You guys… @andreaanimates, aka Andrea Love, is on the podcast! Tiny felted banana splits, and miniature pots of spaghetti coming to life through her absolutely mesmerizing stop motion videos? Yes please! Before we recorded, I asked my Instagram community to give me their questions, and oh boy, they had a LOT of questions… the main one being, “HOW!?” Don’t worry, we totally covered that! Listen right up there under Andrea’s soft little groceries, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

First up, Andrea’s tiny kitchen and stills of the magic that gets cooked up in there:

Oh, it’s all so perfect, and yep, I made sure to include the “red thing” that so many of you had questions about! Spoiler alert: it’s a red pepper that didn’t make it onto the plate. To see alllll of these videos, check out Andrea’s Instagram feed, or pop over to this page on her site.

Next, a peek at sweet little Tulip:

Well, it’s all pretty wonderful, but that final photo brings it all home! That’s Andrea and her creative partner Phoebe Wahl being, well, creative! There are a list of screenings for Tulip on the official TULIP WEBSITE.

And finally, the project Andrea and Phoebe just completed… an absolutely beautiful, super duper sweet holiday music video with Ingrid Michaelson & Zooey Deschanel:

So. Flippin. Cute. Watch the full music video right here… you may want to have sugar cookies nearby. Thank you so much to Andrea for taking time out of her insane schedule to record this episode with me (good luck with OSCAR, Andrea!); thanks to Create Magazine for supporting the episode; and thank YOU for listening! There will be a new episode, the last episode of 2021, in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Andrea on Instagram at @andreaanimates
2. ALL of Andrea’s cooking animations
3. Tulip Website… and merch!
4. Phoebe Wahl, Andrea’s creative partner
5. Ingrid Michaelson & Zooey Deschanel Holiday Video 
6. Hornet
7. livingfelt.com (Felting supplies)
8. Create Magazine Call for Art, Nov 30th Deadline

First up, a whole bunch of Jacqueline’s work you’ll most likely recognize because I can’t stop featuring her jaw-dropping, white, unglazed, porcelain confections. These are all from her ongoing series, “Death by Sugar”:

Gasp! Seriously, I cannot get enough of these beauties! The detail is bonkers.

Next, a little peek at her solo show, titled “My Candy Nightmares”, at Talon Gallery in Portland:

YUM! I know she said the “monsters” have less detail than the white pieces, but they still look pretty perfect to me!

Okay, and here’s what you find if you scroll right to the bottom of Jacqueline’s Instagram feed. She wasn’t kidding when she said things started with baby skull candles:

Of course I had to include some of her jewelry, given her career history! ps. You can still buy some of these pieces in her shop. Just sayin’.

And finally, we can’t finish the post without showing you this sweet little lady:

Awwwwww! And she has a donut toy… of course she has a donut toy. Thank you so much to Jacqueline and Skylar for being on the podcast today, thanks to Storyblocks for supporting the episode, and as always, THANK YOU for listening. There will be a brand new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Jacqueline’s Shop/Site
2. Jacqueline on IG … aka @mad_brooklyn
3. Skylar on IG!
4. Talon Gallery, Portland
5. “My Candy Nightmares” at Talon Gallery till Nov 14
6. Ceramic World Destinations Database
7. Pierre Herme, Paris (Jacqueline’s fave macarons)
8. Storyblocks

You guys, I cannot wait for you to hear today’s episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR! London based Estonian photographer, Sirli Raitma is on the podcast. Sirli spends her time dressing her muse in bizarre fashion, and decorating said muse with fabulous hair and makeup. ps. Her muse is her mother, Eha. Gah! I love this ongoing series so much, but even more, I love how this mother/daughter project came to be. Ooh, and wait till you find out how Sirli became a photographer. This story is a family affair filled to the brim with inspiration. Look and listen right up there under Eha listening to, I assume my podcast (!?), or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Let’s kick things off in the wilderness… the first place Sirli ventured with her camera:

Deer, fog, foliage, and oh… look at that, an Eha in the wild! Perfect segue into the beginning of the “EHA” series, when the photographs were black and white:

Ah, gorgeous… but clearly, she’s begging to be shot in COLOR! Okay, this post could have had a gazillion photos in it, so here are just a few of my faves that feature the hot pink and bright orange eye shadow we mentioned:

Yes, yes, a thousand times YES! Speaking of which:

Ha! Those photographs are in order of my fave, Sirli’s fave, and the internet’s fave. And look at this fabulous mother and daughter at an art show featuring their creations! Living the dream, ladies.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering if Eha still has legs…

… she does, and they’re fantastic!

Now, I know all of this attention hasn’t gone to Eha’s head (or Sirli’s for that matter), but I just had to include a few ‘soaking it in’ moments:

Wooohoooo! I love all of this more than I can even begin to put into words.

Oh, and then I suddenly remembered how I found Sirli’s work in the first place! I follow an insanely talented artist named Lavely Miller, and she did this painting of Eha:

Yep, the painting took my breath away, and then I started down the rabbit hole that lead me directly to Sirli’s portfolio.

