Episodi

  • Siara Berry creates multi-medium sculptures influenced by neighborships, housing systems, and American domestic landscapes. Deeply influenced by her upbringing in the suburban Midwest, her work contends with cultural narratives about place and purpose, property and people. Using a combination of found object and traditional craft processes, Berry deploys a visual language that is equally quotidian and absurd.

    Listen in as we chat about neighborships, domestic landscapes, construction sites, the lawn, yard signs, and control over nature.

    Takeaways

    Artists should feel creative, comfy, and cared for.Every artist is working in their best interest in what feels right to them, and when it doesn’t feel right it’s a negotiation between the artist and the work.Acknowledge that social media is not the full picture.Neighborships are a collective effort in living a private life.

    Siara Berry

    Siara Berry on Instagram

    John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Residency Program

    Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists

    The Curious History of Your Home podcast

    all photos courtesy of Michael Lagerman.

  • Rainer is a queer creator, collector, and tinkerer raised in lederhosen with a pet buffalo on a floral farm in rural Pennsylvania by an eccentric immigrant father and a defiantly strong mother. Rainer is a designer leveraging art to explore and document encounters of the human condition. He is a sculptor and a painter who creates interactive installations and experiences that help people feel seen and heard.

    During our conversation we talk about documenting the human process, what helps and what hurts, machines, control and letting go, procrastination, and seeing time in yearly spirals.

    Takeaways

    Stand up for what’s right. Don’t be afraid to try new things.Sometimes when you start a project you have no idea how much of an impact you will have.Self-doubt can push you into problem-solving and exploration.Not knowing the rules can give you confidence.Don't forget to keep the other burners of your life alive.We’re so much more similar than we are different.

    Rainer Wolter

    Rainer Wolter on Instagram

    Rainer Wolter on LinkedIn

    The Accounting, by EJ Trask (Rainer’s debur in short horror story)

    Art Prize

    Khadi Papers

    Krista Allenstein, Authentic Obsessions Episode 2

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  • Mixed media artist and painter Erica Jane Huntzinger was raised in the western suburbs of Chicago. Her parents hail from Maine and Pennsylvania and they drove back there each year to see family and friends all while absorbing and exploring the landscapes and ground they missed. Her immediate family was centered in questioning, learning and growing. Her mother was a psychologist, her father, a minister and Erica was the sister to an adventurous brother. Erica made her way through creative explorations from hundreds of coloring books, mud, rock and stick scapes into multi-media work through the lens of a painter.

    We talk about flow, the importance of play, and demystifying the creative process, including how people make creative decisions in their life and how and where people can affect dynamic change for themselves through creative actions.

    Takeaways

    You can affect dynamic change for yourself through creative actions.Be open to asking yourself: why DON’T you do some of the things you aren’t doing?Play helps get you through difficult feelings, which in turn drives your curiosity.Whatever you make, and it doesn’t matter what kind of artist you are, there's somebody out there that's going to like it.

    Erica Jane Huntzinger

    Erica Jane Huntzinger on Instagram

    Erica Jane Huntzinger’s podcast, In The Act

    Erica Jane Huntzinger on YouTube

    Creative Quest, Questlove

    Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

    Sara Willadsen

    Art as Medicine, Creating a Therapy of the Imagination, Shaun McNiff

    Marco Polo

    Lois Keller

    Rachel Weaver Rivera

    Whitney Morales

    On Writing: A Memoir of Craft, Steven King

    Cooper Diers

  • Glimpses and layers of time, what will remain, walking, beauty, palimpsest, AI art, and clothespins are all on the mind of London-based photographer and writer Duncan Petrie.

    Duncan explores nature in the human landscape, and what the world might look like when we are gone. His images, found on long walks, are a sort of synecdoche: from a single frame, a single point of punctum, they construct a world. He seeks simple images in order to strip them of their context, and to allow the viewer to peer at the world between them. He holds a 1st class degree in Marine and Natural History Photography from Falmouth University.

    Takeaways

    Always book the tickets the day before. It’s important to make it easy to fit the creative bits into your life. Photography is a collaboration with the world.Look! See!The future, the end of history, can be beautiful.Look at this world that we have built and notice what things might outlive us and what things are very temporary.

