Sculptures? Paintings? Yep! This is the gorgeous, and totally unique work of American artist Susan Maddux. After years in New York, painting textiles for the fashion industry, Susan made the jump to LA and her own fine art practice. Born in Hawaii, to a hapa Japanese-American family, Susan has “absorbed the influence of Japanese folk art traditions and Buddhist temples as well as the arts of Polynesia.”  Love! I also love this quote I found on one of her Instagram posts, and had to share it:

“All my life, people have told me [being an artist] was impossible, so I honestly never considered it a real option even though making things is all I’ve ever wanted to do. But what I discovered when I was at my lowest, is that ‘impossible’ is just a story. Stories are so powerful. Tell yourself a good one!” 

See? So good!

Fine, I won’t try to eat any of these pieces, but wow, that’s alotta eye candy! This absolutely gorgeous, joy-filled, I-wish-I-could-lick-it show is titled “Curious Matter”. Oh, how I’d love to sit in the middle of that happy space for an afternoon… so therapeutic. “Curious Matter” was installed at Skye Gallery Aspen, and featured the work of three fabulous female artists: Dan Lam, Yellena James, and Meghan Shimek. Now, who wants some sugar?

*Install shots by Jason Siegel

Mind-bending paintings… that are actually bent! This is the dizzying, vibrant, fabulous work of Kentucky based artist Gibbs Rounsavall, and here is part of his artist statement:

For over twenty-five years, I’ve applied a laser-like focus of study on the element of color and yet still remain fascinated by its emotional impact. How it can transport us through time, elicit memories and suspend perceptions of reality. This keeps my creative engine running in perpetuity. Using a methodical approach, I apply an array of vibrant lines that excite the eye, moving in and out, back and forth. This is composed on a variety of two and three-dimensional forms that stretch away from the wall inviting movement in order to be fully realized … Our attention is today’s most valuable commodity. Where we choose to focus our attention is directly related to the quality of our lives.

Love! Gibbs’ work is available through Galerie Robertson Arès, Montreal.

“Tasting chartreuse”, laying in fields of peonies, and sitting under tables at some of Canada’s most important art events. My first guest of this new podcast season is Anong Beam. She is an artist, a mother, a paint maker, and she’s from an Ojibwe family that is part of both Canada’s Indigenous history and art history. Now, if any of you use Beam Paints… and I already know that a LOT of you do, then you might recognize Anong as the founder of this beautiful, sustainable, creative brand. Listen right up there under Anong out in her happy place on Manitoulin Island, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First up, a little peak at Anong with her artist parents, Carl and Ann Beam:

How beautiful… and a part of Canadian Art History! You can read more about both of her parents and their work: Carl Beam / Ann Beam.

Speaking of work, here are some of the most recent pieces by Anong:

Gah! Gorgeous! The final image above is the first WIP in her dad’s studio. So, so special.

And of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without a look at Anong’s absolute beautiful, hand-crafted paints. WARNING: Do not eat them, even though you’ll really want to:

Aren’t they stunning? And clearly her dad would be very proud… here he is, back in the day, making his own paint on the hood of car!

And finally, to THE GIVE-AWAY!

If you’d like to enter to win this little combo, brought to you by two artsy Canadians, just leave a comment here. I will draw ONE NAME next Saturday, September 18th and that lucky person will receive Beam Paints’ “Mixing Six” and a signed copy of my kids’ book, HOW TO SPOT AN ARTIST. Thanks soooo much to Anong for sharing all of her stories, thanks to Storyblocks for supporting this episode, and huge thanks to you for listening. There will be a brand new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR in two weeks. See you then!

Other links:

1. Beam Paints
2. Beam Paints on Instagram
3. Anong on Instagram
4. Carl Beam
5. Ann Beam
6. Ojibwe Cultural Foundation
7. Indian Residential School Survivors Society
8. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
9. No Such Thing As Too Much Art Society 
10. Storyblocks 

Elyse Dodge is a fabulous artist based in Los Angeles, but she grew up just down the lake from where I grew up! Yep, we’re just a couple of girls from the Okanagan Valley talkin’ about mountains, lakes, graphic design, murals and everything in between… ie., there are a LOT of tangents and side stories that have nothing to do with art, so just pretend your eavesdropping on two old friends {who’ve never met!} catching up at a cafe.

