Smoking baby doll. Yep, crazy. This was such a fun episode, but it wasn’t the normal format. I had my questions ready for Canadian ceramics artist Susannah Montague, but she had a list for me too! Why the shake-up? Well, I was not in my pillow fort studio for this one… we were LIVE at Club Kwench in Victoria, BC {photos below}. So, we talked about everything – from her movie-prop-making days to her beautiful twins who were the wonderful miracle of IVF… hence the baby dolls and blastocyst bubbles! Listen right up there under that “sweet” baby, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First, those beautiful baby bubbles I was just mentioning:

Stunning. Susannah’s level of detail blows my mind. Flowers, skulls, and … belugas:

I was so happy to finally have a chance to ask her what all of these tiny tidbits are about, and of course, I should have known the answer. Susannah is inspired by the Dutch Vanitas … beauty through decay and the inevitability of death… so enjoy the now!

Speaking of death, how about a couple of beautiful porcelain ghosts connected by their life-breath, as if to say “we are all one, we are all connected”:

See? This is why I said “crazy” so many times! CRAZY. Look at that bunnicorn on the left!

And of course, I have to show the process for these ghostly beauties. FYI, people who cast their children in the name of art, well, you know they mean business:

Love, love, love! Don’t you want to spend a day in her gorgeous Bowen Island studio? Be careful though… she might cast you!

Ok, and then it was my turn. The first question Susannah asked me was about my new book… and yes, I could talk about it FOREVER:

A BIG IMPORTANT ART BOOK… Now with Women! Seriously, I could not be more proud of this project. I hope there are many more volumes to come! {It will be on shelves on Oct 2, but you can preorder it now if you wanna.} So, those last two photos above are my “book nook”, both the interior and exterior view : )

Next, just a few of my mixed media collages:

The top-most image was the first piece I ever did in this series {that I started just over two years ago}, and the final piece is the one that Susannah owns! It is titled, “BARB AND CANDICE WERE LIKE TOTALLY NAILING THIS WHOLE LIFE / BALANCE THING.”

And here we are – recording live – at the sun-filled, dreamy, creative space that is Club Kwench:

HA! That’s me, Susannah, and Tessa {the dynamo behind Kwench}, chugging a little Creative Juice XXX! Can you believe Susannah made those for us a few days before the event!? I didn’t make anything for anyone. Oh, and I had to include a shot of the lovely little Liz-inspired bud vase that she made for me last year. Isn’t it gorgeous? Now I have two pieces by Susannah, so I guess that means I owe her one of mine! Thank you so much to Susannah, her super sweet twins, Tessa at Club Kwench, our fabulous audio guys Andrew Lloyd and Nick Francis, and the lovely live audience. Without that giant list of people, this sunny Sunday event wouldn’t have happened. AND, this podcast wouldn’t happen without the support of Saatchi Art, Thrive Mastermind, and YOU. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Emily Carr University of Art & Design
2. Thrive Mastermind
3. Club Kwench, Victoria 
4. Sound by: Andrew Lloyd and Nick Francis
5. Seymour Gallery, Vancouver {her show is up until Apr 14}
6. Susannah on Instagram
7. Madrona Gallery, Victoria
8. Amanda Smith, episode no.6
9. Wayne White, episode no. 30
10. Tina Berning, episode no.68
11. My art site / My art Instagram feed
12. Running Press {preorder the book today!}

“Chums” … get it!? Hilarious! This is the whimsical and wonderful work of California based artist Lorien Stern. These pieces are part of a show that opens at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco this Saturday, and yes, it’s titled “Chums”…

“Chums focuses on the seemingly dubious relationships between sharks and other maritime creatures. The exhibition features a colorful assortment of the artist’s iconic shark heads as well as an array of fish and birds. Stern is particular interested in the mutually beneficial friendship between pilot fish and sharks. Swimming alongside one another, the fish gain protection from predators, while the shark gains freedom from parasites. In response, the artist created every piece in the exhibition to have a counterpart — each work matches to another through pattern and color. Transcending species and trepidation, Chums celebrates the power of connection.”

The opening reception is this Saturday – February 3rd from 6pm-9pm – and Lorien will be there too! {show runs until February 24}.

Oh, the work of Barcelona based artist and illustrator Sonia Pulido. Love. I’ve written about Sonia’s ceramics before, and so today my plan was to focus on her 2D work… but then a bunch of porcelain bird ladies got in there! I couldn’t help myself, they’re just too good.