And finally, a couple of casual shots of this creative, hilarious, loving duo:

Cheers, indeed! You two are so inspiring… may this project go on for years and years to come! Thanks so much to Sirli for sharing her story with us; thanks to Storyblocks for supporting yet another episode; and of course, thank YOU for listening. There will be a new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Sirli’s site
2. Sirli on Instagram
3. Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize
4. Estonian Museum of Photography
5. Storyblocks

Are you tired? If not, listening to everything Vancouver based artist Sandeep Johal is doing might make you wanna take a nap! Murals, residencies, installations, solo shows… oh, and she also has a 6 year old son. Told ya. This busy, full-time artist went to university for… biology? Yep. She refers to her twenties as ‘the lost years’, but as you can see, she is now very much found! Listen right up there under Sandeep beside one of her murals, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

So, where should we even start? Well, let’s jump in with just the tiniest peek at a few of Sandeep’s murals:

So fantastic, and seriously, there are a lot more where these came from. Keep an eye on her Instagram feed, because there is always a new wall being prepped!

Alright, let’s take a step back to the work Sandeep was just starting when I met her. Here are just a few of Sandeep’s very emotional “Rest In Power” goddesses:

The piece in the middle is Natsumi Kogawa, the Japanese woman Sandeep mentioned. It’s so horrific that this series could go on and on and on. Hopefully their stories will be heard, and justice will prevail.

That’s not an easy topic to segue from, but there is more work to show you. Here are a few of Sandeep’s ‘beast’ collages:

Yes, this is exactly what we were talking about! Different mediums, but still very much Sandeep’s style. FYI,  these pieces are currently available through @vanartrental … just sayin’.

Speaking of beasts, here’s a look at “Beast of Burden” Sandeep’s final show for her residency at the Burrard Arts Foundation:

So fantastic! This was Sandeep’s first foray into textiles and, yeah, she nailed it. And, of course, there was so much talk about Pennylane and Jamie that I had to pop this photo in!

And finally — oh my word this is so good — “What If?”. This installation is on right now, until December 11th, at the Surrey Art Gallery in Surrey, British Columbia:

Custom wallpaper, too!? Love. If you’re anywhere near Vancouver between now and mid December, get yourself over to the Surrey Art Gallery to see this show in person… So. Many. Details!

Let’s wrap things up with a little ‘how it started / how it’s going’ combo, shall we:

Oh hell yes! From a birthday girl at McDonald’s to a MAMA BEAST! Thank you so much to Sandeep for taking the time to tell us all of her stories; thanks to Storyblocks for supporting the episode, and great big thanks to YOU for listening. I’ll be back with a new episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Sandeep on Instagram
2. Sandeep’s website
3. “What If” / Surrey (BC) Art Gallery until Dec. 11
4. “Beast of Burden” / BAF Residency
5. Thrive (Founder Jamie Smith)
6. Pennylane Shen, Artist Consultant
7. Sara Khan, Artist
8. Crissy Arseneau, Artist
9. Vancouver Mural Festival
10. VAG (Vancouver Art Gallery) Art Rental & Sales
11. Storyblocks

You can tell just by looking at that photo that this is gonna be FUN! Today’s guest on ART FOR YOUR EAR is Nova Scotia based painter Celine Gabrielle. She is hilarious, talented, and pretty much an unstoppable force. Celine’s story is filled with twists and turns and pivots and then a few more turns. Oh, and for those of you who keep emailing me to ask for the episodes to be longer, well, have I got a treat for you… Celine and I ended up talking for TWO HOURS. Yep, get your coffee and art supplies, and we’ll meet you in the studio! Listen right up there under Celine and her rings, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

First up, a little peek at a few of my fave paintings from Celine’s portfolio:

Ooooh, ahhhh! So rich, so ruffly, so colorful! Okay, so now that you’ve got the gist, here are a bunch of the pieces we talked about specifically. First is, well, the first piece she did in her now known style, for a show titled “Under the Influence”:

… and yes, that’s the artist Celine chose as her ‘influence’! Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka {1898-1980}. Gorgeous.

Next, the yellow dress!

I love this dress, and I love the story that goes with it even more. I can’t wait to see what Celine does with ‘Scotian’ series!

Of course, I had to include the tinsel jacket painting, and a closeup for good measure:

Can you believe she only started painting in 2018? In. Sane.

Next up is the near death experience mural:

Yeah, tippy toes on a ladder is NEVER a good idea… trust me.

I had to include these screengrabs too! This super funny and sweet video is what Celine posted to her Instagram feed after she talked on the phone to Ashley Longshore, who had called to buy her work:

Ha! I love that Celine puts it all out there for everyone to see, feel, everything! Here’s the video if you wanna watch it.