Alright, first up, a few of my favorites from Elyse’s gorgeous painting portfolio:

You know what’s coming… gasp! Yep. Speaking of which, here’s the painting that made me cry on Christmas morning:

Isn’t that gorgeous!? She captured it perfectly… probably partly because she knows those mountains and vineyards so well. ps. Is that my pink couch? No. Do I wish it was? YES.

Next, here are a few of the digital illustrations Elyse was talking about:

Breathtaking! And I love that this provides options for people when it comes to affordability. Smart, smart, smart.

Okay. Look at this… one of Elyse’s mountain ranges wrapping around a building!?

Gasp… again! This was a mural Elyse did for the 2019 Vancouver Mural Festival. 3000 square feet of surface to paint; 128 paint colors; 11 days of painting; 81 hours that she was onsite; 14 iced soy lattes; 3 almost full time painters; 4 single day painters; 4 babysitters to help watch her baby; 1 awesome husband to help at home. PHEWF! I just need to take a moment because I’m in awe. Stun. Ning.

Alright, I’m ready to keep going. Remember those skis I mentioned?

Now that is what a perfect collaboration looks like! She did this digital drawing of Cerro Torre in Patagonia for J Skis’ limited edition Masterblaster skis. Check out the skis right here, and buy a print of Elyse’s Cerro Torre right here.

Ooooh, and this mid-century beauty is “Lemon Drop”:

I love that she pitched this to a client. If you want to try new things, DO IT! You’ll be surprised by how many people want to come along for the ride! Oh, perfect segue:

Hahaha! Proof that Elyse can stand up on a surf board, and a lovely shot of her soon-to-be family of four! She’s going to be surrounded by a whole bunch of boys who love her so much. Thanks so much to Elyse for doing this with me during such a ridiculously busy time in her life; thanks to Create! Magazine for supporting this episode {link to submit below}; and thanks to you for listening. ART FOR YOUR EAR will be on a summer break through July and August, but back in action this September. If you need a tide over until then, please sign up for ‘The NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH ART Society” and I’ll deliver artsy goodness to your inbox every Monday through Saturday. Have a lovely weekend! ~ Danielle

Other links:

1. Elyse on Instagram
2. Commission a painting or digital piece
3. Ian Tan Gallery, Vancouver
4. Jeff Topham, Photographer
5. Vancouver Mural Festival
6. J Skis, Vermont
7. Tax Collection on Instagram
8. SUBMIT to Create! Magazine’s call for art: Wed June 30th DEADLINE

Ahhhh, Andy J. Pizza is back… and just in the nick of time! I’m sure you know about Andy’s inspiring podcast, “Creative Pep Talk”… which was exactly what I needed today! HELP. ME. ANDY. Yep, we’re talking about creative slumps, being in limbo, feeling like a deer in headlights … and then following the breadcrumbs (or chip crumbs) back to our creative paths. Seriously, this was the therapy session I’ve been needing. I hope you get as much out of this episode as I did… you might want to get yourself some pizza-flavored chips to really duplicate the bliss I felt. Listen right up there, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

Now, as I said, this discussion was more like therapy, but Andy and I did manage to talk about some artists that we both love to look at when we’re in a creative slump! Here are my three picks:

 

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Allllll of them make me wanna make stuff … and also eat cheese pizza. And, Andy’s three picks in the order he mentioned them: Carson Ellis  / David Shrigley  /  Tarō Gomi:

……

……

Wonky and wonderful… just like Andy! Thank you so much to Dr.Pizza for taking the time to counsel me talk to me; thanks to Wireframe for supporting this episode; and of course, BIG thanks to you for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

ps. Remember…

Other links:

*Okay, Andy mentioned waaaaay too many books and philosophers for me to keep up with, but here are the few I managed to grab:

1. Andy’s IG post about feeling stuck
2. “Whole Brain Living”, Book by Jill Bolte Taylor
3. “The Artist’s Way”, Book by Julia Cameron
4. Brian McDonald, “You Are a Storyteller” Podcast
5. Martha Beck, Author
6. Alex Voinea, Artist 
7. Helen Dardik, Artist/Illustrator
8. Embroidered pizza by @ipnot
9. Carson Ellis, Artist/Illustrator
10. David Shrigley, Artist
11. Tarō Gomi, Author/Illustrator
12. Wireframe {Podcast}

… nope, and it often doesn’t! California based artist, illustrator, business owner, mother Carissa Potter Carlson is on the podcast today! Now, you might know her as “People I’ve Loved”… she does have over HALF A MILLION followers on Instagram, so you could very well be one of them.

