Savvy Painter Podcast With Antrese Wood

After a successful career in illustration, Mark Daniel Nelson decided he would be more fulfilled working on his own art. He took his business acumen from the illustration world and applied it to fine arts. Through some smart decisions and ‘being in the right place at the right time.’ Mark created his own path to artistic freedom. In this episode, Mark describes the calculated moves he made to build his career. And how he learned that those calculations will only get you so far. To sustain an art career, the artist ultimately must discover their authentic voice, that thing that keeps him fascinated and engaged with his art. http://SavvyPainter.comSupport the show

Figurative oil painter Martin Campos describes himself as a late bloomer. He began painting in earnest in his late 20s and didn't go to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) where he teaches now until his 30’s. Martin describes a pivotal moment at PAFA when an instructor with a Cheshire Cat grin made a suggestion that ended up changing everything about Martins paintings. Martin also talks about the domino effect in his work, how his paintings are almost premonitions of what his life will be, and why its so important to paint something that truly scares you.Support the show

Bobbie Burgers is an artist living in Vancouver, Canada. She paints large scale portraits of flowers, but as Bobbie will tell you, these paintings are actually not about the flowers at all.Bobbie and I talk about her inspiration, where it comes from and how changing studios gave her the luxury of seeing the progression of her body of work. We also talk about Bobbie’s reaction to having her work copied in Chinese art factories. I have to say, I love how Bobbie ultimately responded to this experience and how it has affected experimentation and her painting process.We also talk about art residencies - Bobbie recently ran an Instagram contest where the winner gets to come hang out and work in her studio for a day - That lead to us talking about how changing things up a bit enables you to explore freely without expectations.Go to show notes  Support the show

Debra is a plein air painter from Southern California. She lives in Orange County where she has a studio and a gallery on Balboa Island.She has been featured in Art of the West, and Plein Air magazine, this year, her paintings will be exhibited in Maui Plein Air, and at the California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition at the Autry Museum.Debra and I talk about….What she teaches her students about simplification and avoiding the overwhelm of complicated subjects.How she started her own gallery - admitting what you’re good at and delegating the rest.Mistakes artists make when dealing with a gallery.The many plein air events she participates in, and how she uses that consistency to move her work.Support the show

Felicia is a representational artist who paints Alla Prima portraits from her studio in Detroit. Her self portrait ‘Melting Point’ was accepted into he BP Portrait awards show in 2015.After 15 years of waitressing, Felicia took a leap and decided to focus exclusively on her painting. It’s an inspiring story of faith in her abilities and pushing past the “oh my god, what did I just do” moments to become the artist she is today.Antrese Wood and Felicia talk about the importance of human connection for artists, how connecting with artists in the real world as well as the virtual world creates a safety net and community. I especially appreciated Felicia’s candor in talking about a difficult period in her life and how the apathy she felt turned out to be the thing that allowed her to grow as an artist.Support the show

Plein Air painter John Cosby began his art career at sea. Like so many people in their 20's he had the urge to travel and see what else is out there. Other sailors noticed him drawing, John needed to eat, so he sold his drawings or bartered for gear.In this episode, John describes how what started as a necessity morphed into a 35 year adventure in painting.When John began to focus exclusively on his art, there was not much going on in the New Port Beach area of California, in terms of art, so he started his own gallery. Just a little farther down the coast of California though, in Laguna Beach, there was a mecca, John give us the back story on how that came to be and how he, and a group of friends formed their own community of plein air painters with the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.John has been working on a project called Rust and Roadsides with Joe Paquet. They are painting what is known as the 'Rust Belt' - after many factories and manufacturing shut down across the United States,

David Gray is a classical realist painter. His work has appeared in Southwest Art, Art of the West, and American Art Collector.David talks with Antrese Wood about how being an artist is being an entrepreneur in this episode. David shares how he accidentally discovered the power of social media to connect with both students and collectors.David and Antrese also talk about the pressure of supporting a family and making a living as an artist while creating meaningful art.Support the show

Sean Cheetham grew up surrounded by artists and encouraged to create. He studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and quickly began teaching and showing his art.Sean and Antrese Wood talk about his portraits of friends, and how painting became sort of a diary of his life. Sean talks about entering art contests, his experience with the BP Portrait contest. On the one hand these contests can be great opportunities for exposure, on the other hand- they can get expensive quickly.Tunnel vision with your art career often leads to burnout. Sean shares his other creative outlets that help him stay on track, and why these creative outlets are categorically not for sale. They allow him to get back to the place where he is creating for himself first.Sean Cheetham is a portrait artist, originally from San Francisco. He now splits his time between San Francisco and L.A.Support the show

Christopher Gallego talks about mastery, the artist mindset, why a painting might 'fail', and his new drawings of the streets of New York City.Support the show

Chelsea Bentley James studied art at the University of Utah and shows her work at Dolby Chadwick in San Francisco.After some early success with still life paintings, Chelsea was advised to “Paint what makes your heart hurt.” Although those early still lifes were necessary to her technical growth and she loved painting them, Chelsea felt they might become somewhat formulaic. So she looked for a motif that was uniquely hers and found the vulnerability and openness of the desert.This conversation echoes a recurring theme here on the Savvy Painter podcast: which is to trust yourself first. As Chelsea will tell you, you can’t fool anyone, and when you paint from your heart and trust your intuition, your authenticity is rewarded. People notice.Chelsea and Antrese also talk about her painting process, allowing a series to grow, avoiding preciousness and even painting with toddlers in the house.Support the show