And finally, the inside scoop on a few very important things. No.1, the pastel monster from high school; No.2, possibly the best school photo I’ve ever seen; No.3, Celine’s supportive, beautiful family:

Awww! Love, love, love! {and yes, I WILL be putting Celine’s school photo on Instagram, because how can I not!?}. Thank you so much to Celine for sharing all of her stories, and for hanging out with me for so long; thanks to Storyblocks for supporting the episode; and big thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more ART FOR YEAR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Celine on Instagram
2. Celine’s Online Shop
3. Canterbury High School, Ottawa
4. FAME!
5. NSCAD, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design
6. The Other Art Fair
7. CJ Hendry on ART FOR YOUR EAR
8. Ashley Longshore on ART FOR YOUR EAR
9. GoPro video of Danielle’s mural 
10. Storyblocks

“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:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alex Voinea (@alexvoinea_)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Helen Dardik (@helen_dardik)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ipnot (@ipnot)

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}

From a little kid growing up in the Bahamas, to a young woman setting the art world on fire! Bahamian born, Toronto based artist Gio Swaby is my guest today, and I could not be more thrilled. I met Gio a few years ago at an art show in Vancouver, and I’ve been following her ever since… lately she’s been hard to keep up with! Spoiler Alert: She just had her first solo show in New York and it SOLD OUT. I asked Gio all of my questions, and her answers covered everything from going to church in a bathing suit and jeans, to preparing for her first solo museum show… yep, quite the gamut! Look/listen right up there under Gio at her recent show in New York, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First, this is some of Gio’s work I saw the night we met, way back in 2018 at the “Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series” show:

See? THAT is why I had to track her down at the party! So. Good.

The next series I saw – thanks to Instagram – included a few of these pieces. These are the ones she often hangs in large grids and or salon style:

Love! The pieces above are from two series. The solid silhouettes are from “New Growth”, and the ‘drawings’ are part of “My Hands Are Clean”.

Next, just a few of my faves from Gio’s recent solo show, “Both Sides of the Sun”, at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York:

I said it before and I’ll say it again… What the wha!? I love them all so much.

And, what Gio and I both love more than we can say:

… Black women and girls “seeing themselves” in Gio’s work. No wonder she cried when those photos started showing up online. And yes, that’s Claire with Gio in the final photo. A force of nature x TWO! Thank you so much to Gio for taking time out of her insane schedule to talk to me for so long; thanks to Wireframe for supporting this episode; and thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Gio on Instagram
2. Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem NY
3. New York Times article
4. Museum of Fine Art St. Pete {Florida}
5. College of The Bahamas
6. Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver
7. Ontario College of Art & Design
8. Bisa Butler, Artist
9. Bisa Butler on ART FOR YOUR EAR
10. John Oliver ‘Last Week Tonight’ : Black Hair
11. Wireframe {Podcast}

Seattle based artist Emily Counts makes the most magical ceramic sculptures. Some of them hang on the wall, interlocked into beautiful narratives, while others tell their stories standing free… and ALL of them are gorgeous / make me wish i knew how to use a kiln! I have questions about Emily’s childhood {because for some reason I always want to know that part!}, we talked about how she found her way to ceramics, her current process, stained glass, mushrooms, grief, grandmothers, haircuts and more. Don’t worry. It’ll make sense. Look/listen under that lovely photo of Emily in her studio {shot by Amber Fouts for Luxe Magazine}, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

Let’s kick things off with the first piece of Emily’s I ever saw / instantly became obsessed with. It’s titled, “Forage and Pour”:

Looooooove. And yes, I popped another one of her wall pieces in there because, um, how could I not. It’s titled “Catenary Vessel”, and I love it too!

Next, Emily’s CERAMIC MURAL {!?}:

Isn’t that crazy amazing!? You might recognize it because I wrote about it, IN DETAIL, last summer. This was at Facebook’s Redmond, WA location, and part of their Artist-in-Residence program.

Oooh, next… some “portraits”, complete with stained glass eyes etc:

Aren’t they lovely? And they have Emily’s bangs!

Up next, interlocking vessels:

Ah, the mushrooms and flowers she talked about. Magical. Also, I really want to see Emily and her husband try to drink ginger tea out of these at the same time.

Finally, a peek at Emily’s current show, titled Souvenir. at Nationale in Portland:

See? This is why I’m such a HUGE fan of Emily. Oh my word, it’s all so gorgeous. I put in that final image so you could get a better look at the glass. What a renaissance woman! She make do it allllllll. Oh, and great news if you’re in Portland, this show has been extended until July 8th. Thank you so much to Emily for sharing all of her stories with us {and for encouraging me to get a kiln!!!}; thanks to Wireframe for supporting this episode; and great big thanks to YOU for listening. There will be more ART FOR  YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Emily on Instagram
2. Bio photo of Emily by Amber Fouts for Luxe Magazine
3. “Souvenir” at Nationale {until July 8}
4. studio e gallery {Seattle}
5. SOIL show!… Brooklynn Johnson / Rachel Thomander / Ko Kirk Yamahira
6. Susannah Montague, Sculptor
7. Wireframe {Podcast}