Shows
The Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 43 A Memorial Weekend Special - Zooming AlongGreetings, Art Lovers,
We hope you haven't forgotten us! It hasn't been easy, getting together over the last year or so, to record a podcast, but we hope you are all safe and happy and anxious to tune in to another episode of all things Art. This is our Memorial Day weekend special.
Just to bring things up to date, Connie tells us about the progress on her book and her work with the Camera Lucida, and David talks about how important it was to get out into the garden last summer to paint outdoors...2021-05-2736 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSequestration, the Vienna Secession and Other Thoughts from the BunkerEpisode 42
Greetings, Art Lovers,
We hope you are still all safe and healthy during these trying times.
With quarantine, isolation, and sequestration still ongoing, we must take care of our mental health as well as our physical well being. With that in mind, Judy kicks off with how art helps keep her on an even keel. Connie shares her ideas on how to keep going when life is almost at a standstill, and David updates us on how he has been keeping busy.
Connie and David, who both love to paint P...2020-04-1400 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastA Safe Haven in Troubled TimesGreetings, Art Lovers!
We hope you are safe and healthy during the current social distancing parameters. Having isolated ourselves for the original two weeks and showing no ill effects, we decided to risk a podcast to send our best wishes to all you art lovers out there who are beginning, like us, to feel the cabin fever. Don't worry, we all kept a safe distance from the microphones, but we wanted to share some uplifting thoughts with you and encourage you to get out your paints, brushes, pastels, art books, snacks, and any other paraphernalia you might...2020-04-0200 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastThe Paradox of PaintingEpisode 40
[P]erception and thinking cannot get along without each other." Rudolf Arnheim, Visual Thinking, University of California Press, 1972, p. 188
Roger W. Curtis (1910-2000) Break, break, break, on thy cold grey stones, O sea! o/c, 25 x 30
Seasons Greetings, Art Lovers!
Join Connie, David and Judy for a chat around the coffee table as they discuss the Paradox of Painting.
By definition, a paradox is "a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities." So what are some of the paradoxes we come across in...2019-12-1000 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastThis and That and Alexander CozensThere is No Direct Path to Reality, or Alexander Cozens and the Blot on the Landscape
Connie began reading about the psychology of Cozens' work - preceding the Roscharch psychological test by a decade or more - and passed on her findings to David, who also became intrigued. They will be covering Cozens' work in more depth in their upcoming book, In Focus 2020. Judy then picked up the baton and started researching Cozens and was, of course, delighted to find he has English roots, albeit he was born in St. Petersburg, or thereabouts, where his father was...2019-10-0800 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastCatching UpGreetings, Art Lovers!
Well, it's a while since we were able to gather around the coffee table and talk art. Where did the summer go? Life in the 21st century can be very hectic. Technology is great - while it's working right. When it isn't, it can be frustrating. That's why we really need art, painting, creativity, music, writing and all those things that feed our soul.
Join David, Connie and Judy as they catch up with each other after a busy summer.
David and Connie, and their friend artist Tom Heinsohn, will...2019-09-2300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastCopying the MastersEpisode 37: Copying the Masters
"Perhaps one of the most essential exercises in learning to paint is the copying of master works in the museums." — Igor Babailov
Want to paint like a Master? Before you can paint like one whose works have stood the test of time, you have to study their work and comprehend what they did and how they did it. In other words Copy a Master!
A. T. Hibbard, Belmont Hills in Winter, 15 x 18, RAA&M Permanent Collection, 12.1.4
This coming weekend, March 23 and 24, David will be teaching a...2019-03-1800 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastWagons West or The Texas Two StepEpisode 36: Wagons West or The Texas Two Step
This week our intrepid trio discuss plans to head out west to the Lone Star State to paint the early flora and fauna of the Texas Hill Country.