    Duncan Petrie on Instagram

    Duncan Petrie on YouTube

    Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes

    Beauty in Photography, Robert Adams

    This American Life

    Ursula Le Guin

    The Worm Ouroboros, E. R. Eddison

    The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle

    Piranesi, Susanna Clark

    Lud-in-the-Midst, Hope Mirrlees

  • Old books, tight deadlines, the button box, design, and dancing all come up during my conversation with mixed media artist Sue Johnson.

    Sue Johnson is a mixed media artist from the UK who loves painted papers, pattern, and repetition. Her working process is quite eclectic but often begins with a colour palette and experimental mark making and various printing and painting techniques. She often works on found surfaces and ephemera such as used envelopes and pages from discarded books destined to be shredded. These provide unique surfaces to paint and print on and the use of collage yields unexpected results. Her printed textiles background informs her composition and process but play, curiosity and intuition lead the way.

    Takeaways

    Push all the boundaries and do something different.Little and often.Notice what you notice.Sometimes the best things come out at the end during the last-minute push.To get unstuck, hold your work up to a mirror to distance yourself and see what needs to be changed.

    Sue Johnson

    Sue Johnson on Instagram

    Sue Johnson on Facebook

    Creative Visionary Program with Nicholas Wilton

    Bindex UK Link, Bindex US Link

    Rex Ray: Art and Design YouTube video

    We Are All connected Art Project, Beatricia Sagar

    Art Juice podcast

  • Articulation, pivoting, sketchbooks, observation, and travel all play a key role in Ethan Keister’s creative life.

    Graphic designer, illustrator and art director Ethan was born in Vietnam, grew up in the backwoods of Upstate New York and now calls Milwaukee, Wisconsin his home.

    When Ethan isn't ruining his posture at his desk, you can find him snow skiing, water skiing, biking, hiking, traveling, and writing about himself in the third person.

    Takeaways

    Pivot in a way that allows for more growth and a fresh perspective.Eighty percent of drawing is seeing.When sketching people, be on the lookout for good poses and gestures.“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” James Thurber

    Ethan Keister

    Ethan Keister on Instagram

    Ethan Keister on Facebook

    Ethan Keister on LinkedIn

    Ethan Keister on TikTok

    Mark Manson

    Paul Noth (episode 92)

    Jon Horvath (episode 89)

  • Idea generation, your brain on cartoons, incongruency & divergent thinking, and how to encourage your creativity are all on the mind of cartoonist, writer and artist Paul Noth.

    Paul is a cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, where his work has appeared regularly since 2004. He created the Emmy-nominated animated series "Pale Force" for Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He has been an animation consultant for Saturday Night Live and developed shows for Cartoon Network Adult Swim and Nickelodeon. Paul is the author of the middle grade novels “How to Sell Your Family to the Aliens,” “How to Properly Dispose of Planet Earth,” and “How to Win the Science Fair When You’re Dead,” all published by Bloomsbury.

    Takeaways

    Embrace the limitations of your art form.Conscious effort impedes the incubation process.The preparatory phase of creative work requires hard work and skill, but it also requires letting go.The idea comes despite the effort not because of it.

    Paul Noth on X

    Paul Noth on Instagram

    Paul Noth on Facebook

    Paul Noth on LinkedIn

    Paul’s middle grade books

    Paul Noth on IMBD

    'Midwest nice' cartoonist for The New Yorker is ready for Chicago and the DNC

    The New Yorker

    This is Your Brain on Cartoons article by Sarah Larson

    Roz Chast

    Iain McGilchrist

    Photo credits, Camila Guarda, Chicago Sun Times

  • Rocker chick Paula Hare talks about no longer giving a rip what other people think, New York City, and Wisconsin’s most iconic dessert – the cream puff.

