Those are needle-hole perforations in paper… because I know you’re wondering! Today I’m talking to the very prolific artist, and teacher, Wendy Kawabata. I wrote about her needle-hole series, titled “Blind World” a few years ago, but they are just one of many gems in her extensive portfolio. So, this episode is coming to you from Hawaii… I’m in Maui, and Wendy lives on Oahu… mai tais for everyone! Listen right up there under that intricate beauty, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, some of her newest work. Wendy has recently gone back to oil painting after a very long break:

Ahhh, gorgeous! Each of these are titled “Cairns III”, “Cairns II”, and “Cairns VII Here Comes The Sun”.

Now, these pieces are both drawings and mixed media. Wait… is it fabric… or drawings .. or both? …

You can see why I wasn’t sure! The top two are gouache and colored pencil on paper, and the bottom two are gouache, colored pencil, and kantha cloth on paper. Love them all!

Next, the work inspired by her month-long residency in Iceland. This is “In The Land” when it was shown in 2016 at Sanderson Contemporary in New Zealand:

Dreamy, icy watercolors and that amazing crocheted flower piece… which has oh so much more behind it than grey, metallic paint covered flowers.

Oooh, I love this series too {see, prolific!}. This is a gouache and pencil on paper series, titled “Acts”:

Note the “mama”… such a beautiful reason for having that word woven into these drawings from a few years back.

And here we are, the first body of work of Wendy’s that I ever saw. “Blind Worlds”. So gorgeous:

Needle-hole perforations in paper, or as Wendy would say, drawing with holes. Love, love, love!

And finally, this is the piece she mentioned near the beginning… logs covered in crochet with Wendy’s made-up stitches {thank goodness for mothers}:

Beautiful… right stitches or wrong stitches! Thanks so much to Wendy for doing this with me; thanks to Saatchi Art and Thrive for supporting the episode, and thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear, not next weekend but the weekend after that {Feb 17}

Other links:

1. Material Slip Show, March 4 ~ April 6th
2. Sanderson Contemporary, NZ
3. University of Hawaii at Mānoa

I want a ticket to this “Natural Unnatural Museum”! Oh my word, I could spend all day in this nine part mixed media piece… the polar bear, the skateboard loving tortoise, random dinosaur bones, and the odd hidden gem. Sigh. This magical place is the work of LA based artist and illustrator Sally Deng.

Oh my goodness… these are just a few new works by Toronto based artist Kristy Blackwell. I’ve written about her gorgeous paintings and drawings on mylar before, but now… well, two words: GOLD. LEAF. Stunning.

Today is all about graphite drawings and animals… and ceramics, jewelry, stone masonry, teaching, free art, TV shows, celebrity chefs, leprechauns, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I’m talking to Northern Ireland based artist Lee Boyd. You can listen right under those elegant rabbits, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

Let’s start with the piece Lee made based on my photo taken in Venice this summer, because, well, I could look at images of Venice all day loooooong:

Isn’t that great!? Even better and more blush-inducing is his reason for choosing the panther:

“Curiosity satisfied” : Awhile back I spent some time searching out sources of inspiration and found the interviews of artists by The Jealous Curator. She gathered together an array of artists from around the world and asked the questions, and the answers were my company as I created my own work in the studio. Not long ago she posted a picture on Instagram of herself in Venice and I took the opportunity to create this artwork after contacting her for her permission to use it. The phrase “curiosity killed the the cat and satisfaction brought it back” was the perfect anecdote for the composition but rather than any cat, I chose a stronger feline – a black panther – hunting out her passion for art.

So, amazing! I will treasure this forever.

Next up, these images are from the first post I wrote about Lee, Easter 2015:

I may or may not be obsessed with his rabbit drawings.

Oh, and this! These are the shipment container studios he was talking about, aka Project 24. How amazing is this:

I would happily have people wander by and stare in at me … like the panther that I am!

Speaking of cats, this is the drawing that greatly disturbed a woman who had been peeking into Lee’s studio:

… and of course, Sophie herself. Look at that ninja attitude… yep, she could easily take out an aye-aye.

Ok, so from cats to a male chauvinist pig hitting on a swan at the pub:

Leave her alone… she’s clearly not interested.

So, it turns out that Lee did have another {non-nude} aye-aye in his portfolio! And, in case you aren’t familiar with the weird cuteness living in the trees of Madagascar, a real photo of an aye-aye too:

Gah! I need one!

