Okay, first of all, LOOK… there are two little legs dangling out from under the ART FOR YOUR EAR bubble. Yep, that seems exactly right for an episode with LA based artist Esther Pearl Watson {there’s always something a little bit weird ‘n wonderful going on in her world}. So, I’ll cut to the chase. Both Esther and I have been feeling a little lost creatively lately, so we’ve got a new segment called, “Hey Mojo, Where’d Ya Go?”. Can you relate? I bet you can. We follow that with a weird art history trivia quiz, then we’ve given you some links to a couple of guilty pleasures we’ve been turning to, and I’ve kicked off the episode with a bunch of projects you can do at home. Listen right up there under the current state of Esther’s dining room table, and an example of one of her recent empty landscapes {that’ll make sense in a minute}, or you can subscribe right here.

Alright, first up, Esther’s pandemic recipe book!

How hilarious/gross is that!? You can find this, and a bunch of other fun stuff, in her shop.

Okay, we didn’t talk about this specifically, but Esther always paints narratives from her own life. A lot of those stories are from her childhood in Texas, but she manages to sneak in current stuff too… like, “Be Nice to Women”, for example:

Ha! Yep, that’s Martha! This is from a road trip that Esther, Martha and their friend Julie took to Texas in 2019. As you can imagine, any trip involving this crew is going to result in some pretty crazy scenarios… perfect material for new paintings? Clearly.

I wanted to include these pieces too… again, we didn’t talk about them specifically, but I love that Esther can be creative no matter what. In the project prompts I gave off the top, I suggested looking for materials that are already in your house. Well, look at this brown paper bag goodness that Esther made in 2018:

Love… and yes, her glittery pink flying saucers are always my favorite.

And finally, I thought I’d wrap things up with Esther working in isolation, and a positive message of hope on the back of a UFO:

Well now, ain’t that the truth! Thank you so much to Esther for adding me to her very long list of online calls she had to make on the day we recorded; thanks to Create! Magazine for supporting this episode; and of course, great big thanks to YOU for listening – there will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Esther on Instagram
2. Esther’s Global Pandemic Recipe Book
3. Vielmetter Gallery, LA
4. Webb Gallery, Texas
5. Create Magazine : Submission info {April 30th Deadline}
6. Jelle’s Marble Runs!
7. @thelesliejordan

Gasp! These pieces are the latest paintings by UK based artist Lucy Pass… I wrote about her “Lover’s Eyes” series awhile back, but oh my goodness, I saw all of this goodness on her Instagram feed and had to write again. Those inky black graphic lines with the soft pink realistic perfection of the faces? I am in love. Here is an excerpt from Lucy’s statement:

“I try not to impose a clear cut narrative on the viewer. My aim is to illicit an emotional response without dictating to the viewer what they should or shouldn’t be feeling. I have become fascinated by the range of responses to each portrait – what one person perceives can be in complete contradiction to the next. Sometimes these reactions can be clearly explained by the individual and other times it is something visceral that can’t quite be placed. The piece is then no longer about the face looking back at us, but about the feelings that it stirs and what that means about us.”

ps. Some of Lucy’s work is available in her shop.

Sigh. I want to go to there. I won’t, though. I’ll stay home… but as soon as we’re allowed to travel again, I’m going to all of these cotton candy colored places! This is the work {acrylic on panel} of Texas born, LA based painter Kristin Moore. I’ll let this paragraph from her website explain why she does what she does:

“Her Texas roots and California influence have culminated into her current body of work. Often inspired by Ed Ruscha’s work Every Building on the Sunset Strip and A Few Palm Trees, Moore sources the images that influence her paintings from her many car rides, walks, and hikes up to overlooks. An homage to Hollywood, Moore also finds visual influence for her work in the world of film; particularly from visionaries such as Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Her work continues to explore architecture, and atmosphere while oscillating through the ever-changing skyline of Austin, the landscapes of Los Angeles, and the highways in between.”

Dreamy. Happy Wednesday.