Gasp! This is the stunning work of Los Angeles based artist Liz Robb. The beads, the dyes, the weaving… seriously I’m having a hard time catching my breath. And, if all of these beauties aren’t enough to be excited by, from what I can tell via her site and her Instagram feed, I’m pretty sure Liz makes a lot of her own dyes! CAUTION: DO NOT EAT POKE BERRIES.

Functional and totally bizarre… yes, yes, a thousand times YES! This is the weird and wonderful work of London based artist Ikuko Iwamoto. This is what I imagine finding if one were to look for sugar bowls and vases at the bottom of the ocean… GORGEOUS! Ikuko also has an amazing fine art practice that you can see right here, but I have to admit, it was those urchin-like containers that got me with their spiky fantasticness.

{Some of her pieces are available in her online shop.}

December 1st calls for a list of art stuff, because that’s all I want this every year! Here are just a few of my favorite things from 2017 … {ps. scroll to the bottom for links}

BAGS: from one of NIAD‘s artists, Sarah Malpass… love! / BOOKS: A Glorious Freedom by Lisa Congdon; Your Inner Critic Is A Big Jerk by me; If You Can Cut You Can Collage by Hollie Chastain; On the Loom by Maryanne Moodie / ART SUPPLIES: Weaving Starter Kits by Maryanne Moodie; ArtSnacks monthly supply subscription (ps. if you enter ‘thejealouscurator’ you’ll get 10% off at checkout) ; Stand alone supplies from the ArtSnacks shop / CERAMICS: Bowls & more by Mariko Paterson; Mugs by Molly Hatch via Anthropologie; Incense holders by Kinska / ‘RANDOM CRAP’: Tote Bag by Martha Rich; Cat T-Shirt by Martha Rich; Socks by Martha Rich; Bob Ross Board Game {not by Martha Rich}.

And of course, if you’re looking for ART, type “shop” in my search bar and you’ll find the posts with links to artists who have shops. If you want to do a bit of art browsing, I’d suggest visiting Saatchi Art for prints & originals, and Limited by Saatchi Art for limited edition prints….

*Portrait by János Huszti ; Circles by Slavomir Zombek; Abstract by HyunRyoung Kim

Porcelain! Oh. My. Word. I wrote about California based artist ReCheng Tsang a couple of years ago, but today when I came across, what I assumed were dyed textile pieces, well, this post almost wrote itself. Porcelain, acrylic wash and ink … not even close to strips of soft fabric. GORGEOUS.

{These stunning works are available via Uprise Art, NY}

Ceramics and tattoos as far as the eye can see! This is the fun and beautiful work of Brazilian artist Evelyn Tannus. Other than that, I don’t know anything else about her… BUT, I do know her gorgeous work is available in her shop. I also know that I might need at least one of those arms and a couple of hands. Happy weekend.

Oh, HELLO! ‘Ceramic drawings’ by Canadian artist Genevieve Dionne. I’ve written about her before {fyi, this woman can make anything}, but this work is relatively new for her. I’ve been following along on Instagram so I can see what she’s gonna put in the kiln next! It’s truly a peek into her art practice because Genevieve shows the good, the bad, and the broken … poor little brassiere. Follow her.  {Also, how clever is this video of Genevieve in action?}

A post shared by Genevieve Dionne (@genevievedionne) on Oct 24, 2017 at 12:45pm PDT

Yes, that is a ceramic urn custom made for Pants the cat… AMAZING. Today’s episode is filled with weird and wacky ceramics – both functional and sculptural – by Canadian artist Mariko Paterson, aka Forage Studios. You can listen to our conversation right up there under Mr.Pants’ final resting place, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, a few of my favorites from her functional portfolio … obviously I had to start off with a little Wonder Woman action!

… and finishing with a lobster bowl! Hilariously awesome.

Next, a few of Mariko’s sculptural pieces, including another urn because I can’t get over how fantastic they are:

Ah, Buddy.

And as always, the Not-so-speedy Speed Round™. I asked her a question about wrestling a luchador … the sole purpose, of course, being an excuse to include these beauties in the post:

Te Amo, too! Yes, I want to eat all of my soups and noodles from a “Forage Studios” luchador bowl from this day forward.

And finally, Mariko and one hairy wiener so you can see who you were listening to:

Awww! So sweet! Thanks to Mariko for taking the time to chat with me, and being so open and honest about “the hustle”; thank you to Saatchi Art, and the wonderful, creative women at THRIVE, for supporting the podcast; and of course, thanks to you for listening! There will be more Art For Your Ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Langara College, Vancouver
2. Alberta College of Art & Design
3. NASCAD
4. SOFA Show, Chicago
5. Molly Hatch episode
6. Mariko’s Instagram feed
7. Forage Studios, aka Mariko’s shop