Next, Saatchi Art invites various people to curate collections from time to time. Singer Carly Rae Jepson put a grouping together and chose one of Lee’s works. Rabbits. See I’m not the only one obsessed with them:

Excellent choice, Carly.

Ok, I love this … “SHOW ME THE MONET!”. This is the BBC show that Lee was on. The stories about this were so funny, from falling through the set door to likening the female judge to a duck. Oh, Lee…

The black rabbit, aka his self portrait, was the piece featured on the show and, no surprise, it made it into the final exhibition. I love the meaning behind those empty Ikea shelves. So smart. ps. that final photograph above is from the home of celebrity chef Peter Gordon who ended up buying that drawing! 

And finally, Lee’s new portrait series that he has just embarked on. Portraits of people, with just a hint of animal. Here he is in action:

Beautiful. That’s Lee’s partner, Andrea, and her reflection as a rabbit. Sigh. Gorgeous. Thank you so much to Lee for telling us his hilarious stories, and for giving such insightful advice; thanks to Saatchi Art for not only supporting the episode but also supporting artists far and wide; and of course, thanks to you for listening! There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Saatchi Art (yay!)
2. Project 24, Ireland
3. David Kassan’s Art Crit Academy
4. Carly Rae Jepson’s picks on Saatchi Art
5. “Lee Boyd : One to Watch” on Saatchi Art
6. Peter Gordon, Chef
7. Lee on Instagram

Who wants to come to ‘Walkyland’ with me today? Yes, I’m so thrilled to be talking to Swedish born, London based artist and illustrator Monika Forsberg! You can listen right under those lovely ducks, or you can subscribe on iTunes.

First up, this link to “Mummy Needs Gin“, a hilarious animation she did for Channel 4 in England. So, so good! Also good… some of Monika’s pieces I wrote about a few years ago:

Yep, still love ’em!

Ok, we got right into it {well, after talking about dogs and stuff}. Here are just a few of the collaborations she’s done with some very big brands. No.1: Anthropology:

Oh, I love that swan pillow. Next collab… Monika’s patterns walking the runway for Australian brand, Gorman:

A post shared by monika forsberg (@monika_forsberg) on Sep 6, 2017 at 11:02pm PDT

That would be surreal… to see your drawings walking down a runway?! Also surreal… getting a call from Valentino! Here are a few of the hearts she did for their Hong Kong store:

Not only was the turn-around time on that project insanely fast, she was also planning her youngest son’s birthday party over the same few days. And her oven was broken. Mummy needs gin, indeed.

These next whimsical pieces are just a handful of the gems she’s done for eeboo:

Ok, it’s official… I need one of those puzzles for the holidays this winter.

I love what Monika said about starting to make / share her patterns. If you want to get certain kinds of jobs that you aren’t getting, show that you can do it and hopefully the phone will start to ring! I’d call about these for sure:

Those horses. Come on! Next, the cover of the crayon book she illustrated … and wrote! The writing part came as a bit of surprise apparently ; )

Of course I had to include a few of the dinos we were talking about:

No quetzalcoatlus, but that’s cool. And finally, last but not least… DUCKS!

She was not kidding … she really does love drawing ducks. She said no one ever calls asking for ducks, but maybe they will now!

So, I always like to end a podcast post with a photo of the artist, but Monika is not a fan of selfies. I’m kinda glad because it forced me to dig until I found this:

Ah! Little Monika in Northern Sweden, moments after “knitting a worm”. LOVE! Thank you so so so much to Monika for putting her phone anxiety aside for an hour so we could hear her inspiring story; thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting the episode; and of course thank you so much for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.

Other links:

1. Monika on Instagram
2. Hollie Chastain episode
3. Mummy Needs Gin animation – for Channel 4
4. Kate Woodrow, Literary Agent
5. Barbapapa!

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

Now this is a lovely way to start a Monday. This is the soft, layered, mixed media work of Seattle based artist Jenna Douglass. I love her mixture of found images, washy paint, and perfect graphite lines. Perhaps it’s the palette, but they all feel like a dewy spring morning …  a dewy spring morning that makes me want to get into the studio! Happy Monday.

ps. Some of her leaf pieces are available in her shop.

Oil pastel on paper. Ah-mazing. The work of Minneapolis based artist Terrence Payne always blows my mind, and this new body of work, titled “Family Fremds”, is no exception. Here’s what it’s all about:

“Family Fremds examines the ways in which communities of faith can be turned against one another by exploiting their differences and diminishing their common values.”  