    Paula Hare is a life-long artist, designer and creative director, plein air and studio painter. She brings a unique perspective to her work which includes unusual juxtapositions, compositions, and subjects. Paula's keen eye for detail and appreciation for the unconventional allows her to breathe life into scenes that might escape the notice of others. Whether it's the play of light on chrome, the wind-swept landscapes that unfold along the journey, or elements of a back-alley way, Paula captures the essence of the moments they portray and the stories they tell.

    Paula’s obsession with the biker lifestyle (Harley’s, not bicycles!) spills over into all her ventures, including Gearhead Fashion, which features sustainable, repurposed, reinvented, one-of-a-kind apparel and accessories for anyone that wants to look and feel like a rock star.

    Takeaways

    Do cool stuff, paint cool things.You gotta jam 24/7 – suck it up and get to work. You’ve got to make yourself do it. Just put one foot in front of the other and just keep moving forward and not stop.Bundle up all your skills and energy and figure out what’s in you, and then you have a direction. Stick to that path and you’ll be successful.

    Paula Hare

    Paula Hare on Facebook

    Paula Hare on LinkedIn

    The Arts Mill on Facebook, and Instagram

    Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

    Deadwood, South Dakota

    Original Cream Puffs

    Sketchnoting

    Gearhead Fashion

    Gearhead Fashion on Instagram

  • Diving deep into your own life to find your voice, the selfish nature of being an artist, the power of observation, and reacting to marks and layers are all considered during my conversation with Victoria McDonnell.

    Victoria relocated from Bogota, Colombia – at the age of 28 – to the rural countryside of Norfolk, UK. The cultural change was already overwhelming, but the language barrier added another layer of challenge. It was an act of courage, driven by love, to move to a town of just over 300 people. In response, she turned to the language without words – art – which became her constant companion that has deepened over time.

    Victoria offers glimpses of familiarity in her subjects, inviting viewers to engage playfully while allowing ample room for personal exploration. Working across a diverse array of subjects in oils and acrylics, she unifies them through the lens of abstraction.

    Victoria’s latest obsession is ‘Chairs,’ a project of exploration, observation, and discovery. Inspired by the simple objects that are central to our daily lives and our personal connections with them, she examines the narratives they embody. Whether it's the chair in the corner that sparks conversation, the kitchen chairs that keep the family united, or the old nursing chair passed through generations, each chair tells a different story.

    Takeaways

    “Not having distractions is my best friend.”The more you put yourself out there, the more comes your way. Little steps give way to little successes and they all add up.“Through her eyes we organized my mind.”Abstraction requires a lot of confidence.Every chair has a story.

    Victoria McDonnell

    Victoria McDonnell on Instagram

    Victoria McDonnell on Facebook

    Victoria McDonnell on Pinterest

    Victoria McDonnell on TikTok

    Victoria McDonnell on LinkedIn

    Colombian Rainbow River

    Gooderstone Water Gardens

    Vejer de la Frontera

    Art and Success Pro Abstract Painting

    Norfolk Painting School Studio talk & master classes

    Roisin O’Farrell Love to Paint, Learn to Paint

  • Monumental undertakings through multimedia narrative projects, travel and deep introspection, embracing chance and spontaneity, baseball, and how people define happiness, all come up during my conversation with Milwaukee interdisciplinary artist and writerJon Horvath.

    Influenced by his early formal education in creative fiction writing, philosophy, and composing music, Jon's practice has since expanded into the mixed use of photography, video, performance, sculptural objects, and other mediums brought into a combined space. He desires to share open-ended, poetic narratives rooted in an exploration of how we build personal and cultural mythologies as a way to better understand the world around us.

    Takeaways

    The making is driven by intuition.Let go of having to know everything about every choice to allow unexpected moments.Don’t let something that's making you fearful influence choices that you’re making.Some distance from your more regular experience allows you to have permission to entertain other possibilities.Pictures are influenced by that which surrounds them.

    Jon Horvath

    Jon Horvath on Instagram

    This is Bliss

    Throughline

    Slow Burn

  • Listen in as Stacy Bogdonoff talks about using verbs as she works on a project, the importance of not putting too much (psychologically) into social media, slowness and control, living at the intersection of design and art, and why the media & the process – the heart and head of knowing and being known- is her authentic obsession.