Oil paint on found thrift shop paintings… loooooooooove. This is the work of New York based artist Dave Pollot. Before becoming a full-time artist, Dave was a software developer but, clearly, those days are far behind him. Now he spends his time painting bits and pieces of pop culture into thrift shop finds:

“Painting has always been something of a hobby to me, but it wasn’t until I started repurposing thrift art in 2012 that I did it with any real consistency.  The idea actually began as a joke between my wife (who loves to shop at thrift stores) and I, but it quickly evolved into an attempt to answer a question:  Could I take a piece of unwanted art, and without changing its aesthetic, change its meaning by painting into it some bit of pop culture/nostalgia and make it desirable in the modern world?  Since that time, I’ve also started to explore a number of more personal themes in my work.  For example, using popular food items inserted into still life paintings to represent the distractions (both mental and material) that prevent us from being present and focused on where we are and what we’re doing.”

Ah, so good! Dave is one of the artists I’ll be talking about TODAY Tuesday April 14, at NOON EST. Yes, he’s donated one of his pieces to be sold as part of the online fundraiser being put on by Showfields NYC and TAX Collection… and hosted LIVE by me. Eep!? You can RSVP to this online art sale right here… {and wish me luck!}

I’m sure I don’t have to explain how much I love this palette. Oh my word, from ceramic organics, to produce on panels {ok, just the final painting is on panel – the top three pieces are on canvas, but the alliteration was just too good to pass up}. This is the work of Liz Hernandez, a Mexican artist who is now based in California. Here is part of her artist statement:

[Liz] pulls imagery from her memories of living in Mexico City, focusing on the way the mundane and the extraordinary coalesce. Recently her work has been inspired by the idea that food is a language that we can all understand. She explores food as a way to communicate ideas of immigration, community, and home.

Beautiful.

Mmmm, donuts and hugs… I’ll take a dozen of each, please. Today’s episode is really just me chatting with my amazing, funny, smart talented friend, Philadelphia based artist Martha Rich. We used to talk on Skype all the time when we were working on “Your Inner Critic Is A Big Jerk”, so I honestly kinda forgot we were recording… sooooo for those of you who tell me you like the episodes that make you feel like you’re eavesdropping on two artists talking in a café – pour yourself a coffee, hug a chocolate donut, close your eyes, and pretend you’re out at your favorite coffee shop listening in. You can listen right up there under that sprinkle-covered goodness, or subscribe right here.

First, an example of the pointy petal, cut paper pieces Martha’s been working on lately:

Loooooove. Also, the title of that piece? Yep, I LOVE that too. Plan accordingly, people.

Oooh, and here are a few grabs from her illustration job in New York Times Magazine:

She’s so good. And to all of you Americans out there, what does Martha want you to do? …

Yep. Ask your senators to make sure the November 2020 election happens!

And, I had to include this:

Hahaha! Yep, Martha and her voiceless cat, Mack, in her glass doorway. The two B&W photos are from a new series that her friend, photographer Andrea Cipriani Mecch, is doing in Philadelphia right now titled #FamilyAtADistance. The first one is Martha’s official photo, the second is clearly the most perfect outtake ever! AND, look, she’s really doing it… the paper installation on her door is underway {hm, I really should get my box of clay out at some point.} Thanks so much to Martha for hanging out with us for an hour, and thanks to you for listening! There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Fiskars Ring Knife 
2. Beauty is Embarrassing {Wayne White Documentary}
3. Mimi Pond, Artist
4. More movies I mentioned: Fur / Frida 
5. Movies I forgot to mention : Finding Vivian Maier / Big Eyes / Saving Banksy / Kusama Infinity
6. Photo of Martha above: #FamilyAtADistance : Photo series by Andrea Cipriani Mecch

I’ve written about the large-scale bling of South African artist Kurt Pio before, and for his most recent show, Kurt’s muse is one of Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite pieces of jewelry… just a little bit bigger. Why all of the cameras, you ask? I’ll let Kurt explain:

“The Elizabeth Taylor Bvlgari brooch pendant. Gifted to Elizabeth by Richard Burton while they were both filming ‘Cleopatra’ in Rome. It was the start of a love affair. The piece of jewelry was bought from the Bulgari store in Rome and became one of Elizabeth’s most iconic and favourite pieces.
In this exhibition of mine, I’ve produced some classic cameras, these are possible cameras that the paparazzi would have used during Elizabeth’s life. The paparazzi helped to make the Taylor Burton love affair so public. And I loved the dialogue, relationship and connection this specific piece of jewelry and the paparazzi cameras had.”

“You Caught My Eye” is currently showing on the walls of Gallery Orange in New Orleans, and will be there until April 8th, 2020.