"Life is creation – self and circumstances, the raw material." — Dorothy Richardson
Julian Onderdonk, Blue Bonnet Field, Early Morning, San Antonio, Texas, 1914, oil on canvas, 30 1/2 x 40, private collection
Although a painter should be able to find stimulating material even in his, or her, own back yard, there is nothing like a field trip to stir...2019-03-0600 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 35: Play in the Production of Paintings"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves." Carl Jung
A. T. Hibbard, Lane's Cove, oc, private collection
Creativity, as Jung says, is - or should be - a playful thing. A. T. Hibbard, the noted Cape Ann painter, would tell students that painting is 'hard work,' and that 'if you're not worn out when you're finished, you haven't been doing it right!' However, it is easy to see from a...2019-02-1900 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 34 A Voyage of Vision: From Right to Left and Back Again"The creative act is not hanging on, but yielding to a new creative movement. Awe is what moves us forward." —Joseph Cambell
In today's episode, Connie introduces the two modes of thinking that work together, for an artist, when painting. Understanding how they work will enable you to become even more creative and, thus, more artistic!
Connie and David enjoy a great discussion on moving back and forth, from one side of the brain to the other, whereas Judy is apparently stuck in her cubicle and couldn’t even see the bridge from left...2019-02-0400 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 33: Sight and Insight - What does it really mean?Greetings, Art Lovers, we're back!
We had hoped to be back right after the holidays but, unfortunately, a case of the sniffles kept us from getting together to record a podcast. However, everyone seems to be healthy again, so here we are to share some more thoughts with you about all things Art.
Today, our theme is Sight and Insight. It is the name of our podcast, as well as the idea behind David and Connie's workshops to help students take it to the next level.
“It is this perfect accuracy, this lack of...2019-01-2100 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 32 - Can you paint an effect of Light?
"The sky is the source of light in Nature and it governs everything." – John Constable
John Constable, Dedham Lock and Mill, c. 1818, oc 27 1/2 x 35 3/4 Private collection
Join Connie, David and Judy as they consider the question, "Can you paint an effect of light?" Obviously our two resident artists, David and Connie - as plein air painters - believe that is the whole point of American Impressionism and painting on location, is to capture that rare moment in time: an effect of light.
It is the prime motive for any artis...2018-12-1100 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 31: Gestalt!Have you got your Gestalt on?!
"There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear." Buffalo Springfield
Join Connie, David and Judy as they explore the idea of Gestalt; what it means and how it can help the artist create a better painting.
One of the great masters of Gestalt was Johannes Vermeer, who - as early as the 17th-century knew that a composition - or its properties, should be viewed as a whole. Variety within unity is the idea.
Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632 – 1675) The Astronomer, c. 1668, oil on can...2018-12-0300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 30 Jane PetersonEpisode 30 Jane Peterson: Artist Extraordinaire
“Sex has nothing to do with it at all. Art is one activity where being a woman is neither a help nor a hindrance. Even a woman’s intuition means nothing when she is facing a canvas.” - Jane Peterson
[quoted in J. Jonathan Joseph, Jane Peterson, An American Artist (Boston, 1981): 43. This is the primary source for biographical information on Peterson. For information on The Group see Jarzombek, “Mary Bradish Titcomb and her Contemporaries” in Mary Bradish Titcomb (1858-1927) / Fenway Studios (Boston: Vose, 1998).
Jane Peterson, Gloucester Harbor, oc...2018-11-2000 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 29: Nature's MagnetismGreetings, Art Lovers, and welcome to another edition of the Sight & Insight Podcast.
Well, as we all know Nature is very magnetic, and we aren't just talking about magnetic fields, from one pole to the other, repelling and attracting, but the strong draw that Nature, the great outdoors, exudes toward the plein air painter.
George Inness (1825-1894) Lake Nemi, 1872, oc 29 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gift of the Misses Hersey, 49.412
As that great artist, Aristotle, was heard to say, "In all things of Nature, there is something of the...2018-11-1200 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 28 Is it Drawing First?Greetings, art lovers, and welcome to another episode of the Sight & Insight Podcast with David and Judy Curtis, and Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle. This week we ask 'Is it Drawing or Painting First?
"Drawing is the artist's most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality." — Edgar Degas
In the beginning, Judy relates an anecdote about Boston painter, Polly Thayer Starr, who was talented from her childhood with graphite and charcoal. She spent her first year at the Boston Museum School studying anatomy and life drawing with Ph...2018-11-0500 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 27 The Element of Surprise"Surprise is key in all art." — Oscar Niemeyer
The Element of Surprise!
Did you miss us?! We hope so. You know what they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder! But we've finished our travels for a while and we are back around the coffee table sharing ideas, encouraging an interest in the Arts and, hopefully, inspiring you to go out and paint for yourself.