    Stacy is a mixed media artist who divides her time between her very messy studio in Kent, CT. and her neater tabletop workspace in NYC. Stacy works with textiles, vintage fabric, paper, paint, dyes, and found objects to explore the theme of “Home, Safety, and Shelter”, and how those change as we age and move through life. "My inspiration comes from three directions. I am deeply drawn to a wide variety of unconventional media, and I love to explore tools and new ways to use them. I am also equally driven to explore my inner world and understand my feelings."

    Takeaways

    Understanding the context behind the work enhances the experience.You don’t always know. You sometimes find out.Know what you like to do and clear the decks to do it.The phone works both ways.

    Stacy Bogdonoff

    Stacy Bogdonoff on Instagram

    Rick Lowe

    Martha Tuttle

    El Anatsui

    Death of An Artist podcast

    Desert Island Discs podcast

  • Trauma journalism, social activism, igniting and changing conversations, and telling stories in a visual way are all integral part of Amy Putman’s life. Amy is a collagist and mixed media artist with a passion for issues of social justice. She helped create and brand the Million Mom March for Common Sense Gun Laws with her logo and slogan “Looking for a Few Good Moms.”

    Amy says: “I am drawn to texture, materials pattern, and color in their own right. Working with found objects expands my visual vocabulary. These materials, each of which brings its own history and associations, give a deeper and multi-dimensional reading to the work, work I hope will ignite conversation.”

    Participating in artist groups, non-profit organizations, art community adds to her depth and breadth of the work she creates. She is a Trustee of the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey, SKIP of New York and the Trust for Trauma Journalism, a founding member of the New York Collage Ensemble, and Co-Chair of the Artists and Talent Peer Group for the Impact Guild. Her studio is in Manufacturer’s Village Artists, East Orange, New Jersey.

    Key takeaways

    “I have an obligation to myself to not run away from what I have to say.”You have to fill your puzzle box with all the pieces before you put the puzzle together.Being out there in the world helps you become aware of what’s relevant and is inspirational for the art.Art is an adventure. Keep growing, as a person, and bring those adventures to your art.Art is definitely therapy, whether you know it or not.Know when to say no, but remember to say YES to opportunities!

    Amy Putman

    Amy Putman on Instagram

    The Jealous Creator - Deborah Roberts episode 190, Bisa Butler episode 185

    Austin Kleon

    Million Mom March

    NY Collage Ensemble

    The Camp Gallery – The Contemporary Art Modern Project Gallery

    Tish Lampert

  • The effect of knitting during the birthing process, the importance of resting, felting as the wild sister of fiber arts, and the role of felting in community practices and traditions all comes up during my convo with Megan Henderson. And the always impactful practice of letting go and surrendering to the present moment. Megan is a fiber artist living on a few wooded acres in Central Ohio who is inspired by nature, our connection to it and to each other, myths, lore and symbols, shadow work and the mysteries that lay just beyond our grasp.

    Key takeaways

    Pay attention and notice when fear needs to be conquered and when it is our intuition giving us a warning.Don’t beat yourself up when you find yourself going down the path of thinking you’re not doing enough. But if you try and notice when it happens, those feelings might lessen.You don’t have to EARN your rest.“We are not meant to understand it all. We are not meant to grasp it. We are meant to make guesses about it.”

    Megan Henderson

    Megan Henderson on Instagram

    Megan Henderson on Facebook

    Nuno felting

    Insight Timer meditation app

    Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman

    Rest is Resistance, Tricia Hersey

    The Leftovers

    ArtHoles, 7 episodes of Frida Kahlo

    Pulling the Thread podcast, Knitting Together our Lives (Peggy Orenstein)

    Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, Susan Cain

    Antieau Gallery

  • Sue Bulmer is an artist, educator, Art Psychotherapist and Inspiration Facilitator. Her expressive, energetic and colourful work is inspired by landscape and seasonal alignment. Sue believes we are all creative souls and is a passionate advocate for the well-being benefits of living a more creative life. ​She has a deep understanding, stemming from personal experience, of the many benefits of living a more creative life and the barriers and beliefs that stop us. We chat about paying attention to when it’s time to rest, confronting the fear that tries to keep you small and safe, being stuck and what happens when you stop fighting it, putting yourself out there even though it can be scary, the payoff is worth it!

