Thoughtful, intelligent, and full of great advice. Today I’m talking to Baltimore based artist, educator, and part-time MFA student Sidney Pink. I have loved his weird and whimsical work for years, and, I just recently found out about some really interesting research he’s been doing around “arts entrepreneurship” – standardizing and adding business curriculum to the world of art academia. Clearly I had to ask him about that… and while I had him on the line, might as well ask about the strange characters that make an appearance in most of his drawings. You can listen right up there under that Japanese schoolgirl , or you can subscribe on iTunes. First up, a few of my favorite “Sidney Pink” pieces: some schoolgirls, a business man, and an astronaut… obviously.

Thank goodness for that lightbulb moment when Sidney realized that he loved white space and decided to roll with it! Gorgeous, weird, narrative… perfect combo. Oh, and among other odd bits {like an octopus}, here are the laser guns I mentioned:

… and one of my most favorite pieces from Sidney’s portfolio, two girls and a tiger mask:

Oh, and a girl in a cow mask with laser gun shooting astronaut, of course. I loved his reason for the masks {not giving it away – you have to listen!}. And along those lines, I also really loved his advice for embracing the things around you, objects and experiences that are in your day-to-day life, and incorporating them into your work. Animal masks, for example.

In the speed round I asked one question I knew the answer to. The origin, or inspiration, for his name… current name is more accurate, I suppose. Here’s where it all started:

Reptilicus by Sid Pink. Such a good story… again, you have to listen! Ah, good old speed round comes through again. Thanks so much to Sidney for all of his great advice and wonderful perspective on life as an artist; to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode; and as always, to you for listening. I’ve already got the next episode ready to go … it will be up next weekend!

Other links from our discussion:

AKIMBO Dance & Movement Art Festival, Baltimore 

The Critical Response Process by Liz Lermon

Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts – The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Bachelor of Science – Eastern Michigan University; Master of Arts – The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Dept. of Art as Applied to Medicine; Doctor of Philosophy – Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology. Yep. All of that is hanging on the wall of Michigan based artist Megan Foldenauer. She draws all sorts of things {portraits, bio-medical illustrations, songs that she makes into quizzes}, but it was her very simple and very sweet series, titled “Morsels” that got me. Nostalgic, delicious, and beautifully drawn. Thank you Dr.Foldenauer… now I want coke bottle gummies, with a side of chocolate peanut butter cups, and one little candy-cane to help kick off the holiday season! Yum.

Oh. Black and white line drawings that have magically become beautiful porcelain objects. Ok, it wasn’t magic, it was UK based artist Katharine Morling. I wrote about her a year and a half ago, but when I saw those matches, well, it was time to write again {and don’t even get me started on that boom box… 1980’s teen flashbacks in progress.} Happy weekend, everyone!

Colored pencil and pastel on paper. What? LOVE. From heart-shaped glasses to golden ponytails on a field of pink. So much love. This is the work of Brooklyn based Alex McQuilkin, and if you didn’t pick up on it yet, I love it. That’s all.

Oh, Canada. I love this colorful ode to Canadiana {magical beards included}. This is the work of Canadian artist Jay Dart. That hot pink log in the first drawing instantly made me think of “The Log Driver’s Waltz” … ah, memories. Yep, between Jay’s whimsical drawings and that classic tune, every Canadian should be feeling quite nostalgic! Ok, now that I’ve got you in the right frame of mind…

GO VOTE. See you at the polls, Canada.

Obsessive consumption, rule-based projects, impostor syndrome, telling our inner a**hole where to go, and “making piles of crap” because that’s the only way you get better. Oh. This woman. So smart, so funny, so talented. I’m talking to Portland based illustrator/educator Kate Bingaman-Burt … she always has a ton of cool things on the go, so I am slightly stunned that I was able to get her for the podcast. She tucked herself away in a quiet corner of her office at school, and we talked and talked and talked {we went a little longer than normal!}. Maybe it’s because she’s a teacher, but wow, she had so much great advice to share. Listen right up there under the swirly IKEA cone, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them. First up, one of Kate’s credit card statements… hand-drawn as self-imposed punishment:

Yep, she drew {and shared} all of her credit card statements until her debt was paid off. This is where her rule-based projects really took off. They of course led to her daily drawings… she drew everything she bought, every day, for YEARS. There are zillions of them, but here are just a few of my favorites:

Gah! So good… and what I might love even more is her hilarious commentary on each purchase! Clearly when obsessive behavior is involved, you have to organize your zillions of drawings somehow. Enter Kate’s monthly zine, “Obsessive Consumption” where she catalogued all of these hand-drawn purchases… which then became a big, beautiful book by the same title:

So. Good. Speaking of good, have you seen Handmade Nation? It’s a fantastic film by Faythe Levine. I love it so much, but until this podcast I had no idea that Kate did all of the illustrations for it! Who knew?