John Singer Sargent, Dolce Far Niente, c 1907, o/c 16.25 x 28.25 in. Brooklyn Museum, NY
Today we are talking about the element of surp...2018-10-2900 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 26: Sight and Insight Programs"You will learn to enjoy the process... and to surrender your need to control the result. You will discover the joy of practising your creativity. The process, not the product, will become your focus." — Julia Cameron
Welcome art lovers, to another edition of the Sight and Insight podcast. Today’s topic: the Sight and Insight programs.
Judy begins off topic with an introduction into the insight of ’21 in Truro,’ a women’s painting group who exhibit together throughout the year and enjoy a retreat for a week down in Truro, sharing five rustic cottages right...2018-10-0100 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 25: Don Stone - Doing It His Way
Greetings, Art Lovers, and thank you for joining us for another exciting episode of the Sight and Insight Podcast. Today we are talking about a great show currently on exhibit at the North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirates Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930. Don Stone Comes Home is on view through October 9 and features over 140 works.
Bittersweet by Don Stone
Don Stone could turn his hand to oil painting, watercolors, egg tempera and more and these skills, combined with an unerring eye for composition and design, helped him become a noted artist and beloved teache...2018-09-2300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 24: Copying the MastersWelcome to another edition of the Sight and Insight Podcast. This week, our intrepid trio, David, Connie and Judy, willbe discussing the weighty topic of copying from the masters.
Is it sneaky, as some people think, or cheating; or is it an age old method of learning to paint better by studying closely, and emulating the work of, old masters who have stood the test of time?
During today's episode, Connie relates the tale of how she finally managed to get access to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to copy Monet's Grand Canal...2018-09-1800 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 23: Elements of Nature
"Art not only imitates nature, but also completes its deficiencies." — Aristotle
Willard L. Metcalf, Flying Shadows, 1905, o/c, 26 x 29
Well, if we are already quoting Aristotle, you can tell we are going to be covering some pretty deep thoughts in this week's podcast on 'Elements of Nature!'
Deep it may be, but the problems or, rather, the challenges of painting nature are not insurmountable. On a basic level, the artist just has to consider all the elements help, or hinder, their painting, and then go from there. And it is per...2018-09-1000 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 22: Practice, Practice, PracticeGreetings, art lovers; we're back!
"Learning the art of painting is not an easy task. It takes a great deal of intelligence, keen analysis, study and practice." — Edgar A. Payne
Practice, practice, practice. We’ve all heard this adage from parents, teachers and everyone else who wants to get in on the act. But how much practice do we have to put in before we get anywhere? And will we ever succeed, or will we be students all our lives, trying to put into practice what we’ve learned and get that one perfect pi...2018-09-0300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 20: Psychology and ArtJoin Connie, David and Judy as they consider the question of Psychology and Art. All three have enjoyed reading the works of Carl Jung (1875-1961) the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, although Connie is, of course, the undisputed expert. For instance, why are certain paintings more thought provoking than others? Why are we fascinated by the enigmatic smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s "Mona Lisa?” Is it more to do with how the artist has expressed himself, or how the viewer reacts? Why do some paintings stay with us, in our memories, to be passed down throu...2018-08-1300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 19 - Inspiration
What moves those of genius, what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough. - Eugene Delacroix
Inspiration -
Did you miss us?! Apologies for the delay in posting the latest episode of the Sight and Insight podcast. We are a day late and all we can say is that the producer was laid low by the heat yesterday. Well, that's her story and she's sticking to it.
However, we are here now, bright eyed and bushy-tailed and...2018-08-0700 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 18: Experiencing Painting"What is art? We ought to very simply let it be what the artist says it is."
—David Smith
Welcome to another podcast in the weekly series ‘Sight and Insight’ with Lorwen ‘Connie’ Nagle and David P. Curtis, both artists and teachers, as well as – in Connie’s case –psychologist, as they talk with writer and Cape Ann art historian, Judith Curtis. This week the trio discuss the topic ‘Experiencing Painting.’
Judith kicks of the discussion with reminiscences of being raised in an English household where, if they did not have original art on the wall, there w...2018-07-3100 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 17 - Warm and Cool ColorsWarm and Cool ... and what it means for the artist.
Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1911, Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) Oil on canvas
Join David, Connie and Judy as they talk about the use of warm and cool colors and how they can help the artist create a stronger compositionin terms of foreground and distance and also as a tool to emphasize form.
High key color is an important facet of the plein air painting and nowhere is it better demonstrated than by the Spanish painter, Sorolla. What is it about warm high key...2018-07-2300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 16 - Technique The painterly painter avoids the how-to approach, suspicious as ever, that technique will obscure his or her vision.
— Charles Movalli
Having finished breakfast, David and Connie made time to sit down with Judy to talk about Technique, before heading out for David's Boats & Buildings workshop, so we may run shorter than usual.
Thought for the day: Do all artists have a personal technique? Is it important to have a technique, or is it better for an artist to go out there and just keep painting? After all, technique is just "a way of car...2018-07-1700 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 15 - Alla prima"Get into the habit of doing what you see, not what you know. Human reason cannot foresee the accidents of out-of-doors."
— Charles Hawthorne
Greetings, Art Lovers, and thank you for joining us for Episode 15: Alla Prima. Once again, Connie, David and Judy, gather around the table to discuss another fascinating aspect of the artistic world.
Alla prima – not, as Judy first thought, an Italian cooking term - is sometimes referred to as ‘direct painting,’ or ‘premier coup,’ depending on who you are talking to, and refers to an oil painting method whereby the artist puts down...2018-07-0900 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 14: ImpressionismWe are all the subjects of impressions, and some of us seek to convey the impressions to others. In the art of communicating impressions lies the power of generalizing without losing the logical connection of parts to the whole which satisfies the mind.
— George Inness
George Inness, After the Storm (1877-1878), oil on canvas, private collection
When we talk about impressionism, most people's thoughts immediately leap to Claude Monet and the French Impressionists. However, there is a difference between what is called 'small i" impressionism, and the Impressionists.
Join Dav...2018-07-0200 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 13 Paint In Verbs
Episode 13 - Paint in Verbs
Welcome, art lovers, to another episode of the Sight & Insight Podcast. This week, Connie, David and Judy discuss what "Paint in Verbs" actually means.
The phrase comes from advice given by artist/teacher Charles Woodbury to his students, among whom we find Gertrude Fiske, whose work exemplifes the expression, 'paint in verbs,' or, to put it another way, 'poetry in motion.'
Above: Charles Woodbury (left) 'Playing in the Waves,' oil on canvas, 17 x 21, in., courtesy of Parco Fine Art, and (right) 'The Narr...2018-06-2500 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 12 - Painting in Your Own BackyardSorry, folks, we seem to have been experiencing some technical difficulties. We've followed Podbean's advice and uploaded the m4a file again. Hope it plays better than the first version, but that's what you get for working in a thunderstorm!
David - Now Is the Hour (detail) Connie - A Subtle Scent (detail)
Despite thunderstorms and heavy rain, here we are again with Episode 12 - Painting in Your Own Backyard.
From Monet's garden in Giverny to Celia Thaxter's garden on the Isle of Shoals, made famous by Childe Hassam, and all points in...2018-06-1900 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastFocusing on Color
Get into the habit of doing what you see, not what you know. Human reason cannot foresee the accidents of out-of-doors.
— Charles Hawthorne
Greetings, Art Lovers, and welcome to another episode of Sight & Insight. And don't worry, you're not going crazy, we just flip flopped the last two recordings, so we are briefly put of sequence. This is just to keep you on your toes and see how many of you are really listening! We should be back on track next week.
This week, however, we are discussing color; one...2018-06-1100 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 10 Gertrude Fiske: American Master
Join David, Connie, and Judy as they discuss their visit to the Gertrude Fiske American Master exhibition at Portsmouth Historical Society – Discover Portsmouth – 10 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
From the back cover of the catalogue:
The combination of Fiske’s originality and selective eye, as well as her broad brush manner and audacious color, helped her become of America’s most individualistic painters, and raised the bar in the genre of American Impressionism. — Judith A. Curtis
Fiske spent seven years training at the Boston Museum School with Tarbell, Benson and Hale, while also studying w...2018-06-0400 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 9: In Focus: The Sight & Insight Workshop
Happy Memorial Day. Today David, Connie and Judy discuss the Workshop Experience, in particular, the Sight and Insight workshop concept.