You asked {ok, more realistically, you shouted} and I listened … yes, New Orleans based artist / bedazzled ray of light, Ashley Longshore is back on the podcast today. I turned the interview over to you guys this time, pulling questions you left on my Instagram feed last week. Well, Ashley answered everything from advice on pricing work, and how to collaborate with big brands – to her thoughts on vajacials {which is a real thing, btw}, and who takes those Instagram photos of her sitting on the toilet. Yep. We cover it ALL. My favorite part of this whole interview though, is the answer she gives right off the top. Question number one, sent in by one of you: “What is the first positive thought ashley actively focuses on when anxiety hits hard.” Her answer is beautiful and something every single one of us should be doing every single day… right after we brush our fangs!  You can listen right up there under those diamond-encrusted / golden chompers, or subscribe right here.

First up, true vulnerability in all its glory… Ashley’s brand new, very powerful self portrait series:

Ashley as: Clown; Housewife; Sex Goddess; Businessman; Wonder Woman… yep, that just about covers it. Ahhh, so many expectations from the world, so little time. I couldn’t help but wonder if these pieces were inspired by this recent photo of Ashley on holiday last month:

Yessssssss! How absolutely fabulous is THAT shot!? What a babe. Now, speaking of being unapologetically vulnerable, the two ‘on the toilet’ photos one of you had questions about:

Hilarious! That said, she can get pretty fancy in photos too… you know, while doing things like guest-judging on Bravo’s Project Runway:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ashley Longshore (@ashleylongshoreart) on Jan 23, 2020 at 2:41pm PST

Hello, style. I loooove that photo {taken by Grady Brannon} on the staircase with Ashley and her fabulous friend, fashion designer Christian Siriano, so I had to pop it in the post too.

And, of course, the coloring pages she just released a few days ago:

Love, love, love!!! Keep your kids, or yourself, busy by downloading all of them right here {and then email a photo of your final masterpiece to Ashley at: hollywood@ashleylongshore.com !}

And finally…

YES! Let’s all get up, make our beds, brush our fangs, and throw on our big girl panties so we can get through this crazy time TOGETHER. Thanks to Ashley for doing this with me {again!}, thanks to the Thrive Network for supporting the episode, and huge thanks to YOU for listening! Stay home. Wash your hands. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend. ~ Danielle xo

ps. If you wanna get in on the ‘distracting yourself with art’ daily hashtag, please do! There are now over 8000 posts and it’s really inspiring and fun to be part of. See ya on Instagram at #30DayArtQuarantine

Other links:

1. Download Ashley’s coloring pages
2. Food Banks to donate to: USA / Canada
3. #30DayArtQuarantine on Instagram
4. Bright Minded with Miley Cyrus {Ashley’s episode is on WEDNESDAY APRIL 1!}
   
5. Email address to use if you want to send Ashley your resume: ashleyart@ashleylongshore.com

Ahhh, the quiet work of Scottish painter Andrew McIntosh. I’ve written about Andrew before {here and here}, and just had to do it again as these lonely campers are currently hung on the walls of the James Freeman Gallery in London right at this very moment. They have very appropriately just installed a show titled “Splendid Isolation”. Here are the gallery’s words:

“As our first online exhibition of COVID-19, we are pleased to present ‘Splendid Isolation’, a collection of new caravan paintings by the Scottish artist Andrew McIntosh.

Andrew has painted caravans for many years: sometimes as a host for an Old Master painting; others, as a portal to a sunset or unexpected celestial phenomena. In all cases he taps into the curious appeal of the caravan as a miniature world within a world: a vessel for the intrepid, a means of escape, and a place for cocooned isolation.”

The show runs from March 24th until April 15th. Happy Friday. Stay home. Wash your hands.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

This is how I make some of my three dimensional flowers. It’s all made from oil paint and cold wax medium. The paint is thick enough that it holds its shape when applied to the surface and it dries that way.

A post shared by Nicolette Valikoski (@nicolettevalikoskiart) on Oct 17, 2018 at 11:23am PDT

Ummmm, is there such a thing as ASMR for your eyeballs… because I think this is it! These are just a few of my favorite grabs from the Instagram feed of Canadian painter Nicolette Valikoski. In this crazy time of self-isolation, I vote for watching Nicolette’s paint-mixing videos on repeat. For hours. You’re welcome. ps. please don’t lick your screen.

{found via Create Magazine’s Instagram feed}