Rebecca Sower is a mixed media artist from the Nashville, Tennessee area. She started painting and drawing seriously about five years ago. Her paintings incorporate monoprints, collaged papers, and drawings. Recently her collaged pieces have included drawings of birds. She is inspired by what she sees on her walks in the farmlands near her home. Rebecca has taught classes in person and she offers two online classes through Jeanne Oliver’s website. Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher. Rebecca Sower Her wall of collage papers. Rebecca's website is called Rebecca Sower Art You can find her online classes at Jeanne Oliver's website here. You can also find her on Instagram and on Etsy Here are some great takeaways from our conversation: Rebecca said she has a business degree and that’s been very helpful with her art business. That’s a very good point. It’s a great idea if you can take an accounting or marketing class to help with your business. Drawing is a skill. When Rebecca wanted to get better at that, she practiced a lot, over an hour a day for a couple years. That’s the only way you will get better at it. Another great thing that Rebecca pointed out is, you’re going to make some bad art, especially when you’re learning. There’s no reason why you can’t paint over a canvas and start over. Painting on paper is less expensive than painting on canvas, especially when you’re first learning. But if you paint one you really like, you can just use gel medium to adhere the paper to a wood cradle board. When painting on paper, if you get it too wet, it will wrinkle when dry. You can flatten it back out by spritzing water on the back, and then putting it under books to dry. Rebecca pre-paints papers to use for her collages. She uses deli paper, which she can buy cheaply at restaurant supply stores. Rebecca makes art that is inspired by her walks near her home. She reminds you to remember not just what you saw, but also what you felt during that walk. It’s important to include the feels in your art as well. When she does take photos during her walks, she will convert the photos to black and white. That will help her find the values and their contrast. It also allows her to paint in the colors that she felt rather than the colors that she saw.

Liz Constable is a book artist from Auckland, New Zealand. Liz creates under the name Book Art Studios, in a studio near her home. She is self-taught, but she makes beautiful hand-stitched books that she fills with words and stories. She sometimes even dyes the paper that she uses, and she teaches that technique and others through her Zoom classes and in person camps. She’s published four books, most recently Re: Create, which she self-published with her sister and a photographer. Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher. Liz Constable Hibernation Set 1 Dyed Paper Hibernation Handmade Books ReCreate book ReCreate book back cover One Small Drop book Curly dyed paper Liz's website is called Book Art Studios. You can purchase her published books on her website here. On Instagram, she is @bookartstudios. Here are some great takeaways from our conversation: I’m sure you’ve heard us say, that you need to practice and practice again to get better with your art. Well, one thing that Liz points out is that you need to practice so you’ll learn how materials work together. That’s a very good point. You may learn to do something one way with certain materials, but you may find out later that other materials work better for you. When Liz first started making books, she made do with whatever tools she had on hand. Remember that you don’t always need the fanciest expensive tools. She didn’t have a cutting mat but made do with her kitchen cutting board. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started with most types of art. When exhibiting your work at a fair or trade show, make your booth stand out from the others. You’ll be remembered if your booth doesn’t look like all the other booths. If you want to go to a trade show, do your research first so you know what to expect. You also should have clear goals for being there, but you should also be flexible on what might happen. When doing a class or a how-to book, make sure you don’t use tools that a beginner might not be able to find. Think of an alternative you can use instead from something most people would have in their homes. This is a great suggestion particularly now since most people are having long periods of time staying near their homes and shopping isn’t as easy. Liz packages her book purchases beautifully, and includes little surprises for her buyers. She has enhanced the purchasing experience so much that the likelihood of repeat customers is great. If you’ve written a how-to style book, it’s a great idea to create classes around some of the projects in the book. Liz is having success teaching classes online through Zoom. That’s a great inexpensive way to offer a class, and you can reach students from all over the world. She also offers classes through Zoom at different times, so people can choose a class that…

Artist Gabe Langholtz paints in what he calls a naïve modern style. Sometimes he paints still lives, perhaps a table holding a few objects. Sometimes he paints figures, often holding something. His paintings always tell a story, through all the objects you see, and enhanced by his clever titles. He lives in the Austin, Texas area, but has done a solo show in New York, and is looking forward to other shows there in 2021. Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher. Gabe Langholtz Cans In Deep A Game of Chance Old Ghosts Out of Sight Out of Mind Watch Post The Last Word First World Problems Trio After Words Glock Blocker Gabe's website is called gabelangholtz.com. On Instagram, he is @gabelangholtzart In January, 2021, he will be showing art at Hashimoto Contermporary gallery in New York City. Here are some great takeaways from our conversation: You don’t need to stick with one subject matter for your artwork. For Gabe, he does a lot of still lives, but he also does a lot of figurative work. I’m a big believer in the importance of giving your artwork a title. After you’ve just spent a lot of time making a piece of art, don’t skimp on the title. It helps to differentiate your art and it adds to the story. In 2019, Gabe chose a topic to explore with his paintings, and it was plants. Giving yourself a theme will give you a starting point for your art. If your work is in a solo show, see if you can work with the gallerist in the hanging of it. They may let you because they figure you’ll know which art pieces go together. There are opportunities right now for virtual shows, and if that’s all you can get, then go for it. But remember that it is important for people to see your artwork in person, so that they can see the texture and the details. Keep your eye out for the in person shows, because in a couple of months, I’m sure they’ll be coming back. Put all your artwork onto your Instagram feed. It will become a virtual portfolio where people can get a good idea about you and your art. We’ve talked about pricing before on the podcast. When your sales are slow, it’s not necessarily a good idea to lower your prices. That just devalues your work because it’s hard to raise the prices back up later. The better thing to do is offer smaller items that already have a lower price than your larger work.