    Takeaways:

    Make art just for you.Nature takes a rest during the year. Why don’t we?Categorizing things help us understand things, but they come with rules and those rules can be limiting.It’s in the spaces that the ideas come.“Stress is caused by being here and wanting to be there.”It’s never too late.

    Sue Bulmer

    Sue Bulmer on Instagram

    Sue Bulmer on Facebook

    Sustain Your Creativity through Autumn & Winter, A free guide from Sue Bulmer

    The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Florence Williams

    Environmental Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life, Ian Siddons Heginworth

    Rick Rubin on Feel Better Live More

    Sue’s Creative Soul Sketchbooks course

    Kellee Wynne Conrad, Build it Remarkable

    Beltane, Gaelic May Day Festival

  • Feedback loops in the art world, finding ways to accumulate more moments of joy, the in-between spaces, writing vs. storytelling, not fitting into a box, and the orange couch are all part of Bela Suresh Roongta’s story. Bela is a Milwaukee-based visual artist, writer and storyteller. She has shown in solo & group exhibitions, been featured as a writer & speaker and recognized for innovation and success in art and storytelling. Committed to the rituals of drawing, journaling and traveling, Bela makes art, writes stories and curates experiences that explore identity & place, dance with memory and tradition and tell of the times we live in. Her art and storytelling honors those who came before us, our shared experiences and our differences.

    Key Takeaways:

    The more personal you are, the more personal your work is, and the more universal it becomes.Find the magic in the unknown.Allow yourself to be seen so that others can be seen. The more story we know about you the more connected we feel.Art is a very self forward profession.Find ways to accumulate more moments of joy.

    Bela Suresh

    Bela Suresh on Instagram

    Part 1 | Night Country Origins with Showrunner Issa López and Executive Producer Mari Jo Winkler
    The True Detective: Night Country Podcast

    Saint Kate Exhibition: Relief — The Stories We Carry by Bela Suresh Roongta

    Robin Davisson Episode 69 on Authentic Obsessions

  • Susan Lerner is a New York City based contemporary hand-cut collage artist drawn to vintage imagery and maps, evoking a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. Her work is a reflection of the power of visual storytelling and its ability to connect us to our memories and emotions. Susan’s work has been published in periodicals and books, she’s the co-founder of the New York Collage Ensemble, and she is currently licensed with Jiggy Puzzles and Jiggy Studio. Enjoy our conversation about tag sales, boundaries, trying new things, taking pauses, and challenges of selling your work.

    Takeaways

    “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” Twyla TharpeHaving too many options can drive you crazy.Moving your body helps with problem solving and artistic creativity.Find different outlets to sell your work.

    Links

    Susan Lerner

    Susan Lerner on Instagram

    Jiggy Puzzles, City of Dreams

    92NY

    Hollie Chastain

    Galen Gibson-Cornell

    Art and Cocktails podcast

    The Jealous Curator, Art for Your Ear podcast

  • The feminine form has returned in Denise Daffara's latest work along with every day familiar objects such as her much loved chairs and cups of tea. Denise is an artist, soulful seeker, wild wonderer, deep listener, sacred space holder, Creativitea Time inspirer & private priestess, Intentional Creativity Guide & Certified Color of Woman Teacher.

    Denise's art practice is an intuitive, light and colour fueled exploration of her life’s journey. Her paintings are filled with Australian and New Zealand botanicals and plenty of tea related moments. You’ll also find Matisse inspired feminine figures visiting her painted interiors and table settings depicted in a non-realistic, contemporary style. Her art expresses the sacred union between beauty and healing for the heart.