Artist Katy Schneider paints intimate domestic scenes, mostly from her 6 foot by 8 foot studio in her basement. She plays with questions like, how do you fit all of THIS in such a small space? When you see her paintings, you’ll know what I’m talking about.Katy includes all disciplines in her creative life. She consistently challenges the beginner mindset by doing things like taking up pedal steel guitar, composing music and even taking up ballet. Katy reflects on navigating the guilt artists feel when they are not in the studio and giving herself permission to be creative in other ways. Katy paints from her home in New York, teaches painting at Smith college, and she has won numerous awards for her children’s books.Support the show

Andrew Salgado paints large colorful portraits and abstract figurative work. He is originally from Canada but after attending graduate school at Chelsea he made London his home.In this interview, Andrew and Antrese talk about living in a different country and how immersing yourself in an artistic culture different from your own presents challenges and opportunities for growth. Those opportunities are central to this discussion - Andrew finds opportunities for growth all around him- from fears we have as artists about our work, to competitive rivalries. How these issues affect our work is entirely dependent on mindset, as Andrew says “What happens in the studio is just a microcosmic example of what happens in life.” **Support the podcast** Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider making a modest donation to show your support: http://savvypainter.com/supportSupport the show

Laurie Lipton creates massive, intricate drawings using her very own peculiar drawing technique building up tone with thousands of fine cross-hatching lines like an egg tempera painting.Laurie and I talk about how she developed her own method of working- she calls it giving birth to an elephant, her need to say something about what is going on in this world.She lived in Europe for 36 years, immersed in master art from Michelangelo to Van Eyck when conceptual art and installations were en vogue.Throughout her journey as an artist Laurie was constantly told “you can’t do that”, but her relentless pursuit and belief in herself eventually paid off.**Support the podcast** Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider making a modest donation to show your support: http://savvypainter.com/supportSupport the show

I met Yael in Italy last summer at the JSS in Civita program. And If you have never seen her work, do yourself a favor: soak it in. Her paintings are exquisite jewels, and like the artist herself, the paintings are eloquent and understated. In this episode, Yael and I talk about her early years at college and why studying with someone who knows something about artistic tradition is so important. Yael shares how she used small format gouache sketches to develop her vision and to formulate pictorial ideas. She gives advice on how to learn to compose a motif. Of course, we  talk about Civita Castellana and how her time there every summer with the JSS program serves as preparation for Yael’s painting in Jerusalem.Yael Scalia is represented by Rothschild Fine Art, in Tel Aviv, Israel.Support the show

Artist Dean Fisher lives with his wife Jo in a beautifully remodeled barn house in Connecticut. As it turns out, there is a story behind this barn house. In this episode, Dean shares a fascinating story of how determination, good luck, and a lot of sweat equity went into building their dream studio. **Support the podcast** Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider making a modest donation to show your support: http://savvypainter.com/supportSupport the show

Part two of a conversation with the artist Tony Peters. We continue our conversation on focus. Tony and I also discuss coming up with a style for your work and how that is very different from doing the hard work of finding your voice. Tony and I have both recently moved, we explore how to find or create an artist community when you are new in town. We look at what happens when you allow yourself to be uncomfortable in your work, or rather actively pursue something you’re “not good at”. And we even talk about what working out has to do with painting.**Support the podcast** Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider making a modest donation to show your support: http://savvypainter.com/supportSupport the show

Part one of a two part interview with the artist Tony Peters.In this episode, Tony and I talk about his formative years at the Art Center College of Design, and what he learned by assisting and being mentored by several influential artists there. We talk about “The Church of Art”, a term we made up ( I think) while talking about making observational drawing sacred. It’s a sort of life blood of artists and in figure drawing studios, a community we often take for granted.By now you may be expecting this, or at least not find it surprising, but we also dig into psychology, focus, and even brain science – yes- we mention neuro-plasticity during an art conversation. Tony and I talk about meditation, how that impacts our work and even how to optimize your practice by being selective about the environment and people you spend your time with.Support the show

This past summer, I made a trip to Italy to participate in the JSS master program in Civita Castellana with Israel Hershberg and guest of honor Ann Gale.The master program is an intense six week immersion into painting. It’s unlike any other workshop or program I’ve ever been to.You’ve been asking for an episode about my experience there, but rather than paint kind of a ‘what I did on my summer break’ picture, I wanted to create something more useful for you.Im going to talk about my experience in the context of how to get the most out of a program or workshop.I cover in depth, a few concepts that are critical to doing this -  and these concepts, by the way, apply to any learning experience. Afterwards, I’ll describe what the JSS program is like, because I’ve been getting a lot of questions about that. **Support the podcast** Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider making a modest donat

Harry Stooshinoff realized pretty quickly after grad school that in order to sustain his career, he needed to make some tough choices. He took matters into his own hands and designed his life so that he could create freely. In this episode, Harry Stooshinoff and Antrese Wood talk about creative process, painting and collage work, the inherent issues in the artist-gallery relationship, finding blocks of time to create, and how Harry built his base of art collectors. **Support the podcast** Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider making a modest donation to show your support: http://savvypainter.com/supportSupport the show

James Gurney talks about: How John Steinbeck, Charles Kuralt, and a hobo named Bud inspired James to spend three months traveling across the U.S.The lasting impression of James' art on young minds and how one fan grew up to be a paleontologist and named a dinosaur after James: Torvosaurus gurneyiThe criteria James uses to decide what projects to work on: "Find the work I have the most fun doing, work with the people I really enjoy hanging with and then figure out how to make a business out of that."Why James thinks right now is the best time to be an artist and how he uses new technology to reach current fans and create new ones.Why reading every day is important to James' work.How his artist blog, Gurney Journey sparks James' creativity.James' advice on how to develop an original vision.** Support the podcast **Savvy Painter is a labor of love. It takes significant resources to keep it going, if you find inspiration or value in the Savvy Painter interviews, please consider makin