Now, if you listen to this podcast regularly, you know I have a format… but today I was highjacked! That’s right, Carissa tried her hardest to interview me!? Yep, it gets tricky when you turn the mic on someone who’s used to asking all of the questions. Anyway, this may not be the ‘normal’ AFYE, but it sure is a lovely, open, kinda raw talk between two artists who are “bad at keeping secrets”. Listen right up there under that very frank mermaid, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First up, the graphic she posted {yet another truth bomb} when I was on her show:

Yep, WE ARE ARTISTS! Ah, that was fun… even though I made her cry and then I almost cried. But other than that, all good!

Next, a few of her art installations. Paintings and text and objects, oh my:

So funny. So smart. So bluntly insightful. Also, I could not love those birds more.

Ooh, and I have to show you Carissa’s work inside this VERY yellow ball pit at the Color Factory in San Francisco:

I want to go to there. I think ‘Celine Dijon’ is my favorite… or maybe imagining that I’m swimming in a big bowl of lemons. Love, love, love.

Okay, let’s take a peek at a few of my favorite things from the ‘People I’ve Loved” shop… from greeting cards to enamel pins:

HA! Now I want a reason to apologize to someone, just so I can send them that BUTT card!

And finally, because I’m 100% sure Carissa will have no problem sharing, a few photos of her sweet little family. Singing Josh, and baby Margaret:

Go, Margaret, go! Ahhh, I loved this episode so much. It took a left turn before we even started, but shaking things up is always fun. Thanks so much to Carissa for always being so kind, thoughtful and TOTALLY open; thank you to Wireframe Design Podcast for supporting the episode and, of course, huge thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Carissa on Instagram
2. People I’ve Loved {shop}
3. Bad at Keeping Secrets {her newsletter}
4. Carissa’s BOOKS … that we didn’t even discuss!?
5. Present Perfect Literary Agency {aka the ‘Kate’ we kept talking about}
6. dooce.com {Heather Armstrong! I remembered right, and it does still exist.}
7. Cystic Fibrosis
8. Mare of Easttown {TV show on HBO/Crave}
9. The NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH ART Society {my newsletter}
10. Wireframe Podcast {today’s sponsor!}

I am soooo excited to have Kenesha Sneed, aka @tactilematter, on the podcast today! Now, it’s hard to pin point what Kenesha does… because she does so much! Painting, illustrations, murals, ceramics, brand collaborations, and most recently she’s become the author and illustrator of a beautiful children’s book titled “Many Shapes of Clay, A Story of Healing”. It’s such a lovely and uplifting book which, sadly, came out of losing her father suddenly in 2018. I’m sure many of you know, I also lost my dad unexpectedly in 2018, so a book about healing sounds really wonderful to me. Kenesha and I are starting from her childhood in “the dirt”, and working our way right up to today. You can listen right up there under Kenesha looking fabulous, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First up, a peek at some of the ceramics that, well, changed her life!

Gorgeous! Ummm, how much do I love that she was going to the ceramics studio before work, during her lunch break, and then again after work!? Clearly, she’d found her thing.

Another thing she happens to be realllllly good at… painting, both small and LARGE-SCALE!

Love! The top most mural is the first one she ever did {with help from her partner, and her brother-in-law, artist Nathaniel Tetro}. The swimmer at the bottom was the five-panel piece she was talking about. Her colors and shapes are so, so, so fantastic.

Oka, and today’s main attraction… Kenesha’s very first, absolutely beautiful children’s book, “Many Shapes of Clay – A Story of Healing”:

Such an important message, delivered in such a lovely and caring way. I need it… I think we all need it.

And finally, a huge hug and a big thank you to the two men who would have loved this episode:

Actually, I bet they were listening. Thank you so much to Kenesha for not only coming on the podcast today, but for writing such a beautiful story. I hope it helps children {of all ages} deal with grief, and more importantly, help them with the healing process. Thanks to you for listening, there will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Kenesha on Instagram
2. “Many Shapes of Clay”, AVAILABLE NOW!
3. Prestel Publishing
4. Present Perfect {Literary Agency, San Francisco}
5. Nathaniel Tetro, Artist / Brother-in-law!
6. Otis College of Art & Design, LA

This collage is part of a series I did featuring female artists who inspire me. The woman in this piece was the first artist I ever met… on the day I was born! From the time I was little, my mom, aka watercolor artist Judi Cumming, was cold hard proof that being an artist was possible. Throughout my childhood, she painted and showed her work a lot – then she stopped, and I was never really sure why. Well, we get into all of that and more. Our family always jokes that my mom is operating on a different cosmic plane than most of us, and after you hear her insightful thoughts today, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree.

