The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell

Episode 78: Chilling In The Comfort Zone

June 29th, 2019  |  27 mins 55 secs

art, cold wax, comfort zone, rebecca crowell, self improvement

Boundaries, parameters, comfort zones—there are lots of names for the limits we set for our personal creative explorations. These limitations play both positive and negative roles in our art practice and business and it can be tricky to know the difference. When is a comfort zone serving us well? Would risk-taking instead be more beneficial? Is a narrow focus better than pursuing new ideas? Today we’ll toss around some of these questions --

Episode 77: Surgical Abstraction, Interview with Steve Immerman

June 22nd, 2019  |  26 mins 40 secs

abstraction, art, glass, rebecca crowell, steve immerman

In this week's episode, Rebecca and Ross join Steve Immerman, a Wisconsin artist working in fused glass. Steve discusses his beautifully designed intricate glasswork, how he developed his art practice, his creative process and the relationship between his art and his day job as a general surgeon.

Episode 76: Meeting Deadlines Head On - Part Two

June 16th, 2019  |  25 mins 15 secs

art, business, deadlines, rebecca crowell, self improvement

The need to produce our creative work under pressure from deadlines and other expectations is a common situation for artists. This basic idea can seem so wrong—shouldn’t our art be created in our own time, free from outside influence? There are many challenges and pitfalls involved, and we may resent the entire situation. Yet for anyone pursuing art as a serious endeavor, avoiding pressure is simply unrealistic. Today we'll talk about some practical solutions to coping with deadlines and expectations.

Episode 75: Meeting Deadlines Head On - Part One

June 8th, 2019  |  25 mins 47 secs

art, business, deadlines, rebecca crowell, self improvement

INTRO: Meeting deadlines and other expectations are part of an artist’s career at almost any level, and they're important when you are aiming to make the most of your opportunities. Working under pressure can make you feel nervous, compulsive or perfectionistic, but on the positive side can also cause you to create at the top of your game. This is a two-episode topic--today we’re going to examine various situations that involve creating under pressure.

Episode 74: Art on a Greek Island: Skopelos Foundation for the Arts

June 1st, 2019  |  24 mins 26 secs

art, greece, rebecca crowell, skopelos, travel, workshops

Rebecca discusses the founding and growth of the beautiful Skopelos Foundation of the Arts on Skopelos island, Greece with Gloria Carr and Jill Somer. They are the forces behind its creation and diverse programming, from artist residencies and workshops to a thriving youth film festival.

Episode 73: Abstraction In Words And Paint

May 25th, 2019  |  28 mins 54 secs

abstraction, art, greece, poetry, rebecca crowell, travel

Rebecca and Jerry McLaughlin discuss commonalities in poetry and abstract painting as well as how to approach poetry as inspiration in your own work.

Episode 72: Excellence Vs. Perfection

May 18th, 2019  |  31 mins 25 secs

art, greece, perfectionism, rebecca crowell, travel

Rebecca and her partner at Squeegee Press Jerry McLaughlin, discuss both the pursuit of excellence in the studio and the pitfalls of perfectionsim in this episode (recorded on the Greek island of Skopelos).

Episode 71: Movement and Creativity

May 11th, 2019  |  24 mins 17 secs

art, exercise, movement, rebecca crowell

In this episode, we consider the physical activities mentioned in episode #59 about what people enjoy doing in addition to their studio work. What is the importance of physical activity in a creative life? Lots of forms of art require physical movement to carry out, such as wedging clay, hauling paint panels around, grinding litho stones, carrying supplies for plein air painting into the field... even sedentary art practices may require periods of stretching and moving to avoid becoming stiff and sore. But the importance of movement goes beyond just being physically fit for work. Today we're going to talk about the importance of movement in our art practices, including exercise but also movement intended to enhance creativity.

Episode 70: The Importance Of Drawing

May 4th, 2019  |  28 mins 2 secs

abstraction, art, drawing, rebecca crowell

Drawing is something a lot of artists do regularly, but for others -- especially abstract artists-- it has been pushed back to a musty corner with art-school exercises or early work in realism. But drawing, including abstract drawing, is an excellent way to keep your work vital and personal. What is the role of drawing in your work, and is it something that you would like to develop?

Episode 69: Interview with Keith Wilson: Seeing What's Around You

April 25th, 2019  |  31 mins 1 sec

art, ireland, keith wilson, rebecca crowell, travel

Rebecca talks to Keith Wilson, an artist from Northern Ireland, about his working process and his way of finding importance in his immediate surroundings.

Episode 68: Intuition

April 18th, 2019  |  29 mins 46 secs

abstraction, art, intuition, ireland, rebecca crowell, travel

Rebecca discusses the role of intuition in abstract work with Nuala Clarke and Joanna Kidney at Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland.

Episode 67: Responding To Poetry

April 13th, 2019  |  30 mins 30 secs

In this episode, Rebecca speaks with us again from the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo, Ireland where she is on a 3-week painting residency. Today she’s going to talk a little about the residency in general and specifically about a project she is working on there, a series of paintings based on a poem by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney.

Episode 66: Contrast and Personal Voice

April 6th, 2019  |  30 mins 47 secs

art, contrast, ireland, personal voice, rebecca crowell, travel, workshops

This week Rebecca is speaking with you from Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo,
Ireland, a place she returns to every year for teaching for her own time to paint. She shares some of the ideas that were the focus of her advanced cold wax workshop there, and we discuss how they relate to personal voice in your own work.

Episode 65: More About Change

March 30th, 2019  |  23 mins 59 secs

art, change, gallaries, rebecca crowell

In the last episode we talked about the importance of change in the creative
process, and in the one prior to that (about blocks and lack of motivation) we
mentioned that these are sometimes harbingers of change. Given how important
it is in the big picture, what are some reasons we may resist it? The outside world
of galleries and collectors can be a big reason we avoid change or worry about it.

Episode 64: Changing Directions

March 23rd, 2019  |  25 mins 35 secs

art, change, joan geary, rebecca crowell

The creative journey is never a straight path and all artists go through
times of change in their work. These are necessary but can also be frustrating and
painful as you head into the unknown. Today we’re going to talk about times of
change in your work and some of the challenges that artists face, including the
experiences of one Chicago painter who has shared her struggle with Rebecca.

Episode 63: Keeping It Going

March 16th, 2019  |  26 mins 8 secs

art, blocks, motivation, rebecca crowell, risk

Several listeners have asked us to talk about how to stay motivated and on track
with work in the studio. Maybe it is a reflection of the winter doldrums (which we
talked about last week) but blocks and down times can happen any time of year.
How do you cope with feelings of boredom and frustration that make it hard to
keep working?