ps. If you haven’t seen this movie, you totally should. {Note to self: Invite Faythe Levine to be on the podcast}. And finally, in the speed round, I asked Kate about her favorite place to shop. I thought she might say IKEA or thrift shops, but nope… office supply stores! Apparently when Kate’s feeling creatively blocked, she wanders the label aisle to get unstuck {pun absolutely intended}. Here are a few of her purchases from the shelves that get her creative fires burning:

Post-its. Kate loves post-its, as I’m sure you can see from the number of pads she buys at one time. Ok, I’m off to set up some rule-based projects for myself so that I can make piles of crap, and you should too … because that’s how you get to the good stuff! Thanks so much to Kate for taking the time to do this with me, thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thanks to YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

ps. I hate to ask, but if you like my podcast, could you rate it on iTunes? It helps spread the word! xo

Usually when you hear the name Jaime Derringer it’s associated with the very stylish, very popular blog, Design Milk. Since 2006, Jaime has spent her days writing about / discovering incredibly talented designers … furniture, jewelry, architecture, and of course artists. But when the sun goes down, or whenever she has a bit of free time {which isn’t often} she is also an artist herself. Drawing, painting, and a fine combination of both. I didn’t know much about how she started, her process, when the heck she fits this into her very busy life… so I asked her. Listen right up there, or subscribe on iTunes. As you’re listening, take a look at the things we talked about in the order that we talked about them.

Now, before we talk about art, we have to watch this little tidbit that came up fairly early in our conversation: Ross Geller from “Friends” on keyboard… Jaime, is this what it looks like when you rock out on your new synthesizer? Ha! So, so awesome. Alright, time for art. Here are some of Jaime’s abstract paintings, and her gorgeous “string” drawings:

I would hang a little cluster of these together on a wall. I love the combination of precision and her “go with the flow” / “happy accident” approach. It’s kinda crazy that these pieces were made by the same person! And, a little peek into her drawing sketchbook that she works in at night… once her day at Design Milk is over, and her little girl has gone to bed:

She has been keeping a great record of her sketchbook pages through the years… you can see them all right here. And finally, her love of jewelry design has made its way from her body {every time I see her she’s wearing some kind of stunning piece}, to her newest venture, ADORN\milk:

Gah! Gorgeous… art that you wear! Boy oh boy, she has amazing taste and is such a wonderful supporter of independent artists. These are a few of my favorite pieces – you can find them here: bracelet by pico design \ earrings by maple + mauve \ ring by maison 203 \ necklace by vulantri – and of course the whole collection can be found here.

And with that I will say thanks so much to Jaime, to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode, and to you for listening… there will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend!

September. Whoa. Project 9 of 12. {If you missed the other projects, no problem, you can catch up right here.} This project is from American artist Aris Moore. I really don’t love the idea of doing a self portrait… but this one is all about embracing the imperfect self-portrait. Now THAT I can do. Ready?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

#creativeunblock // september // by aris moore, pg.27

“A collage self portrait // Do blind contour drawings of your eyes nose and mouth. If you are likely to erase, draw them in pen. Choose the ones you feel best about and collage them together. Draw your face around them and your neck shoulders and clothing if there is room. Look closely in a mirror and shade your individual features and your hair using what ever materials you like with as much detail as you need.   After you feel good about your portrait, not because it looks exactly like you, but because there is an honesty in it, begin writing. Surround your drawing with text, beginning each sentence with if you really knew me you’d know…. Writing can be legible or illegible whatever you need to be truthful. Lastly, remember that this is a drawing of you for you there are no rules, just suggestions. Play and have fun.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ok, let’s do this! I love Aris’ work above, so I’m thinking I might take her lead and house my self portrait within in a found image. Do whatever works for you… let loose, have fun, and remember, it should not be perfect. In fact, it’s literally impossible for it to be perfect! Just enjoy a chance to think about yourself for an entire afternoon. If you’d like to share what you make, just put it up on Instagram or Twitter and hashtag it #creativeUNblock.

Pen & ink, and wool on heavy paper. LOVE. This is the playful, geometric mixed media work of American artist Annie O’Dorisio. Simple, yet complex, and such a perfect combination of materials:

“I lay down a shape in pencil, working with it until it is true to the image I have in mind. The shapes and patterns end up being quite masculine. The wool serves as not only a way to add sculptural dimension but as a vehicle of warmth. Through this method I have created a language between the two mediums that is formal yet natural.”

Sigh. A lovely way to start a Monday.

Piles of geometric up-dos? Perfectly stacked, shiny french braids? I’m not sure, but that’s what I see! I do know that these perfectly wrapped parcels of whatever they are were created with only pencil, and pen, on paper {up to 2’x3′} Love! This is the most recent work of Copenhagen based artist/illustrator Lotte Maja Bjerre… and now I want someone to french braid my hair. In a square.