Now, not only is my mom on the podcast, but in order to keep the “Mother’s Day” theme going, the boy who made me a mom is showing up for the Not-So-Speedy Speed Round! Yep, I convinced 14 year old Charlie to come on for a few minutes. Listen right up there under my mama wrestling with a blossom, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First up, a peek at some of the work she was showing in the early ’70s when I was just a teeny tiny baby:

Thank goodness for Delphine pushing my mom to keep creating. Ah yes, there’s nothing like a deadline to motivate an artist!

Next, here’s one of the pieces from the “In Tandem” series she did with her calligrapher friend Susan {I own this one}:

Yep, there it is in my living room!

So, we talked a little bit about my mom finding her way to walking when she experienced that bout of overwhelming anxiety. While she started out ‘learning to walk a 10k’, she eventually turned this therapy into two epic journey’s in France and Spain! Here she is walking the El Camino trail {I think this photo is in France?}, and a few of her watercolor paintings that were inspired by bits and pieces along the trail:

Sigh. Lovely.

So, as you can see, she knows what she’s doing with watercolors. When she came to visit us last summer, we headed down to my studio to make a couple of pieces together. She did the painting, and I added my tiny cut out people… now they get to wander around in these washy, dreamlike worlds:

I wish I got to walk around in there! Ah, that was so much fun… we even broke out some straws and blew the ink around like we did when I was little.

Okay, time to crack open the family albums! Me as a newborn, Charlie as a newborn {with baby Murph, too}, and Charlie’s first Mother’s Day with his Mommy & Nana:

Awwww! They’re all so cute. Thanks so much to my mom, Judi, and my NBA-bound son, Charlie for doing this special family episode with me. And, as always, thank YOU so much for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Coloop Podcast Network
2. El Camino Trail
3. The Ogopogo 

Who better to have as my guest for the second installment of “PAINT CHIPS” than a junk food loving art consultant! Yes, my good friend Pennylane Shen is back on the podcast, this time with MORE CHEEZ TASTE! We’re eating Cheezies and talking about food themed art that takes our breath away. You can listen right up there under all of that cheesiness, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First up, the entire reason we both showed up to this episode with a bag of Cheez Doodles, “The Cocktail Party” {1992}, by American artist Sandy Skoglund:

Yes, a party covered entirely in REAL cheese doodles! FYI this is showing right now, until September 2021, at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, TX. I’m guessing it no longer smells like fake cheese? Sandy coated all of these doodles in epoxy in 1992… but you never know!

Here are some of the other Sandy Skoglund installations/photographs we talked about… the very timely “Germs Are Everywhere” {1984}, the super creepy “Walking on Eggshells” {1997}, the very famous “Revenge of the Goldfish” {1981}, and the green cats from “Radioactive Cats” {1980}:

Notice how I just sort of snuck the snakes and eggs in the middle of all that so I wouldn’t have to look directly at them for too long?

Alright, we’ve had our salty snack… time for something SWEET:

 

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Okay, it’s not actually sugary icing… it’s oil paint. SO MUCH OIL PAINT. This is the piece I brought to the party today. “Under Heaven” by Xu Zhen. The Instagram video is the one I took while standing in front of this jaw-dropper at Art Miami in 2016. Isn’t it insane!?

And finally, a few throw back photos to when Pennylane and I actually got to eat junk food / talk about art IN PERSON:

Ahhh, good times. I can’t wait until we can do this again. Hopefully Nick the Nalley Chip guy will be there with his truck! Thanks so much to Pennylane for doing this with me… twice {I’m so glad we didn’t eat the cucumber chips the second time around. So. Gross.}  And, of course, thanks to all of YOU for listening… there will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Pennylane on Instagram at @dazed.and.confucius
2. Sandy Skoglund, Artist
3. “The Cocktail Party” now on at McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
4. Xu Zhen, Artist
5. Art Miami
6. Episode no.200 hosted by Petah Coyne
7. The NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH ART Society
8. Co-Loop Podcast Network