Rachelle Kearl is a painter that is inspired by the wildflowers in Alberta, Canada. She creates beautiful floral paintings that are sometimes very detailed and sometimes more graphic in design. Often her paintings are large because she wants to make grand gestures on her canvas. Her paintings are shown in boutiques and artist collectives near her home. She’s hoping to be able to teach in person after the first of the year, using her skills as a former school teacher. Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher. Rachelle Kearl Rachelle Kearl artist Her website is rachellekearlart.com. On Instagram, she is @rachellekearl_art Here are some great takeaways from our conversation: We talked about art having a purpose. Some people stop making art because they don’t think it has a purpose. We forget that the purpose can simply be to make someone think or to make them happy. Rachelle talked about learning from artist Betty Krause, that you should start out painting by activating your canvas. Just put some paint down, any color, and you don’t need to know where it’s going to go. This gets you started and you can change your colors or ideas later. The first marks also help to treat your canvas as if it’s not too precious. Sometimes people are afraid to “mess up” a canvas and that’s why they can’t make the first mark. Just go for it and get it started. Rachelle paints large canvases because she wants to make large gestures. The canvases suit what she’s trying to create. When I was talking with Anthony Burks in Episode 185, he said that he had moved into a studio space that was a formerly empty store front. In his case, it is one space that has 18 smaller rooms for 18 artists. Rachelle told me that in Calgary they will utilize empty spaces in malls. She’s a part of an artist collective that is one space where many artists can show their work. These are great programs that utilize empty spaces, and they’re good for the retail areas because they’ll look busier and bring in more people. Artists are starting to think about offering in person classes for next year. Rachelle mentioned that she will decrease the number of students so that they can keep their distance while working. Rachelle mentioned a great thing she did when she was teaching pre-school for 3-5-year-olds. If they were working on something, she wouldn’t tell them what to do, instead she would say “Do you need anything?” That can be used for adults too. It’s a very encouraging statement that helps them to keep going. Her paintings are inspired by the wildflowers she sees near her home. She takes photos on her walks, prints them out, and puts them in sheet protectors in binders. That way she has inspiration even when she’s in her snowy months and there are no flowers around.

For today’s episode, I’m having a follow-up conversation with artists Shannon Torrence and Carl Stoveland. I first spoke with Shannon and Carl about two months ago in Episode 176. They told me about their upcoming month-long artist residency at Dry Tortugas National Park, which is 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. On Loggerhead Key, Shannon would be painting with acrylics and Carl would be taking photographs, videos, and painting watercolors. They were taken out there by boat with everything they needed for a month: paints, paper, easel, cameras and film, and of course, their clothing and food. If you haven’t listened to Episode 176 yet, I suggest you go back and listen to that first. They told me how they applied for this artist residency through the National Parks Arts Foundation, and that they planned to make a documentary film of this residency. Their final product is changing a little bit, as you’ll hear in today’s episode, as a result of what they saw during their time on the island. But they’ve returned with many paintings, photos, and film footage, and they’re excited to share their experiences with us. Here they are talking about their month together at Dry Tortugas National Park, on the 64 acre island called Loggerhead Key. Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher. Shannon Torrence and Carl Stoveland at the top of the lighthouse on Loggerhead Key Shannon Torrence Painting by Shannon Torrence Shannon's painting set up Painting by Shannon Torrence Painting of the Lighthouse by Shannon Torrence The Lighthouse at Night by Shannon Painting by Shannon Carl Stoveland Dry Tortugas photo by Carl Stoveland Their website documenting this residency is flyingtortugabrothers.com and it is also on Facebook and Instagram. Carl's website is carlstovelandphotography.com. You can also find him on Instagram @carlstoveland. Shannon Torrence is on Instagram @tidalcroftstudio. You can find their podcast here. In January, 2021, Shannon will be showing his art at Palm Beach Framemakers, and in November 2021 they hope to be at The Gallery on Greene in Key West. Here are some great takeaways from our conversation: When doing an artist residency where you won’t have access to stores during it, be sure to bring backups of everything you need. You don’t want to bring too much, but you don’t want to run out of art supplies or not have working devices, batteries, or chargers. Shannon would scout locations for each day’s painting. When painting outside, you need to prepare for all kinds of weather, plus different drying times for your paint, plus bugs, and blowing sand. You also need to dress appropriately, which for them meant long pants, long sleeves, and a hat so they wouldn’t get sunburned. Shannon did color studies while he was on the island so that he could do accurate large paintings later when he got home. This is a good idea because photographs won’t always show the true color of a scene. When taking photographs to use as inspiration for later…