Sad, true, powerful, and beautiful. Some of his work is currently hanging at Rosalux Gallery {Minneapolis} in a two-person show titled “Feral Fables”. It will be up until the end of this month.

ps. There won’t be a podcast episode this coming weekend as I’m knee-deep in my very exciting “visiting professor” role at the University of Wisconsin, BUT may I suggest you listen to the episode I did with Terrence awhile back. It’s hilarious and one of my favorites. The episode is titled “Pastels, Perfection, and Prince”, which pretty much sums it up! 

So, that’s a painting. Yeah. I’ve been dying to talk to Canadian artist Lindsay Arnold about this ongoing series for ages. It’s titled “Tedium”, and in case you haven’t listened to the episode yet, I read her artist statement about this work. I’m going to post it here too because it’s just too perfect to be missed:

“In my grandmother’s time the doily was required for protecting surfaces, concealing imperfections, ornamenting surroundings, and measuring status. Today doilies are found in abundance at thrift stories, auctions and forgotten linen closets. Hours of female labour are represented in these worn, stained and unfashionable objects. The imperfections which have rendered the doilies unusable for their original purpose inspire narratives which are further explored through interactions with objects such as scissors, pins, and utensils. The doilies are stretched, torn, and misshapen, such as we are by marriage, illness, motherhood and more. “Tedium” is way to honour the difficult experiences which leave us worn, acknowledge thankless repetitive labour, and reveal a part of the anonymous doily maker’s story.” ~ Lindsay Arnold

See? Beautiful, and it sets up everything you’re about to see. That said, here are a few of my favorite paintings from this gorgeous series:

Oh my word. They’re just too good. Paintings. How are they paintings?

Now, before I show you all of the other pieces I’m in love with from that series, I want to show you a few of the drawings from one of Lindsay’s earlier series, titled very appropriately, “Rooted”:

Ah yes, I remember all of that from those first few years as a new mother. Sigh. So lovely, so smart … and fantastic that her mentor at the time, Canadian artist Holly Fay, encouraged her to turn these from something she did while her baby napped, into a full project bound into a gorgeous “artist book”.

And now, back to “Tedium”! This is where it began… perfect doilies drawn with a dip pen and white ink. And those shadows… oh, the shadows {they’re what made me assume these were photos during a quick scroll-by}:

… and then things started to get not so perfect, because imperfection is so much more interesting {and real!}:

Seriously. Paintings. Now, how about watching some real doilies in action! Here’s a trailer for the video Lindsay created using her delicate muses:

So fun! If you’d like to see the full video, you can find it right here.

Speaking of fun …

Yes, both Lindsay and I in all our catty / Halloweenie goodness! Meow. Thanks so much to Lindsay for answering all of my prying questions; thanks to Saatchi Art for supporting yet another episode; and HUGE thanks to you for listening. I’m on my way to the University of Wisconsin for the entire week, because they’ve invited me to be a visiting professor – obviously I’ve tried desperately to buy a corduroy jacket with elbow patches, but alas, nothing. Anyway, all of this to say there won’t be a podcast this coming weekend, so have a great Halloween {I’m sure we’ve inspired you with our costumes}, and I will be back with a new episode on Saturday, November 4^th!

ps. If you want to listen to an older episode while I’m away, you can find all one hundred and ten of them right here.

Other links:

1. SAIT, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
2. Holly Fay, Artist
3. Martha Cole, Artist
4. Lindsay’s Instagram feed
5. Video Pool
6. Lindsay’s video, “Table Dance”

Ok, let me begin by saying that photos do not do the work of American artist Lindsay Jones justice. I held some of her tissue paper pieces in my carefully gloved hands the last time I was in LA, and they’re so, so lovely! Speaking of which, her latest show, titled “Pattern Recognition” was just showing at Carbondale Arts in Colorado. It came down a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve done my best to give you a glimpse into the world she created. Here is a description of the show, found on the gallery’s site:

“Abstracting images from architecture and landscape, Lindsay Jones creates drawings, small sculptures, and installations out of materials such as paper, collage, and balsa wood. Her work is the result of her observations of the landscape; the rural, the urban, the exquisite, the boring, the natural, the unnatural, etc. Lindsay says she finds herself both in awe of, as well as disturbed by, the way that we build, and transform our environments, and believes that humanity will always be trying to figure out how to negotiate our life in this shared environment … This collection of drawings by Lindsay uses imagery from the Western Colorado and Utah deserts, whose environments she finds to be valuable because of their lack of human development.”

Beautiful. Now I have to go and make stuff.