    Takeaways

    Creativity can help us hold space for our grief. Pay attention to the beginning, middle and end energy while you’re creating a piece of work.Share your art journey in an open and honest way.When it's more uncomfortable to NOT do it, creative inspiration shows up.“Your vision is stronger than your fear.” Kylie Slavik

    Links

    Denise Daffara
    Denise Daffara on Instagram
    Little dd on Instagram
    Denise Daffara on Facebook
    Denise Daffara on Youtube
    Insights at the Edge with Tammy Simon podcast: Chip Conley: Midlife: From Crisis to Chrysalis
    Gertrude and Alice bookstore and coffee shop

  • The monumental labors of women that often go unnoticed, and the resilience of women under the invisible weight they carry are themes interwoven in the current work of interdisciplinary artist Nirmal Raja.

    Nirmal's current solo exhibition at the Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art is titled Grace and Grit, and highlights her current authentic obsession with material intimacy. Nirmal’s keen observations and curiosity during her 3-month Kohler Arts/Industry residency resulted in an inspirational and wide body of work, including works cast in iron and brass, sound recordings and photographs. Nirmal is also part of the Paglees, a feminist collective of artists of South Asian origin living across the United states, currently exhibiting their work at the South Asia institute in Chicago.

    Nirmal collaborates with other artists and strongly believes in investing energy into her immediate community while also considering the global.

    Takeaways

    Despite all the restrictions, I am strong.“Share your excitement for your practice and your own work.” Jason Yi“There is mud and there is the lotus, and you cannot have the lotus without the mud.” Thich Nhat HanhPush against restrictive boxes we put ourselves in.

    Links

    Nirmal Raja
    Nirmal Raja on Instagram
    Nirmal Raja on Linkedin
    A Brush With… Cornelia Parker
    Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art, Grace and Grit- solo exhibition
    South Asia Institute, The Paglees: Between Reason and Madness
    Grace and Grit Catalog
    John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Residency Program

  • Stones, learning, confidence, pattern and line, expressing beauty, and promoting your work are just a few topics artist Rena Diana covers today.

    After retiring from a fulfilling career as an educator in Baltimore, Rena started focusing full time on her artwork. She worked every day in a studio at the Art Students League in New York City, where she began painting abstract landscapes. Rena is fortunate to divide her time between Baltimore and her home on Lake Champlain in Vermont, which is the source of much of her inspiration.

    Rena on art journals and sketching: "Throughout my adult life, I have kept notebooks chronicling my observations and experiences. Gradually these became art journals, filled with sketches and collages, along with personal narrative and remarks about the creative process. As these notebooks evolved into more formal exercises, I realized that they were distinct art forms in themselves. At that point, I began creating larger, single pieces. These art journals remain a core part of my studio practice."

    Takeaways

    You develop confidence as you learn to trust yourself and the process. Believe in yourself and that what you have to share with other people is valuable.It’s a marathon. A long game.Learning is the best antidepressant.First think about who YOU are before you decide how and where you’re going to promote your work.

    Links

    Rena Diana

    Rena on Instagram

    City Arts and Lectures, Ann Patchett

    Mary Lynn O’Shea

    The Art Students League of New York

    Last Light, How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of Triumph, Richard Lacayo

  • The challenges of creating on a deadline, having faith and trust in the thing you’re doing, and the feelings that arise when switching from the act of writing to marketing and promotion all come up during our conversation.

    Nick Petrie is the author of 8 best-selling Peter Ash crime fiction novels, including The Price You Pay, out February 2024. His debut, The Drifter, won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Awards. He is also an excellent husband (mine!) and father (to our son Duncan).

    Takeaways

    Winnow down and lean into the thing that is interesting to you and that you really want to pursue and then let go of the outcome when it gets out into the world.“Keep a clean antenna."Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.Seamus Heaney on the hardest thing about writing: “Getting started, keeping going and getting started again.”

    Links

    Nick Petrie’s website

    Follow Nick Petrie on Instagram

    Follow Nick Petrie on Facebook

    Follow Nick Petrie on X

    Your Brain on Art, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross

    Mystery Tribune, The Cleveland Job

    Bill Schweigart

    Boswell Books

    The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

    Murder By the Book bookstore

    Kaye Publicity

    Michael Mann, Blackhat and Collateral

    The Great Creators with Guy Raz episode 67 with Andy J Pizza of Creative Pep Talk