Studio Notes

Episode Notes:

In this episode I interview Lisa Price who is an environmentally-focused abstract painter. She creates beautiful meditative paintings using handmade watercolours with pigments she forages herself.

In this episode we chat about:

• her journey as an artist;

• what being a full-time artist looks like;

• finding balance with studio practice and business tasks;

• having fun and playing creatively as an adult;

• foraging for natural pigments and making her own paints;

• creating a sustainable practice;

• larger vs smaller works;

• selling works;

• making connections & studio visits;

• social media;

• her plans for the future.

Lisa’s website and insta:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this fourth episode of season two I do a review of my journey in 2023. 

In this episode I cover:

• facing my fear and my proper pivot finally away from illustration;

• discovering cold wax;

• learning techniques and skills with cold wax;

• watching people engage with the work;

• taking my work further into abstract territory;

• gaining confidence in my work and myself as an artist;

• why I started the Artistic Journey programme;

• success (or not) and the podcast.

the Artistic Journey programme

Episode Notes:

In this third episode of season two I chat with Claudia Kennaugh. Claudia runs Art & People, a Bristol-based art advisory service that offers guidance to artists and collectors. 

In this episode we cover so many good and juicy topics such as:

• Claudia started out as a musician, then started working in her family’s gallery;
• She learned the business from the bottom up while her mum mentored her;
• She decided to start her own business - one that helped both artists and collectors;
• We discuss “the art world” vs “the world of art”;
• Creating a buddy system with other artists to go to gallery shows together;
• Being proactive and setting up your own exhibitions with other artists to gain experience;
• Thinking about yourself as a professional artist;
• Finding validation from within and having the mindset of a professional artist no matter what you earn or who represents you;
• Part-time jobs and other streams of revenue;
• The artist’s essence;
• The artist statement;
• Gathering as an artist;
• Doing small post card sized works and what can come out of that;
• Approaching galleries;
• Open calls and how they can help artists find focus;
• How to work with Claudia.

Books Mentioned:

The Creative Act - Rick Rubin

In this second episode of season two I chat with Luisa Fernanda Niño. Luisa is a self-educated artist whose work I’ve always admired. She’s also someone who came to art later in life at 41. Prior to that she was writing.

Luisa initially believed that drawing was something almost magical that one either had or didn't have, but she took some drawing courses and gained confidence in her ability to learn. 

However, she was also starting this new venture into drawing and painting around the same time that there was an explosion of courses and dialogue around making artwork that sells. She opened an Etsy shop, but she felt this pressure to sell her work caused her to skip the important process of discovering what and how she was meant to create.

Between 2014 and 2019, Luisa dedicated herself to self-education in various art techniques, but she realised she was only scratching the surface. In 2019 and 2020, she delved into art history, watched documentaries, and distanced herself from social media influences. This allowed her to focus on creating art that felt authentic rather than solely thinking about selling it.

Luisa experimented with different art mediums, ultimately returning to watercolours. As her skills developed, she embraced more freedom in using her materials, shedding the restrictive rules she initially imposed on herself. 

She also started writing her newsletter, "The Studio Chronicles," which served as a platform for exploring her thoughts and connecting with others.

We chat about Luisa’s journey as a self-taught artist, emphasising the importance of self-education beyond technical skills to gain a deeper understanding of oneself as an artist and place in the art world. 

We discuss Luisa's current focus on solitude as a theme in her work, highlighting the beauty of being alone. Additionally, our chat covers the balance between the need for solitude and the desire for community. Luisa found a supportive artist community through her Patreon, where she shares real-time demonstrations of her work with various mediums.

Currently, Luisa is working on projects utilising zines or artist's books to combine her writing and artwork. In the coming months, she plans to further explore this intersection of creativity.

Website:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this first episode of season two I chat with Tracey Elizabeth Downing. We start off with her childhood and chat about people who helped encourage her artistically. (Big shout out to all those teachers out there who spot artistic qualities in youngsters!)

She then went to study fine art photography at college. It didn’t one hundred percent gel with her, she most wanted to paint, but she did enjoy learning about other artists on the course.

At a young age, she got married and started a family. During this time she lost herself in the role of mother and her art practice lapsed. After her marriage broke down, she started to find herself again as an artist while raising two young children.

Initially she got a certificate in person centred art therapy as at that time she knew she didn’t want to do just art, but wanted to work with people. After several years she went on to get her Master’s degree in Art Psychotherapy. She also remarried and had two more children.

She worked in art therapy for a further 8 years, then in 2015 she found out she had a rare spinal condition Tarlov Cyst disease. She left her job due to this chronic health condition. This is when she started to re-invent herself as a full-time artist.

Now she has a studio at the end of her garden, but has also been proactive in seeking out other spaces in which to create. In 2023 Tracey created “The Drawing Residency” after she negotiated to use another artist’s studio space for three months. She kept it very simple - chair, table, paper, pencil. She wanted to respond to the space as it was. From the blank, white, cold space she drew things she needed. She created an environment. She gave herself the space to imagine and think. She responded to the light. We chat about her dummy (pacifier) collection. The idea that she could do what she liked during the time was powerful. She was very protective of the time and space to create. The residency culminated with her doing a film about what she’d been up to. Overall doing the residency helped her re-connect with herself as an artist. She’s now considering how she can marry up painting and poetry as well as planning for an upcoming open studios and Brixton’s Urban Art Fair.

