. Arrived? Yes, I do believe so.

But wait, there’s more! Ashley’s book, a memoir titled “You Don’t Look Fat, You Look Crazy”:

So FANTASTIC!

And finally, after all of the insanity that is Ashley’s life at the moment, she will be retreating back into her studio to recharge and MAKE MORE STUFF:

Hell, yes! I hope you’ve come away from this episode feeling absolutely inspired and empowered… I sure have! Make work, know your worth, sell your art and REPEAT. Thanks so much to Ashley for taking time out of her exciting, crazy busy life to do the podcast; thanks to Saatchi Art and Thrive Mastermind for supporting the episode; and as always, huge thanks to you for listening – there will be more art for your ear next weekend. xo

Other links:

1. New York Times article on Ashley
2. Bergdorf Goodman show
3. Blake Lively
4. Vie magazine {photo of Bergdorf Goodman window}
5. Create Magazine Interview
6. Artgasm
7. Raw Republic Juice
8. Ashley on Instagram
9. Kolaj Fest – July 12-15 New Orleans

The term “mixed media” is a massive understatement for the work of American artist Kaylee Dalton. You’re looking at paint, wax, fabric, bits of watercolor paintings, gouache, and probably a bunch of other stuff! I just discovered Kaylee’s work a few months ago, and yes, I was an instant fan. Listen right up there under “Midnight Lush No.5”,  or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First… the way I found Kaylee’s work? She submitted to the issue of Create Magazine that I curated. Not only did I select her work for the issue, I also chose her for the cover:

Gorgeous!

So, I mentioned that I basically stopped in my tracks and wrote about her the second I saw her submission – here are a few of the encaustic monotype / mixed media pieces I included in that post:

Oh my word, I love them all. As you can see, I had a really hard time deciding if my faves were on the white Rives BFK paper, or the black Stonehenge… and I still don’t know!?

Next, Kaylee’s encaustic paintings on peg board panels. This is what she was working on up until last year:

You can see the seeds {pun absolutely intended} for the work she’s doing now, yes?

Ooh, and if I wasn’t having a hard enough time deciding between the black / white paper backgrounds, she recently started playing with Kraft paper … or in her words, coffee ice cream paper:

Mmmm, coffee ice cream indeed! See, wouldn’t ALL of her new work be gorgeous as fabric? Hey Gucci, I’m talking to you!

And finally, Kaylee in her studio and one lovely work in progress {both found on her Instagram feed}:

Beautiful. Thanks so much to Kaylee for coming on the podcast … gushing aside, I really do think there are exciting things in her future! Thank you to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and thanks to you for listening. There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Kaylee on Instagram
2. Create! Magazine
3. Ball State University, Indiana
4. Kris Knight, Artist
5. Gucci
6. Frank Stella, Artist
7. “Kitchen Nightmares”
8. Milk Bar Bakery, New York

ps. I just got a message from Caitlin McDonagh, and she suggested Krylon Archival Varnish spray for sealing work. I’m going to try it this afternoon! – Thanks Caitlin

From being the daughter of a pastor in a rural town of 700 people, to a full-time abstract painter in downtown Toronto. Yes, Janna Watson is my guest today… I’ve been trying to get her on for months and months and months, so I’m thrilled that this finally happened. Listen right up there under “I woke up in a dry fountain and ice light”, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, a few of Janna’s red paintings! I don’t know what it is about her red pieces, but they grab me every single time:

Ok. I see a tree in that last one. Maybe it’s the essence of the tree her grandfather pointed out. I tried to include a few shots to show scale, because 2D jpgs just don’t do Janna’s work justice.

Here are a few more… lots of gradient backgrounds, insanely beautiful color combinations, and lovely lines made with pastels:

Oh my word. I love all of them so, so much.

Next… Watson Soule. This is what happens when you bring art into your home, but instead of hanging it on the wall, you put it on the floor:

So cool. That’s Janna on the left (Watson), and Nico on the right (Soule).

Ok, and this just wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t include a few behind the scenes shots. I was lucky enough to pop into her Toronto studio earlier today, and first things first, I could not believe how big her brushes are:

Giant brushstrokes, a lovely studio space, and an up-close shot of a ‘work in progress’.

Now, I forgot to get exact examples of the red + grey + white combo that Janna mentioned, but I’m guessing a few of these pieces use that magical recipe:

Maybe? Either way… so beautiful!!!

And finally, a few shots from our visit this morning (note the super cute little painting shoes she wears while working):

And there we are… we did the selfie! Also, the couch. It was the first amazing thing I saw as I walked in, and yes, her grandfather designed it! Love. Thank you so much to Janna for doing this with me (and letting me into her studio today!); thanks to Saatchi Art and Create Magazine for supporting the episode; and huge thanks to you for listening! There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Bau-Xi Gallery, Toronto/Vancouver
2. Kenise Barnes Fine Art, New York
3. Watson Soule
4. OCADU

On fire, indeed! That’s a detail of a quilt… a  QUILT, by Minneapolis based artist {and hilarious story teller} Terrence Payne. I had him on the podcast almost 70 episodes ago, but when I discovered that he’d put his oil pastels down for a moment, and traded them in for a sewing machine, well, I had to have him back on. AND, I had dinner with him when I was in Wisconsin last fall, and I laughed so hard I almost broke something. He has some stories, let’s just say that. Quick warning though, there is swearing in this episode, so if you have kids around you may want to pop in some headphones instead. Seriously. I was going to bleep him, but it took away from the insanity of his stories. You’ll see what I mean. Anyway, back to ART! You can listen right up there under the close-up of one of Terrence’s fire quilts, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, a refresher from episode no.71 … a few of my favorites! I love his large-scale oil pastel drawings, especially the text pieces:

BOOM!

Ok, that of course leads into why we’re here today. This pentagram drawing is one that Terrence is known for, and then look what I caught a glimpse of while scrolling through Instagram:

What!? A quilt version of the drawing!? I thought someone had paid an homage to him… nope, TERRENCE MADE A QUILT.

Well, he got hooked and is currently working on 12 quilts for an opening at his gallery, Rosalux, at the beginning of May. Here’s where he is so far:

His drawings in textile form! I thought this was his first foray into the world of fabric stores etc, but no. Here is a 2008 installation that he did with fellow Minneapolis-based artist Amy Rice. It was titled, “Nest : An Exhibition of Living” and took place in a very cool lookin’ house:

Ahhh, I wish this was still around so I could live in it. Beautiful.

Also beautiful, Terrence’s “knots”… both the original pastel drawing AND the wallpaper version by Hygge & West:

So pretty. {I have a chunk of this framed in my studio}.

Ok, and another interior collaboration… Terrence Payne + Target:

Again, gorgeous! Quite amazing how he can blend his work about “dystopian societies” so beautifully with commercial projects!

Oh, and I just had to throw this in, because at the end of the day, I was super proud of this show! This is a little peek into “Open Door 13” that I was invited to curate at Rosalux Gallery in December 2017:

Seriously, that dog. But wait, there’s one more dog you need to meet:

Oh, Dottie! So sweet. And Terrence, hard at work… someone should make him a quilt to lie on too. Thanks so much to Terrence for doing this with me {again}, and for telling me all of the stuff and things! Huge thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and thank YOU for listening. There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Rosalux Gallery, Minneapolis
2. Terrence on Instagram
3. Amy Rice, Artist
4. Ben Venom, Artist
5. Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis
6. Tonya Corkey, Episode no.75
7. Hygge & West (Wallpaper Co.)