Painting is an enjoyable – sometimes frustrating – experience. In these days of high speed technology, painting – the art of creativity – is a unique and indispensable release from the tension of everyday living.
There are numerous classes and workshops for the student painter to choose from, but are they all the same? Some painters prefer to teach by demonstrating their own methods of beginning, refining and completing a painting, which may be enjoyable but doesn’t allow the student to empower their own painting...2018-05-2800 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastEpisode 8: Books, Books, Books"Art is not an amusement, nor a distraction, nor is it, as many men maintain, an escape from life. On the contrary, it is a high training of the soul, essential to the soul's growth, to its unfoldment."
- Lawren Harris
Welcome to Episode 8 of Sight & Insight, the podcast for all things Art. Today Judy, David and Connie discuss their favorite art books and how they can increase the artist or art lover's understanding practice and understanding of the Fine Arts.
A.J. Munnings Reading by Harold Knight
H...2018-05-2100 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight and Insight - Episode 7: Memory Painting
"It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory." - Edgar Degas (1834-1917)Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/edgar_degas_393298
This week, Connie, David and Judy talk about memory painting. How does it help the outdoor artist? Is the memory trustworthy to work from, or is it better to have a photograph? Is photographic color honest? Or should the artist work at training his or...2018-05-1400 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight & Insight Episode 6 Pleine Aire Painting
Welcome to episode six of the Sight & Insight podcast. Join David, Connie and Judy as they talk about the art of painting out of doors. As Sorolla said, "As far as outdoor work is concerned, a studio is only a garage; a place in which to store pictures and repair them, never a place in which to paint them."
Artists have been working out of doors since the time of John Constable (1776-1837) the English Romanticist, who was sketching in the Lake District as early as 1806. The Barbizon School, located on the edge of Fountainbleu...2018-05-0700 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight and Insight - An Art Education
Join Connie, David and Judy for their fifth podcast as they discuss the pros and cons of art education
With more than 50 years of painting experience between them, and some 25 years of teaching, David and Connie have teamed up to offer their Sight and Insight to help you become a better painter.
What kind of art education will help you? Gertrude Fiske spent seven years at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), Boston, to throughly ground herself in her chosen subject; Polly Thayer dropped out in her second year because she f...2018-04-3000 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight and Insight - What is Art?A word from our producer...
... or not. Maybe next week.
What is Art? A lofty question indeed! Join Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David P. Curtis, both experienced plein air oil painters and teachers, and Judy Curtis, art writer and historian, as they get to grips with the question of 'What is Art?' According to Beverly Sills, the late, great vibrant soprano once described as the 'All-American Diva,' "Art is the signature of civilization," while French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, prefers, "Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind wh...2018-04-2300 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight and Insight - Aesthetics
Join Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David P. Curtis, both experienced plein air oil painters and teachers, and Judy Curtis, art writer and historian, as they sit around the coffee table to talk about aesthetics. Together they cover the gamut of topics interesting to art lovers and artists alike. Or, at least, they hope so!
Pick up your own coffee and then sit back and enjoy the conversation. If you disagree, let them know. As David's father, art teacher and marine artist Roger W. Curtis, once said, "Few facts are sure and opinions are debatable...."
...2018-04-1600 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight & Insight - Beauty
This week Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David P. Curtis, both experienced oil painters and teachers, and Judy Curtis, art writer and historian, talk about the concept of beauty in art. Between the three of them, David, Judy and Connie cover the gamut of artistic topics of interest to artists and art lovers alike. At least they hope so! Tune in and see if you agree with them. If not, let them know. Facts are few and opinions are debatable....
Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
...2018-04-0900 minThe Sight & Insight PodcastSight & Insight - Imagination
Join Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David Curtis, both experienced oil painters and teachers, as well as Judith Curtis, an art writer and historian, as they sit around the table and talk about art appreciation, and how to execute a better painting yourself. This podcast is aimed at all those who make art, collect art, or just want to enjoy some good conversation with, hopefully, some uplifting thoughts on a subject particularly necessary in an era of speed and technology.
Why is art important to our lives, and why is creativity a worthwhile human end...2018-04-0200 min