Mentioned:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a new podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this sixth episode I chat with myself about my journey - okay, really it's a bit of a stream of consciousness ramble about how I started out as an artist and how I got to where I am today. Usually I write detailed notes, but this time - well, it's such a long, convoluted journey I don't know if I have the energy to write my own notes having just interviewed myself! Hopefully you'll give it a go. Just to note I do talk about health issues, grief and surgery so if you're not in a place where you can hear about that then feel free to skip. Other than that - I hope you enjoy it and make it to the end still awake! (Although I use podcasts to help me sleep - so if that's you - then this is the episode to encourage sleep.) 

To find out more about me:

Website:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a new podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this fifth episode I chat with Katie Sollohub. During this conversation we covered everything from anthropology to doing nothing and naps. Katie is an expansive thinker so it was really great to go on this journey with her as she spoke about her origins as an artist as well as several of the projects she has explored over the years.

Her journey encompasses drawing in childhood, quitting art college and studying anthropology. Coming back to do an art foundation course at twenty-four. Diving deep into still life after being told still life was “boring”. Exploring interior spaces and historic houses. Making connections between people and stories and places. Her work growing bigger - moving off the page and onto the wall and into performance. Moving on to start the Immersed swimmers project. How that grew over lockdown. What it turned into and where she is now.

Towards the end we discuss what happens next after a big project. We talk about the meditation and drawings sessions she offers. The importance of doing nothing. Our studio spaces and how we use them. Plus naps.

We wrap up the session talking about the courses she has on offer next year - so many really exciting ones.

To find out more about Katie’s fascinating projects and journey visit:

Website:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a new podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this fourth episode I chat with Emma Jones of Wee Blue Press. Emma is a Scottish printmaker and painter from Berwickshire. We begin with how she started off with a history degree that led her to web and graphic design back in the 90’s. During that time she started drawing more by illustrating and writing stories for her kids. Then eight years ago she received a lino print kit - and things really moved on from there.

We also discuss what it means to be self-taught and finding confidence in what we do as artists. And although we don’t talk about this here, shortly after this episode was recorded I heard the phrase “living master’s programme” and I loved it. It’s about all the courses we do that are the equivalent to doing a master’s programme, but these courses are specific to our needs and wants - rather than governed by an institution. Learning as an artist is much, much wider than the academic world and never ends!

Then we chat about the joys of printmaking, imperfection and starting a creative business. Plus we talk about exploring a wide variety of subject matter and techniques rather than sticking with any one subject or way of doing things. Plus the freedom of painting and how it’s now also informing Emma’s printmaking.

We discuss “feeding the beast”, social media, inspiration and how the outdoors and sea are at the heart of Emma’s work. Plus the wiggly path that we all go down while creating.

We wrap up with Emma chatting about drawing and snorkelling in the sea while sketching! Plus giving up her part-time job and moving full-time as an artist which includes running art and printmaking workshops.

To find out more about Emma’’s beautiful prints and paintings, her courses, and upcoming fairs, click the links below:

Website:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a new podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this third episode I chat with Gillian Lee Smith. It’s chock full of so many goodies! We begin by talking about her journey which started out in costume design and how that has led to her current work as a painter.

Along the way we discuss a love for research, layers within her work, starting art school in her early 30s, physical limits for certain types of work and how that led to painting, projects working with community groups and care homes, going full-time as an artist, the early days of online courses, mentoring and her art practice.

We move on to the role fishing communities, place and narrative play in her work. How her move to Northumberland transformed her relationship with the landscape and how she records it in drawings and paintings.The threads that connect her work whether it’s people, landscapes or boats. Plus a curiosity to explore and discover at the heart of her practice.

Then there are the realities of being a full-time artist. Creating outside of the commercial realm, how to support yourself if you go down this path, and keeping the work true to yourself. And through that finding the people who are deeply moved by what you do.

Finally we chat about setting up exhibitions and solo shows. And we wrap it up with exploring being proactive about finding more imaginative places to show work outside of galleries and traditional systems.

Three wonderful words that came up during our chat: research, resonate, and ruminate!

Find out more about Gillian’s beautiful artwork, her courses, and mentoring:

Website:

Welcome to Studio Notes with Sasha DeWitt - a new podcast for creatives where I'll be chatting with a variety of artists about their creative journeys as well as the nuts and bolts of what goes on behind the scenes when making artwork. This podcast is for artist and art lovers alike. I hope it'll inspire those who are thinking about pursuing art as a career as well as those who are already on their journey.

Episode Notes:

In this second episode I chat with Anna Macdonald. Anna is a minimalist contemporary artist, teacher, and brilliant mentor. We chat about her journey with art as a way to help her cope with depression, plus we discuss anxiety and the inner critic, making bad work, having good strategies, all while juggling teaching, an art business and family.

A few years ago I found Anna on Instagram and related to her because she’s honest and real about the highs and lows of running an art business. She’s also extremely practical about what it takes to juggle creative time with a job as well as the business side of being an artist.

After following her for a while I contacted her to be my mentor. It was the first time I’d ever gone with someone I hadn’t met in real life, but the risk paid off! Anna has been a wonderful mentor - one of the most organised and logical - with wonderful worksheets to work through. And although this episode isn’t about mentoring I just wanted to put it out there about how we met and how my own journey has been shaped by meeting Anna.

Find out more about Anna’s beautiful artwork, her courses, and mentoring:

Website: