Shows
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 83: Some Thoughts on Drawing (Part 3)Artists, Jennifer Coates, David Humphrey and Catherine Haggarty and are back for Part 3 of our series on Drawing. This time we switched things up and each artist brought both an artwork from art history and a related work of their own to discuss. Get ready to hear some vivid "ekphrasis" on our drawing picks (new vocab word unlocked-thanks, David!).Jennifer brought “The Castle with the Angel” 1863 by Victor Hugo and her own mixed media on yupo drawing “Heads in the Brambles” 2025David brought Odilon Redon's "Self Portrait" 1880 and his own painted drawing "Before t...
2025-10-201h 30Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 82: Dare to Be Stupid in the StudioThis is an episode about how acting on dumb ideas in the studio can be just the thing to get you out of artist's block or help you make a big change. Get ready for some choice bon mots from the likes of Weird Al Yankovic, Laurie Anderson, William Kentridge and others on the sage subject of being open to studio stupidity.Mentions: Weird Al Yankovic, Laurie Anderson, William Kentridge, Jack Whitten, Epictetus, Susan Sontag, Mister T, Twyla TharpWritings mentioned: https://brooklynrail.org/2022/06/art/Laurie-Anderson-with-Paul-D-Miller/
2025-09-1617 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 81: How to Survive a Residency Rejection (*explicit)*Disclaimer: This episode is meant to be funny and Amy would love to attend any of the aforementioned residencies. Please accept her if you find yourself on a panel. End disclaimer.*Just got rejected from an artists' residency? Well, this is the mini-episode for you because I am going to let you in on a little technique I use to feel better. There's a curse word abundantly used throughout, so listen far away from small ears, Dear Listener!(Unless the small ears are pets-pets don't have language centers in their brains so it's safe.)
2025-07-2808 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 89: El Greco and the WhaleThis is a little episode about how I think a one-of-a-kind whale is kind of like the 16th -17th century Mannerist artist El Greco, and also like us. It sounds a little far fetched but admit it, you like me when I’m weird, you weirdo’sEl Greco:Artworks mentioned: “The Vision of St John” 1608-14 and "View of Toledo" 1599-1600 (El Greco), “Les Desmoiselles D’Avignon" 1907 (Picasso), "Rocks at Fontainbleu" 1890's (Cézanne)Artists mentioned: Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Hilma Af Klint, Pablo Picasso, Eugène De la Croix...
2025-06-2320 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 88: Resilience Through Research (Pt5) w/ Jennifer Coates::CW: during the Kathe Kollwitz section, we discuss a print dealing with sexual assault::Jennifer and I are back with our bushel baskets of researched artists of the past to soothe our shattered nerves. Tune in to hear about 6 artists that made exceptional work under strained circumstances: Käthe Kollwitz, John of Arderne - medieval surgeon and margin doodler, Gustav Metzger, William Gropper, David Hammons and Joan Miró.Käthe Kollwitz notes:"Käthe Kollwitz" exhibtion at MOMA May-June 2024Emile Zola's novel "Germinal" 1885"Scen...
2025-05-261h 40Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 87: CounterPointe Report w/ Elisabeth Condon & Jennifer CoatesToday's episode is a special conversation and recap of Elisabeth Condon and my experiences collaborating as visual artists in the ballet project CounterPointe (now in its 12th year) produced by Norte Maar and staged at the Mark O'Donnell Theater (Brooklyn) in March 2025. Jennifer Coates kindly came on to ask us questions about making props and what it was like for 2 newbies to enter the world of dance. Thanks, Jennifer!Special thanks also to Norte Maar and its co-directors, Julia K. Gleich and Jason Andrew for their support of artists and creative collaboration.
2025-04-181h 23Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 86: The Source Channeler & The Market ChildIn this audio essay, I roam from post-war France to the abstract expressionists to the artists of the East Village and even to outer space to consider times in art history when art was forced to bloom in the dark. These under-the-radar moments yielded deeply experimental work, and I wonder how we might channel some of that spirit in our own time.Artists mentioned: Laurie Anderson, Joan Miro, Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, David Wojnarowicz, and Judy GlantzmanScientists mentioned: Robert H Dicke, Jim PeeblesJim Peebles interviewed by Alan Lightman for the American In...
2025-03-2525 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 85: Meret Oppenheim's TitlesI'm offering for you here a new mini ep about what I've been thinking about lately: the wackiness of Meret Oppenheim's titles - and how they expand the mystery of her images rather than explain them. I recently snagged the catalog from the Moma retrospective show from last year and highly recommend it if you don't have it yet. It's full of lovely color plates: https://store.moma.org/products/meret-oppenheim-my-exhibition-hardcover But I think cheaper ones are on Amazon?Here are some images from the exhibition online too: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5368
2025-02-2711 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 84: "Lifeline: Clifford Still" Film Review (Part 2) w/ Mandolyn Wilson RosenThis is Part 2 of Mandolyn Wilson Rosen and my review of "Lifeline: Clyfford Still" 2019 directed by Dennis Scholl. It's a juicy art bio tell-all with a crusty curmudgeon as its talented but embittered subject. Don't forget to listen to Part 1 too!
Find the film on Amazon ($2.99 SD) or for free on Kanopy
Find Mandolyn online at: https://mandolynwilsonrosen.com and on IG at @mandolyn_rosen
Artists mentioned: Philip Guston, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Willem DeKooning, Frank Stella, Donald Judd, Paul Cezanne, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Thomas Hart Benton,
Art Problems Podcast
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2025-01-311h 15Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 83: "Lifeline: Clyfford Still" Film Review (Part 1) w/ Mandolyn Wilson RosenMandolyn Wilson Rosen is back on the podcast! This time, instead of a book we are talking about an artist documentary. The film is called "Lifeline: Clyfford Still" 2019 directed by Dennis Scholl. It's a juicy art bio tell-all with a crusty curmudgeon as its talented but embittered subject. Come along with us as we enter a turbulently Still world. Find the film on Amazon ($2.99 SD) or for free on KanopyFind Mandolyn online at: https://mandolynwilsonrosen.com and on IG at @mandolyn_rosenLinks...
2025-01-231h 03Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 82: Resilience Through Research (Pt 4) w/ Jennifer CoatesJennifer Coates is back with me this week to cohost Part 4 of our series about researching our way to feeling better as artists. This time we go all the way back to 1306 to the Mongol empire and then zoom forward to the 1970's in the USSR and with a few more stops in between. We studied hard (and maybe got C minuses) but we ended up feeling inspired and hope you will too. The artists we spoke about:Zheng Sixiao of Southern China's Song Dynasty, "Ink Orchid" 1306, during Mongol Empire (Yuan Dynasty...
2025-01-101h 29Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 80: Resilience Through Research (Pt 3) w/ Jennifer CoatesArtist, Jennifer Coates is back for Part 3 in our series about finding artistic resilience through research! This time we look at these artists and how they adapted to their own gloomy times of foreboding:
Kay Sage: Found a way to paint even though she was a victim of domestic violence and ignored by the art world, and used her money to help Surrealist artists flee Germany and France before WWII
Grete Stern: Sneakily slipped in feminist art into a fluffy women's magazine under the Peronist regime
Jacob Lawrence: Illustrated injustices...
2024-12-0452 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 79: Resilience through Research (Pt 2) w/ Jennifer CoatesVisit glögg glögg, a POP up ART sale, Dec 13-14 in Woodstock NY: website or IG---------------What can an artist do during times of political unrest and instability? In this episode (Part 2 of our series), we aim to find out. Jennifer Coates joins me again to share some stories from the past of how artists coped throughout history, because somehow research is very reassuring right now! We looked at the ways these specific artists reflected and reacted to their time:Goya: Made his most honest wo...
2024-12-041h 01Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 78: Resilience through Research (Pt 1) w/ Jennifer CoatesJennifer Coates, friend of the pod, is back to help me consider a new way forward (artwise) after the destabilizing event of the US election. She, herself, is finding comfort in the long history of rocks, geology and the cosmos, while I find myself turning to a book about how Matisse and his daughter, Marguerite, both reacted to the trauma of WWII in opposite yet valid ways. It's a bit of a potpourri, but we promise some great galvanizing art historical quotes and an inspiring double pep talk for the ages. Alternative title of ep: Rock Paper Scissors! Come...
2024-11-261h 03Pep Talks for ArtistsBonus Ep: The Canopy Program with Catherine HaggartyThis bonus episode is a promotion for NYC Crit Club's "The Canopy Program" 2025, a year-long mentorship community for artists. Founder and artist, Catherine Haggarty, stopped by the pod to tell me more about what the program offers, who it's for, and which artists she has on deck to lead the cohorts next year.
Applications for The Canopy Program are open Monday, December 9th - January 12, 2025
Quick Links:
RSVP for Zoom Info Sessions (Dec 3, 10, 12 and Jan 3, 6)
The Canopy Program website
The Canopy Program on...
2024-11-2535 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 77: Interview w/ Artist, Kristen MillsI'm back in the interview seat with Kristen Mills, an artist working in video, sculpture and installation. We discussed her latest show at Turley Gallery where she covered an entire room with cardboard and made it into a spaceship cockpit. Her video work features clones of herself, multiplied, and combines humor and old school editing techniques to create surreal worlds of play and exploration. The digital elements are then ensconced in laboriously-made, intricate cardboard constructions.
There's also Glue Tawk and a MacDowell Corner! Tune in!
Find Kristen's work online:
Web...
2024-11-041h 37Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 76: Feeling WitchyDear Listeners, it's spooky season. In that spirit, I offer you this mini episode about taking a mini break from the career grind. Why not instead light a spell candle while getting clear on what we really want? Shelve the "should's" for a bit and get witchy with me.
The ending "Goodbye!" (with cacophonous lighting zaps) is Bette Midler from the movie, Hocus Pocus - Iconic Icon.
Thank you for listening.
All music by Soundstripe
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Pep Talks on IG: @peptalksforartists
Amy, your beloved host, on IG: @talluts
Pep Talks on Art Spiel as wri...
2024-10-3106 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 74: William Shatner in Space (The Overview Effect)Today I'm taking us on a space, art and space-art journey. Because, I've been thinking about how when William Shatner recently went up to space in Bezos' rocket, he saw in real life what he had always pretended to see on TV: space and the final frontier. But to his shock and horror, he...sort of hated it: At least he hated the outer space view. He quaked in the face of all that vast emptiness and ended up with a new appreciation for our warm "Mother" Earth.
I.e. "Beam me down, Scotty."
2024-09-0624 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 73: Some Thoughts on Drawing (Part 2)We're back!
This is the second part of our deep dive on drawing. I asked my artist-guests: Jennifer Coates, David Humphrey and Catherine Haggarty to bring along a fave drawing from art history to share and describe what "drew" them to it (please forgive the pun). It was so fun to see what they selected.
See images of all of the works on IG @peptalksforartists
The drawings discussed were:
1) "The Grotto of Neptune in Tivoli" ca 1640 by Claude Lorrain
2) Rocks near the caves above Château N...
2024-08-1655 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 72: Some Thoughts on Drawing (Part 1)Join me and my guests: Jennifer Coates, David Humphrey and Catherine Haggarty as we discuss the topic of Drawing this week. This discussion was broken up into 2 parts, so keep an eye out for Part 2 coming soon.
In Part 1, we discuss the drawing state of mind, drawing as a form of safety, as a tie to our primitive origins, and as a way to express the multitudes of self. We also dissect painter, Amy Sillman's analogy that Draw-ers are beavers and Painters are birds.
Find my guests online here:
2024-08-161h 05Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 71: How Often Do You Think About the Fall of the Roman Empire?...or the future of our own cultural output? Dear Listener, please enjoy this space-y, star-filled Mini Pep about the infinite freedom that comes from making digital doodles.
My Threads App artists doodle harvest can be found here: https://www.threads.net/@talluts/post/CucE58OLSwU/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Artists mentioned: Sharon Butler (see all of her digital drawings by searching the hashtag #sbgoodmorningdrawings on IG), Paul Dagostino, Joe Haley, John Avelluto, Keisha Prioleau Martin
All music by Soundstripe
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Pep Talks on IG: @peptalksforartists
Amy, your beloved host, on IG: ...
2024-08-0207 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 70: When in Doubt - Delulu is the SoluluThis episode is based on an internet slang mantra which translates to "Delusion is the Solution." Find out why healthy artists rely heavily on healthy self-delusion to self-motivate. Like Comedian, Nina Oyama, says, one must create a "self deception turducken" to persevere in a creative pursuit.
I also threw in Lady Gaga, David Shrigley and even Salvador Dali who all had excellent quotes.
Signed,
AmyYour Quote-&-Internet-Meme Magpie
Reading/Watch Links:Dali's appearance on "What's Your Line:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXT2E9...
2024-07-0311 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 69: Eva Hesse, Sylvia Mangold & The Home DepotThis is my hot take on the seven-year-old (it's new to me!) Eva Hesse doc and the scandalous revelations contained within. Also, I receive further evidence for why we still stan our queen, Sylvia Mangold, as she asks: Is the Home Depot the new Canal Street?
The #cerebral, #inspiring and #wondrous documentary, Eva Hesse (2016) directed by Marcie Begleiter, is available to rent/stream on Amazon.
All music by Soundstripe
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Pep Talks on IG: @peptalksforartists
Amy, your beloved host, on IG: @talluts
Pep Talks on Art Spiel as written essays: https://tinyurl.com/7k82vd8s...
2024-06-0307 minPep Talks for ArtistsBonus: State of the Peps UnionSome ch-ch-changes are coming to Pep Talks! I am going to be taking a break from interviews for a while to focus on studio work, but will still be releasing monthly solo episodes while I'm away.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you! Thank you to all of the wonderful artists who have allowed me to interview them thus far: you've enriched me! Thank you to my terrificly terrific cohost trio: Jennifer Coates, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen and Elisabeth Condon. You are, all three, shining lightbulbs of brilliance and wit. Thank you also...
2024-06-0108 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 68: Interview w/ Artist, Frederick HayesSo excited to welcome Artist, Frederick Hayes, to the podcast this week. Fred makes graphite drawings and paintings of faces, and he also creates found-material assemblage sculptures that portray the psychological interior of his subjects. Half made up and half based on the street photos that he takes, his portraits conjure up a community of people. These heads function as general archetypes but also as familiar faces that Fred might see in his community, remember from his past, or have seen in the media as victims of racial injustice. Fred Hayes is also an artist who studiously avoids being...
2024-05-151h 02Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 66: Interview w/ Artist, Philemona WilliamsonSo excited to share this fantastic interview with artist, Philemona Williamson! Find out more about Philemona's vibrant paintings that show twisting, gender-bending adolescents "up to stuff," and her fascinating ambiguous poetic sense of narrative (and also why I have appointed her an Honorary New Orleanian!). Philemona also grew up in a famous Art Deco building in NYC, and her childhood stories are not to be missed.
Works mentioned: "Branching Eyes" 2023, "The Gathering" 2021, "Verbena Street 2" 2022, "Snow Interrupted" 2021
More info about Philemona Williamson:
Philemona's website: https://www.philemonawilliamson.com/
Philemona...
2024-03-281h 25
Art Problems"How to Work a Room" (or an Opening) w/ Amy Talluto and Mandy Wilson RosenIn honor of the Whitney Biennial, I'm sharing an episode of Pep Talks for Artists on how to work an opening. In this episode Podcast host and producer Amy Talluto talks with Mandy Wilson Rosen about the book "How to Work a Room" by Susan RoAne to see if it jusssttt might have some helpful tips inside for artists. Spoiler alert: It does. It's chock full of helpful tips for surviving an opening —and Amy even found some cocktail party lounge music for the ep.
All music is licensed from Soundstripe.
For more support with your...
2024-03-111h 16Art Problems"How to Work a Room" (or an Opening) w/ Amy Talluto and Mandy Wilson RosenIn honor of the Whitney Biennial, I'm sharing an episode of Pep Talks for Artists on how to work an opening. In this episode Podcast host and producer Amy Talluto talks with Mandy Wilson Rosen about the book "How to Work a Room" by Susan RoAne to see if it jusssttt might have some helpful tips inside for artists. Spoiler alert: It does. It's chock full of helpful tips for surviving an opening —and Amy even found some cocktail party lounge music for the ep.
All music is licensed from Soundstripe.
For more support with your...
2024-03-111h 16Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 65: Monsters and Beautiful ThingsWhat do a comment made on the Great British Bake-Off, a 1970's television interview with southern author, Eudora Welty, and a Michigan Mer-man have in common? Glad you asked! They all explore ideas of monstrousness, the topic of this episode -- specifically channeling our inner monstrous creative selves to create work that is rich, bold, memorable and unique.
[Evil laugh of Nosferatu]
Come along with me on my search for aspirational creative monstrosity.
Television programs mentioned:
"Great British Bakeoff:" Season 11, Episode 3, Rowan Claughton with Paul Hollywood
"...
2024-02-2617 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 63: Book Talks: The Artists Way by Julia Cameron (Part 2) w/ Mandolyn Wilson RosenWe're back with Part 2 of our review of "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron! In this half of our deep dive into the book, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen and I finish recounting our experiences following the program of this famous creativity self-help juggernaut.
Today in Part 2, we discuss:
1. Sychronicity & Carl Jung
2. Our personal artist dates
3. What writing the Morning Pages felt like
4. Things in The Artist's Way that we disliked
5. “Clusters” & those who charge to run AW groups
6. Amy's "The Artist's Way Cringe Corn...
2024-01-181h 25Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 62: Book Talks: The Artists Way by Julia Cameron (Part 1) w/ Mandolyn Wilson RosenBook Talks is back! And so is artist, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen, to help me tackle the OG creativity self help book: "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. We gave ourselves over body and soul to The Way for 12 weeks and lived to tell the tale...in two parts. Please join us as we share our experiences with the book (and some sprinkled-in context gleaned from Cameron's autobiography "Floor Sample").
Today in Part 1, we discuss:
1. Each of our favorite sections/quotes
2. The most challenging parts of doing the book (morning pages...
2024-01-181h 14Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 61: Some Thoughts on "Portrait Artist of the Year" the British TV ShowThis episode is all about a fascinating British TV art reality show that I once gleefully watched completely pirated, through the kindness of Cherzo, a modern day Robin Reddit-Hood. You can check out the show: "Portrait Artist of the Year" on Amazon, if you are so intrigued!
Artists mentioned: Alice Neel, Frederick Hayes, and Tai Shan Schierenberg (Judge for the show).
Thank you, Listeners! Thank you, Pep Talks Patrons!
All music by Soundstripe
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Peps has a Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PepTalksforArtists! Join the Peps fam on Pat...
2024-01-1313 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 52: Book Talks: "Lives of the Artists" by Giorgio Vasari (Part 1) w/ Mandy Wilson RosenArtist, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen, is back with me for another Book Talks episode! In this episode, we are reading Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Artists," published 1550/1568 which profiles famous High Renaissance, mostly Florentine artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Boticcelli, and a few lesser-knowns. We were so excited about the book that we ran deliciously long and decided to cut it up and make it a two-parter.
In Part 1, we cover Vasari's takes on Giotto, Masaccio, Piero Della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Fra Filippo Lippi, and Madonna Properzia de Rossi (the only woman in the book...
2024-01-111h 24Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 53: Book Talks "Lives of the Artists" by Giorgio Vasari (Part 2) w/ Mandy Wilson RosenWe're baaacckk! Mandolyn Wilson Rosen and I have returned for Part 2 to finish our report on Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Artists," a combo-bio of Florentine High Renaissance artists from the 1580's. Pull up a carved high-backed chair, grab yourself a goblet of watered-down wine and join us for the continuation of our journey back to this fabled time in Italian art.
In Part 2, we cover Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Jacopo da Pontormo, Michelangelo, and Titian (with some discussion of Albrecht Durer as well). In the Boticelli section, Mandy references this article...
2024-01-111h 36Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 60: The Peppiest of the Peps (Plus an AI Play)Happy Holidays! It's the Peppiest of the Peps! Please enjoy this collection of plummy sugar plum quotes by the some of the guests of Pep Talks Past. Some cherished encouraging words have been said over the years, and I have gathered them for us here.
Also, listen to the end to hear a 3 minute Shakespearean radio play I made with ChatGPT based on the podcast tagline: "to all those shuffling along the artists' road." Find out what a computer thinks will inspire us.
Thank you to all of the...
2023-12-2244 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 58: Interview w/ Amy Talluto (Your Host Speaks)Today, it's a brand new installment of the "Interview the Interviewer" series and I'm excited to reveal that this episode's Interviewee is ... me! Thank you so much to artist, Catherine Haggarty, for generously suggesting this collaboration and for asking such wonderful questions about my work.
More info about Amy (your beloved host's) work online: amytalluto.com and @talluts
Works mentioned (AT unless noted): "The Princesse de Broglie" (Ingres), "Bending Figure & Ingres Eye" 2023, "Rain Cloud" 2022, "Cloud (After Ingres) 1-3" 2023
Catherine Haggarty online: catherinehaggarty.com and...
2023-11-211h 35Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 57: What We Can Learn from ComediansToday I make the case that artists have a lot in common with stand-up comedians. Comics give excellent pep talks and advice to each other about staying the creative course and weathering career setbacks and I think we can benefit from eavesdropping on some of their road-honed wisdom.
Thank you to this episode's sponsor, The New York Studio School, for their support. Please check out their Fall MFA and Certificate Programs at nyss.org
Comedians quoted in the episode: Justine Marino, Caitlin Peluffo, Dan Bubitz/Art of Bombing Podcast...
2023-11-1027 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 56: The Munch BunchThe band's back together! And this time, Elisabeth Condon, Jennifer Coates and I discuss "Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth," a recent Munch survey exhibition at the Clark Institute. We each chose a single painting/print to discuss within the context of Munch's Monistic melancholy, love of clumps, and repetitious reveries.
Thank you to The New York Studio School for sponsoring this episode. Deadlines for MFA/Certificate are approaching Jan 15.
Elisabeth spoke about: "White Night" oil on canvas 1901
Jennifer spoke about: "The Magic Forest" oil on canvas 1919-25
2023-10-261h 44Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 55: Let's Keep Thinking About PollyannaFrom Richard Diebenkorn's "Notes to Myself On Beginning a Painting," it's a special mystery-whodunnit pepisode where your host, Amy, tries to decipher the meaning of #8 on Diebenkorn's note.
Learn more about Diebenkorn and his work, including photos of him and his studio, at The Richard Diebenkorn Foundation: https://diebenkorn.org/
The novel, "Pollyanna," by Eleanor H. Porter is available at most bookstores and libraries and has also been made into at least 2 feature films.
The article "One Scuzzy Moment" by Robert Indiana for the New York Magazine 2004 can be found...
2023-10-0626 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsPeps has a Patreon!If you are a Peps fan and would love more pep talks in your life, please consider supporting the podcast financially on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/PepTalksforArtists! For $5 a month, patrons receive exclusive mini Pep-isodes monthly or bimonthly, delivered directly to their email inbox with a clickable link. No tech savviness required! Also, patrons receive early access to not-yet-released full episodes, fresh out the oven.
Join the Peps fam on Patreon and become a part of the Pep Talks Peerage today. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/PepTalksforArtists
2023-09-3001 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 54: Interview w/ Artist, Judy GlantzmanExtremely thrilled to have the inimitable and infinitely wise #real_one, artist Judy Glantzman, on the podcast this week. We cover her artistic beginnings in the East Village scene of the 80's (buckle up for some great stories), the vibrant multidisciplinary work coming out of her Upstate NY studio today, and everything in between. Also, don't miss her incredible philosophies about making art sprinkled throughout, and her essential tips for beating Artist's block. Judy is a painter, collage artist and sculptor and has been awarded grants from the Guggenhein Foundation, NYFA-NYSCA, Pollock Krasner Foundation and Anonymous Was a Woman...
2023-09-081h 48Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 51: The Bonnardians w/ Jennifer Coates & Elisabeth CondonThis week I welcomed back Jennifer Coates and Elisabeth Condon to the podcast to discuss the recent exhibition "Bonnard: The Experience of Seeing" at Acquavella Gallery, NYC April 12 - May 26, 2023. We each chose a single painting from the show to discuss and so I'm calling us The Bonnardians. It's a Bonnard-a-trois! Come along for a hilarious, smart and nerdy look at this fascinating post-impressionist artist.
Paintings:
(1)
Jennifer Coates
Bonnard's "The French Door (Morning at Le Cannet)"
"La porte-fenêtre (Matinée au Cannet)"
1932 Oil on...
2023-07-111h 27Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 50: Elisabeth Condon Describes a Painting / "Untitled" (The Edge Series) 1968-69 by Sam FrancisThe new definition of painterly success just might be having Elisabeth Condon describe your painting. It's truly that satisfying. Elisabeth is back on the pod to describe a painting, and it's a fascinating one: "Untitled" 1968-69 from the Edge Painting series by Sam Francis. Come along as Elisabeth takes us not only through the painting itself, but also through Sam Francis' life and influences: namely that of his beloved Japan. The concept of "ma" or the potential of emptiness, Asian ink painting, and Francis' unique anti-New York gentle lyricism all factor in to make this talk a riveting deep...
2023-06-271h 31Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 49: Interview w/ Choreographer, Julia GleichJoin me this week as I welcome esteemed Choreographer, Julia Gleich! Julia, with Jason Andrew, is the co-founder of Norte Maar in Brooklyn and co-produces a collaborative ballet series every year called CounterPointe. This year marked the exciting 10th anniversary of the project. The series features 7 dances created through intense collaboration between 7 women choreographers and 7 women visual artists. Visual artists participate the entire way through the process and even create props for the performance.
As a dance newbie, I asked her many questions about using the rectangle of the stage, the types of props...
2023-06-031h 31Pep Talks for ArtistsEp: 48 Interview w/ Artist, Catherine HaggartyThis week, I welcomed back, painter, Catherine Haggarty to the Peps pod. We spoke about her background as a high school basketball player and how the focus and commitment required to be an athlete have so many parallels to the life of an artist. Catherine makes luminous paintings and drawings using spray paint, acrylic, watercolor and oil stick of imagined domestic interiors, all put through her uniquely surrealist and prismatic lens. Also, find out what her term "Instagram Brain" means!
Catch Catherine's work in person in "Support Structures" at TSA (NY) until June 18, 2023
2023-05-181h 24Pep Talks for ArtistsMini Ep: Where is the Field of DreamsThis episode is a Mini! A little jalapeno popper for your ears and also a little nudge about putting ourselves out there more, being louder and taking up more space. Don't forget that the world needs our voices. You'll also learn more than you ever wanted about an obscure squishy baseball-type sport (played only in New Orleans and Chicago), which is adorably called "cabbage ball." Thanks for listening!
More info below about Paddy Johnson's nurturing artist career support program: Netvvrk
Link to Register: https://www.vvrkshop.art/netvvrk
Deadline: Sunday, May 14, 2023.
Discount: $20 off...
2023-05-1104 minPep Talks for ArtistsBonus: 10 Tips for Writing Your Artist's Statement w/ Paddy Johnson of VVrkshop.artReady your note-taking typing fingers because this week's guest is none other than Paddy Johnson of VVrkshop.art and she's here to give us 10 best-practice tips for writing our artist statements, thank God! Paddy is the founder of Netvvrk, a supportive membership that helps artists level-up in their careers AND also an award-winning arts writer. She has edited a gazillion artists' statements in her program so she knows what's up. Come along with us as we deconstruct the ideal statement and dispel all whiffs of passive voice and artspeak.
Don't forget that Paddy is giving a free...
2023-04-301h 37Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 47: Let's Be Nothing BurgersThis episode is about letting play and non-seriousness back into our studios, with a dash of silly rabbits and mind-boggling space telescopes thrown in. Come along with me as I dive into the Nothing Burger state of mind.
Mentions: James Webb Telescope, Louella Parsons, Charles Garabedian, Rembrandt, Dick Gackenbach's "Mother Rabbit's Son Tom," Eva Hesse, Sol LeWitt
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Amy's in a group show "Blush" at Auxier Kline 19 Monroe Street NYC April 2-22, 2023!
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Pep Talks on IG: @peptalksforartists
Pep Talks on Art Spiel as written essays: https://tinyurl.co...
2023-04-1210 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 46: Dear Grete Stern...This episode is a valentine of sorts... an homage to the German-Argentinian artist, Grete Stern, and how she snuck her incredible tragicomic feminist photomontages into a dream interpretation column into a 1950's Buenos Aires ladies' magazine during the reign of Peron and his Iron Fist. Cackle along with me as I take a deeper look at her hilariously sly and poignant photomontage illustrations. I'll also explain what exactly a photomontage is and how she constructed them - because it is extremely fascinating!
More reading:
Link to the 2015 MOMA show "From Bauhaus to Buenos Aires: Grete...
2023-03-2321 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 44: Unblocking Creative BlockWhat do we do if we get blocked in the studio? It's the absolute worst feeling and we all occasionally come down with this fever plague. I'll look at some books, some artist-to-artist tips, explore the strangely-relevant history of sugar packets, mule labor and much more to give us some tips for busting through any annoying walls that have dared to spring up around our creativity.
Books mentioned: "Creative Block" by Danielle Krysa, "Wired to Create" by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, "On Art and Mindfulness" by Enrique Celaya, "Your Creative Brain" by Shelley Carson
2023-03-0816 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 43: Elisabeth Condon Describes a Painting / "Tree of My Life" by Joseph StellaOur beloved guest host and artist, Elisabeth Condon, and her series "Elisabeth Condon Describes a Painting!" are back for a new installment! This time Elisabeth chose to describe Joseph Stella's oil on canvas painting "Tree of My Life" from 1919 that she saw at The Norton Museum in "Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature." The show is traveling next to the High Museum and to the Brandywine Museum. It was an honor to have Elisabeth's wild and wonderful way of looking at painting again on the pod.
See "Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature" in person/online:
Norton Museum (since closed): ht...
2023-02-081h 25Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 42: Should Artists Attend Art Fairs? w/ Jennifer CoatesShould artists go to the fairs? Or should we just leave it to the galleries and collectors? Is it too soul-crushing, or are there benefits? The hilarious Jennifer Coates is back to cohost with me this week (yay!) and I took the opportunity to grill her about her recent experience as an artist visiting "Untitled", a major art fair in Miami. Her gallery High Noon was presenting her work there as a solo booth and she went full immersion for 4 days. I went into the episode with a decided "nope" as my answer, but Jennifer kind of brought me...
2023-01-1346 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 41: Artist Pet Peeves w/ Jennifer CoatesThe wonderful Jennifer Coates is back in the co-host seat this time to help me kvetch about all things art and being an artist. We come correct with a panoply of over 35 heartfelt pet peeves. It was our pleasure to also dive into the IG mailbag for some Listener Peeves!
Where do pushpins go when they fall to the floor and immediately vanish? Why is titanium white sold out more often than not? Why are applications so often left on "read"? Also, why is the art world so ageist? These and so many more peeves will be...
2022-12-221h 20Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 40: Interview w/ Natalie BeallCollage artist and sculptor, Natalie Beall, joined me to chat about her work this week. We spoke about both her paper collage series "Utility Suite" and her painted wood and clay sculptures that tweak 2-D and 3-D space through a quiet visual flattening. Her mysterious images seem to represent game boards, domestic storage racks or display shelves that have long-lost their instructions and vital functions. Her palette is based on the muted tones of domestic interior paint chips and Canson Mi Teintes papers, and features soft oranges, browns, blues, greens, creams, grays and black. Please visit the @peptalksforartists Instagram...
2022-11-231h 23Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 39: "Soft Play" w/ Olivia Baldwin, Melissa Dadourian, Sidney Mullis & Kelsey TynikJoin me this week as I speak to 4 artists working in mixed media and textiles (Olivia Baldwin, Melissa Dadourian, Sidney Mullis and Kelsey Tynik) about their show at Collar Works in Troy, NY called "Soft Play." We spoke about the works in the show, textiles in art, craft and fine art and the intermingling of the two, and the legacy of our mothers and grandmothers passed down through sewing. Also! Tune in for a Bonus 4-way Glue Talk. And double bonus: I couldn't resist asking Kelsey about her legendary possum-cam at her apartment in Brooklyn featuring Walter, the possum.
2022-11-101h 18Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 38: Elisabeth Condon Describes a Painting / "Wanderings, Bilbao" by Jules OlitskiBreak a bottle of bubbly beverage over the hull, because today, Pep Talks is launching the very first installment of..."Elisabeth Condon Describes a Painting!" In this episode, Elisabeth chose to describe Jules Olitski's "Wanderings, Bilbao: Orange Yellow and Blue" acrylic on canvas painting from 2004. She recently saw the painting at The Sam and Adele Golden Gallery in New Berlin, NY, in "Jules Olitski: Late Works." The show is up until March 2023 and another concurrent show of his works is also up at Yares Gallery in New York. It was an honor to have Elisabeth's wild and wonderful way o...
2022-10-301h 09Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 37: Interview w/ Paula WilsonAs a super fan, I was thrilled to welcome multi-media artist, Paula Wilson to the podcast this week. Paula joined me to talk about her current show, "Imago," at Denny Dimin Gallery in NYC (up right now through Oct 29, 2022) and also allowed me to pepper her with questions about her work in general. Paula works in expansive ways with collage, large-scale woodcut, video, and painting and lives and works in the remote high desert town of Carrizozo, NM. She uses personal symbols and experimentation to create a unique blend of art and life--all tied to the land.
...
2022-10-201h 11Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 36: Warding Off BitternessToday's episode is all about avoiding the trap of that old heap of coffee grounds and lemon peels: Artistic Bitterness. I investigate how artists of history, like Carmen Herrera, Louise Bourgeois and Laurie Simmons, persevered and dealt with feeling like their work was ignored by the art scene. I also read some quotes from the eternally wise Enrique Martinez Celaya. Also, why am I always bringing up Lawrence of Arabia? I've never even watched the movie! Also, I hate discouraging art stats!
Come along with me as I discover the secret keys to the Non-Bitterness Kingdom and a...
2022-10-1020 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 35: Interview w/ Liz WeissThis week, join me as I talk to Liz Weiss about her fascinating "Paxlovid Nightmare" series of watercolors that she made at the kitchen table in her New York City apartment. These small, vibrant works were directly inspired by the vivid dreams she had while talking the Covid medication. We also go deep into the topic of getting back to your work after an extended break, as Liz worked for many years as a psychoanalyst and put her art on pause.
Find Liz Weiss online at:
Web: elizabethweiss.net | Instagram: @lizweissny
Curatorial: Here, There A...
2022-09-301h 19Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 34: Interview the Interviewer w/ Etty Yaniv, Artist & Founder of Art SpielI welcome Etty Yaniv to the podcast this week! Etty lives and works in Brooklyn but is from Tel Aviv. She makes small paintings, drawings and sculptures, but also creates room-sized installations of swirling vortexes of plastic and found materials. She is the founder of Art Spiel, an online arts magazine, that interviews under-represented artists doing rigorous work and also offers reviews of exhibitions at non-profit and artist-run spaces. A new installment of Glue Tawk™ is forthcoming too, for those who love glue.
Etty can be found online here: ettyyanivstudio.com (web) @etty.yaniv (Instagram)
Art...
2022-09-141h 10
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 33: The Post-Exhibition Blues w/ Jennifer CoatesIt's just like old times having Jennifer Coates back to co-host the podcast! This week we're talking about the miasmic malaise that descends upon each of us after a show closes (and also the "narcissistic fugue state" that descends upon us during the run of the show). We all begin as studio goblins cranking on a deadline, feeding on coffee and starbursts, and then all of a sudden...the show comes...and we are thrust into the bright lights and small talk of an opening. It's a big switch, and it's bound to unnerve the best of us. Jennifer...
2022-09-051h 08Pep Talks for ArtistsBonus: The Longevity of an Art Practice w/ Sarah Grass of The Pack Art SchoolSarah Grass, Artist and Founder of The Pack Art School stopped by Peps this week to talk about her new upcoming class "The Artist Rebirth Cycle" and also, how artists can foster a long healthy relationship with their art over the long haul. She shared a lot of fascinating ideas about the psychology of making art as well as some techniques for drilling down to our true creative selves...inspired by the writings of Psychologists and Philosophers past & present. ALSO! Check out Sarah's homemade LISTICLE for "How To Succeed in a Long-term Relationship with Your Work"- it's so...
2022-08-251h 15Pep Talks for ArtistsBonus: How to Host a Studio Visit w/ Catherine Haggarty of NYC Crit ClubThis week, Painter and NYC Crit Club director, Catherine Haggarty, joined me to talk about that old enigma wrapped in a riddle: How to Host a Studio Visit. She gave tons of helpful tips for managing in-person visits, zoom visits AND how to guard against the emotional fallout that can come after a bad one. It's a gold mine!
Also, Catherine gave a teaser for the upcoming courses on offer at NYC Crit Club this Fall. Some great instructors are on tap, along with some brand new exciting classes like "The MFA: Expectations and Preparation" and a V...
2022-08-141h 31Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 32: Book Talks: Ways of Seeing by John Berger w/ Mandolyn Wilson RosenMandy is back to help me dissect this beloved classic book "Ways of Seeing" 1972 (and BBC TV show) by John Berger. Welcome back, Mandy! And, as always on Book Talks, much art-nerdery was indulged. Come along with us as we consider Berger's thoughts on Art: aka How it was changed by the age of reproduction, How the Nude functions as a tool for the Male Gaze, and How art is used as a status symbol for the wealthy, and in advertising to create Glamour.
"Ways of Seeing" was created mainly by John Berger (writer/host), Michael Dibb...
2022-07-271h 39Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 31: Interview w/ Adie RussellThis week I had an amazing conversation with artist, Adie Russell. We discussed her incredible new "Lacuna" series of charcoal works on cotton rag paper (based on old Victorian glass negative studio portraits that are put through an obscure Photoshop filter) and also, her newest video work, "Hydriogenesis," which was born of a craving for a feeling of safety in nature and from the long periods of introspection we all experienced during the pandemic. We also talked about the trickiness of navigating Instagram in an authentic way, what can be used as a sourdough starter for abstraction, Adie's "Covers"...
2022-07-161h 15Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 30: Hope For the ArtistsAs an artist, do you find yourself climbing up the "caterpillar pillar"? Or, are you "risking the butterfly"? These analogies are from a wonderful book from the early 1970's called Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus. And in this episode, I explore how this fable can apply to artists and inspire them to choose their own path. #AlwaysRiskTheButterfly
Thanks to Adie Russell for the recommendation and check out her interview coming up next on the podcast!
Send me a voice message on Speakpipe.com about what you love and dislike about NYC! I'll use...
2022-07-0618 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 29: Interview w/ Ever BaldwinCome listen along as I speak with the incredible painter and sculptor, Ever Baldwin. Ever makes abstract oil paintings that loosely reference the body, eyes, nature, roads and even drag makeup...all enclosed in carved and burned wooden frames. The paintings and frames fuse together visually to create a new surprising whole, greater than the sum of its parts.
Ever Baldwin's website and Insta: https://everbaldwin.com/ and @pretzeltime
Upcoming exhibitions:
Marinaro Gallery, "Quiet Yes," July 6 - Aug 13, 2022, NYC, Links: marinaro.biz and @marinarogallery
JAG Projects at Foreland, July 1 - July 25, 2022, C...
2022-06-2746 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 28: Interview w/ Melissa Capasso / The Dream in Art (Part 2)I was so excited to have painter, Melissa Capasso, whose visionary style is inspired by daydreaming, join me this week to continue my series on the Dream in Art.
Melissa makes charcoal drawings and oil and acrylic paintings that explore themes of mother and child, St. Lucia and Catholic icons, vision, blindness, and the vanitas...all in a wavy gestural style with vibrant color or primal black and white. She invents her subjects in her mind while walking and thinks of her work as a kind of visual novel. We talked about her work, her roots in...
2022-06-161h 09Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 27: The Dream in Art (Part 1)Come along on a ~~Dream Quest~~ with me to discover works of art that show real dreams...not just images of sleepers or "dream-like" paintings. I set out to discover the bonafides. I began in 1525 with Albrecht Durer, then moved to France with Odilon Rédon in the 1800's, the Surrealists and André Masson in the 1920's, and then shot over and up to the US in the 50's to Jasper Johns, and finally landed back at modern day with the exquisitely-observed representational paintings of Catherine Murphy.
This episode was inspired by 2 main sources: 1) The book "Painting th...
2022-06-0621 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 26: Interview with Shari MendelsonSculptor, Shari Mendelson joined me this week to discuss her work. Shari lives and works in Brooklyn and Upstate NY. She is represented in New York by Tibor de Nagy Gallery and has won many prestigious grants, including 4 NYFA-NYSCA Fellowship awards, a Pollock-Krasner grant and most recently a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017.
She makes human & animal figures & vessels made up of cut-up plastic bottles that riff on stone, clay & glass forms from ancient antiquity. The resulting sculptures can look translucent like ancient glass in greens, grays, blues, whites & yellows -- and she often adds mica & resin to the s...
2022-05-261h 07Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 25: Book Talks: "How to Work a Room" (or an Opening) w/ Mandy Wilson RosenMandy Wilson Rosen is back to co-host another Book Talks for Artists! Welcome back, Mandy! This week we are discussing "How to Work a Room" by Susan RoAne to see if it jusssttt might have some helpful tips inside for artists. Spoiler alert: It does. It's chock full of helpful tips for surviving an opening and we can't wait to talk about it. I even found some cocktail party lounge music for the ep. Join us!
Link to the book: Amazon or Thriftbooks
Hoban Press business cards: https://hobanpress.com/ (PS: Amy uses "the Stoic" calling card-so thicc!)
2022-05-161h 15
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 24: Slow Work & Agnes Pelton's Silver BabyThis episode I look at the plusses of slowing down and taking our own sweet time in the studio. Artist slow-poke examples include Giorgio Morandi (read by Frank Bango), Jay Defeo, Charles Burchfield's "reconstructions" like "Sun and Rocks," Michelangelo, Cy Twombly, and, last but not least: Agnes Pelton and her silver baby. I didn't hold back on the crazy effects on this one, guys...it's a full vibe.
Agnes Pelton readings were from:
"Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist" ed. by Gilbert Vicario
Thanks for listening!
Connect with Peps on Instagram and see more...
2022-05-0511 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 23: Interview w/ Artist, Portia MunsonInstallation artist, painter and photographer, Portia Munson, joined me on the podcast to talk about her work with cast-off objects, cultural waste, and girl kitsch. Tune in to hear our conversation about her work's feminist and ecological themes. We also spoke about how the objectification of women persists...in objects. And how endless inspiration can be found simply by roaming around an antiques mall or a swap-shop.
Portia has a few shows happening this Summer (2022) if you'd like to catch her work in person:
Find Portia Munson on Instagram: @portiamunson
PPOW Gallery: "Bound Angel" July 8-Aug 19 in...
2022-04-261h 12
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 22: Art Made in KitchensThink you can't make work unless you have a big palatial studio? Think again! Great art can also be made in kitchens!
Here's proof:
Ida Appelbroog: Art 21 episode "Power" & Jo Applin essay
Martha Rosler: "Semiotics of the Kitchen"
Mimi Smith at White Columns in "Gloria" 2002 and at her website: https://mimismith.com/1970.html
Betye Saar's "Black Girl's Window"
Joseph Cornell's works & The Guardian article
Carrie Mae Weems: "Kitchen Table Series" 1990 & National Gallery of Art Lecture
Robert Rauschenberg: Combine w/ spoon "Trophy II (for T...
2022-04-1519 minPep Talks for ArtistsBonus: What's After Art School w/ Catherine Haggarty of NYC Crit ClubCatherine Haggarty, a friend of the show, painter and Executive Director of NYC Crit Club stopped by this week for a Bonus Episode to tell me a bit about her upcoming summer courses online and in person. She's got some great faculty lined up too, including Claire Grill, Clarity Haynes, Erika Ranee, Paul Gagner and Jared Linge. We also got talking about how it was for each of us starting out and how much we could have used a mentor or peer network at crucial moments. This experience helped her develop this alternative program for artists post-BFA or post-MFA...
2022-04-1126 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 21: Expressive Figuration w/ Keisha Prioleau Martin & Emilia OlsenPainters, Keisha Prioleau Martin and Emilia Olsen joined me this week to talk about their work. Both painter's painters, they work primarily with the figure and use vibrant luscious color to add to the content of their work. Listen in to hear about why the "bather" is still a rich subject to paint (especially by women or female-identifying artists), why the city's character and quirks can inspire endless imagery and also what advice they would each give their younger selves.
See more of their work:
Keisha: https://keishaprioleaumartin.cargo.site/ and on IG at @keishaprioleaumartin
2022-04-061h 00Pep Talks for ArtistsBonus: Using Instagram as a Fine Artist w/ Paddy Johnson of VVrkshop.artFriend of the show, Paddy Johnson, is back on Peps! Welcome back, Paddy! She gave me tons of Instagram tips for artists (that old enigma wrapped in a riddle) and she also told me a bit more about "Netvvrk," her business network providing training for professional working fine artists. You may remember that she came on as part of a panel for "Episode 3: Alternative Art Programs" back in 2021, and this time we did more of a deep dive. Her program's membership opens quarterly and is currently opening up April 6-10, 2022. She's also offering a free masterclass scheduled for April 6 a...
2022-03-3053 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 20: Collage and Landscape w/ Todd BartelWhere did the phrase "That gave me the willies" come from and how did it kick off the American Sublime? And what was the first landscape on Earth? Find out in this week's episode as my guest, collage artist, Todd Bartel joins me to talk about our favorite subjects: Collage and Landscape.
Click here to see images of Todd's work: https://www.toddbartel.com/
Click here to read Todd's writings on collage: https://issuu.com/toddbartel
Todd Bartel's music (used in this episode): "Several Big Changes" 2009 (intro, musical stings and outro) & "Retinalmade and...
2022-03-241h 42
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 19: The Proof is in the PunctumThis weeks on Pep Talks, I am taking a quick dive into Roland Barthe's concept of the "Punctum" from his book "Camera Lucida," to explain why some artworks and films stick in your mind and others don't. Find out why Stanley Kubrick's choice of music for scoring "2001: A Space Odyssey" & Ingrid Bergman's turn as a boxing nun made both of these films punctum-y and stick in my brain. Also, come hear about Barthe's personal quest to find a photo of his mother that contained her true essence, and how we as artists can try and infuse our own work...
2022-03-1717 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 18: A Meditation on Artist Residencies, The Twilight Zone & A Provincetown Dune ShackCome along this week to find out why I think an episode of the Twilight Zone is the perfect analogy for going on an artist residency ...AND also hear a little radio play I made about going to a Provincetown/Truro dune shack for a week as an Artist in Residence and all about my neighbors: 1,000 gray seals and a single white-footed dune mouse. It will be "Ever so much fun."
Further reading/watching/links:
"The Twilight Zone" ep "The After Hours" (S1, Ep34, w/ Anne Francis as "Marsha")
"Wired to Create" by...
2022-03-0721 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 17: When Is an Artwork Finished?This week on Peps, we're going to tackle the metaphysical question: When is a work finished? I explore some texts that try to pin down a definition and also share some of my own thoughts and metaphors...But I am most excited to share that this episode contains recorded messages from listener-artist contributors!
6 generous artist listeners sent in their own unique ways of describing this indescribable phenomenon. A very special thanks to:
Elizabeth (Beth) Gilfilen https://elizabethgilfilen.com/
Sue McNally https://suemcnally.com/
Brantner DeAtley https://www.brantnerdeatley.com/
Robert Zurer https...
2022-02-2520 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 16: Caucus of Collage w/ Kathy Greenwood, Todd Bartel, Ginnie Gardiner and Michael OatmanThis week I had 4 fellow collage enthusiasts join me for a great roundtable about contemporary collage: Curator, Kathy Greenwood and Artists, Ginnie Gardiner, Todd Bartel and Michael Oatman. If you love collage, aka "the finding, minding & binding," (thanks, Todd!) then you'll love this episode. And my obsesh w/ glue became next level as we explored both its physical and metaphysical properties.
This episode was recorded during a live Clubhouse event 2/8/22 and was held in conjunction with "Echo," an exhibition of collage at the Albany Airport.
Exhibition info: "Echo" w/ Ginnie Gardiner & Amy Talluto, Curated by...
2022-02-181h 14Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 15: Book Talks: "The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985" w/ Mandy Wilson RosenFriend of the show, Mandy Wilson Rosen is back to co-host with me this week! Welcome back, Mandy! At a recent artist meet up on Clubhouse, we learned that many many artists cite "The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985" ed. Maurice Tuchman/LACMA as their most prized book on their studio bookshelf. Neither of us had heard of the book before, so we set about to find out what all the fuss was about.
The book is a TOME (heavy as a brick, dense as a neutron star and 430 pages) and out of print, but available u...
2022-02-111h 29
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 14: Beware the Leave-It-Like-ThatGather 'round, me hearties, for a tale of a fearsome creature of the deep: a sea monster that feeds on #wip posts, called the "Leave-It-Like-That." This week's podcast is about how this unsolicited comment on our social media posts and in the studio can derail us if we aren't hyper vigilant against their meddling shenanigans. Hoist the main mast and scuttle the jib, as we set sail into Leave-It-Like-That-infested waters and emerge unscathed.
Weigh in on what sea monster best embodies the Leave-It-Like-That on this episode's Spotify poll!
Artists & writers mentioned / quoted in this episode w...
2022-02-0417 minPep Talks for ArtistsEp 13: Interview w/ Artist, Ann ToebbeI was so thrilled to have Ann Toebbe in my clutches this week as she joined me on the Peps Pod this week to discuss her show "Cooler by the Lake" at Tibor de Nagy Gallery at 11 Rivington through Jan 27, 2022. We talked about her exquisite gouache and oil collage paintings, the space in Indian miniature paintings, the dollhouse in art, her project of recreating friends' homes via their Facebook photos, being an artist parent, and the great tradition of Chicago artists.
See Ann's work online and IRL at these upcoming shows:
Ann's website: https://anntoebbe.com/
2022-01-291h 23Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 12: Interview the Interviewer w/ Sharon Butler, Painter & Founder of Two Coats of PaintThis week I was really excited to have Sharon Butler on the podcast for the second installment of my "Interview the Interviewer" series. Sharon is a painter, writer and founder of the Two Coats of Paint Blog-azine which offers a space for alternative critical writing for the arts in the New York/Tri-State area. We nerd-ed out about paint brushes, spoke about her "Good Morning" drawings, and about allowing "bad" compositions into your work. We also talked about Two Coats of Paint's role in the NY art world and how to get started art writing. Check out the links...
2022-01-221h 15Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 11: Interview w/ Artist, Jennifer CoatesIt was a complete honor to interview painter, Jennifer Coates, during the run of her solo exhibition in NYC at High Noon Gallery titled 'Lesser Gods of Lakewood, PA" that featured both large and small stunning acrylic and spray paint magical landscapes, populated by Bacchanals and classical female figures. We discussed 4 paintings in depth: "Three Dryads," "Fire Watcher," "Dryads and Pollinators (Moths)" and "Dryads and Pollinators (Birds)" all 2021, and also learned about Jennifer's advice to "Be the Hero" in the studio when you feel stuck or demoralized, and about channeling Kirsten Dunst in "Melancholia" 2011 when you want to be...
2022-01-1258 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 10: Book Talks: "The War of Art" w/ Mandy Wilson RosenIn this episode, artist, Mandy Wilson Rosen and I did a deep dive into Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art." We criticized where criticism was due, but we also highlighted many of the helpful and brilliant insights about the phenomenon of creative "Resistance" that the author outlines in the book. After much deliberation, we decided it is a worthy addition to any artist's bookshelf.
And P.S., Tolstoy very much had a wife, as suspected! Her name was Sophia and, in addition to caring for their 8 surviving children by day, she also copied & edited the War & Peace m...
2022-01-021h 21
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 9: Fear & Philip GustonThis week on the Peps pod, I look at the exact minute that Philip Guston switched his work from abstraction to the radical cartoony style he is famous for today - as proof that change is hard, but worth everything if you can manage to brazen it out.
Readings this episode were from: "Philip Guston, Collected Writings, Lectures and Conversations" Ed. by Clark Coolidge
"War of Art" by Stephen Pressfield
Peps podcast tees are born! Check them out at https://amytalluto.bigcartel.com/category/peps
Connect with the podcast on Instagram and see more images illustratin...
2021-12-2315 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 8: Interview the Interviewer w/ Brian Alfred, Artist and "Sound & Vision" Podcast HostThis week I am launching a new miniseries called "Interview the Interviewer" and I'm excited to welcome my first "Interviewer," Brian Alfred, an accomplished painter and the host of Sound & Vision podcast to the pod. I enjoyed turning the mic back on Brian and hearing about his work and process in the studio and also his insights into podcasting and interviewing artists. Please check out his website for more images of his work as well as Sound & Vision podcast on all podcast apps.
Brian Alfred: brianalfred.net
Sound & Vision: soundandvisionpodcast.com
Link to the Agnes Martin quote on...
2021-12-131h 39
Pep Talks for ArtistsBonus Episode / Request for Contributors: When is a Work Finished?I am brewing up a new episode (probably in Feb) about how artists know when a work is finished and would LOVE your input. I'm hoping you will weigh in and offer your own unique description of the experience of nearing the end of a work. If you're up for contributing a short audio response for use in the show, please head over to either:
1) Instagram - @peptalksforartists and send me a Voice DM. All you have to do is click the paper plane messages button at the top right (just like you are sending me a...
2021-12-1302 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 7: Midlife Artistic Big BangsIf you've ever felt old and uncool as an artist (like I have, and often), then this episode is for you. I set about to get hard data about when the artists that we revere in museums created their most admired works. What I uncovered will simultaneously astound and soothe you.
Texts mentioned in this episode were:
"Late Bloomers" by Rich Karlgaard
"Old Masters and Young Geniuses" by David Galenson
"A Letter from Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb to the Art Editor of the New York Times" June 7, 1943
Also m...
2021-12-0215 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 6: Sustaining a Sculpture Practice w/ Courtney Puckett & Carl D'AlviaThis week on Peps, I interviewed Courtney Puckett and Carl D'Alvia (2 amazing contemporary artists working in sculpture) and we really got down to the nitty gritty of what it takes to be a sculptor in this year or our lord 2021 AD. We talked storage spaces, alternate uses for Civil War plinths and outdoor storage for anything "bigger than a dog," as well as how they got started in the medium and the importance of drawing in both of their practices.
Please visit their websites to see images of their work:
Courtney Puckett
Carl D'Alvia
This intervie...
2021-11-2243 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 5: The Perks & Perils of Procrastination w/ Mandy Wilson RosenIn this episode, multi-media artist, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen, and I debate whether Procrastination is a good or a bad thing in the studio. We also cluck our tongues at famous procrastinating artists and writers throughout history. This was a recording from a live Clubhouse event...so apologies for the tinny phone sound.
Please see more of Mandy's amazing number collages and drawings at her website: mandolynwilsonrosen.com
Thank you to listener and artist, Natalie Beall, for suggesting this topic, and to artists Niki Kriese and Adie Russell for joining the conversation towards the end. We love...
2021-11-1256 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 4: Leaving an Artistic Legacy (Amy's Art World Philosophies)How is an artist like an actor trying to make it in Hollywood? And what can we glean from a popular antique-appraising TV show? This week we dive into Amy's strange brain and feel oddly comforted afterwards!
Please take the poll on Spotify and let me know where you file yourself in the "Hollywood" strata! Are you a WE-HO hustler, YO-HO starlet or Hollywood Movie Star? Enquiring minds want to know...
Artists mentioned in this episode are Fern Coppedge, Edward Bannister, Kerry James Marshall and Ed Pashke.
Peps podcast tees are born! Check them out at https://amytalluto.bigcartel.com/c...
2021-11-0314 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 3: Alternative Art Programs w/ VVrkshop, NYC Crit Club and The PackSo excited to share this wonderful interview that we did on the Clubhouse App in October with Jennifer Coates, Paddy Johnson or VVrkshop, Catherine Haggarty of NYC Crit Club, and Sarah Grass of The Pack.
2021-10-261h 15
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 2: How is an Artist Like TV’s Columbo?In this episode, we talk about how channeling your inner slovenly sleuth can enrich your art practice.
Peps podcast tees are born! Check them out at https://amytalluto.bigcartel.com/category/peps
Connect with the podcast on Instagram and see more images illustrating this episode: @peptalksforartists
2021-10-2509 min
Pep Talks for ArtistsEp 1: What if Rudolph Steiner Was a Mushroom?This episode we are talking in forest metaphors about Hilma Af Klint, Rudolph Steiner and not letting discouraging studio visits derail your work.
Peps podcast tees are born! Check them out at https://amytalluto.bigcartel.com/category/peps
Connect with the podcast on Instagram and see more images illustrating this episode: @peptalksforartists
2021-10-2509 min2021-10-2400 min
Sound and VisionAmy TallutoAmy Talluto is an artist who was born and raised in New Orleans and currently lives and works in Brooklyn & Hurley, NY. She earned her BFA from Washington University in St. Louis in 1995 and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2001. She is a 2018 NYFA/NYSCA Artist Fellow in Painting and has recently had solo shows at Jeff Bailey Gallery (Hudson) and Black & White Gallery (Brooklyn). Previous shows include a two-person exhibition at PS 122 Gallery in New York, and several group shows, including exhibitions at the Samuel Dorsky Museum in New Paltz, NY, Geoffrey Young Gal...
2018-12-201h 04