Rebecca Crowell
Co-Host of The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell
Rebecca Crowell has been a professional artist for thirty years, and is widely known for her innovative painting techniques involving cold wax medium and oils. She has taught these methods both in the US and internationally, and is the author (with Jerry McLaughlin) of the most comprehensive guide to atists using cold wax medium, Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations (Squeegee press, Dec. 2016). She currently is co-owner of the online learning platform, Cold Wax Academy.
Rebecca Crowell is represented by fine art galleries in numerous US cities, including Santa Fe, Chicago, Atlanta, and Telluride, Colorado as well as in Dublin, Ireland. Her paintings are included in thousands of private, public and corporate collections. She has been awarded 13 artist residencies since 2001, in the US, Spain, Sweden and Ireland, and has been commissioned by the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, for six large paintings. In 2014 she was recognized by John Seed of the Huffington Post in his article, Ten Memorable Paintings of 2014. She holds an MFA in Painting (Arizona State University, 1985.) Rebecca and her husband, Don Ticknor, have recently moved to a 100 year-old adobe home in northern New Mexico, where her new studio is gradually becoming messy. Please visit her website to view her work.
Rebecca Crowell has hosted 266 Episodes.
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Episode 234: A Deeper Look, Step by Step
December 18th, 2022 | 33 mins 58 secs
analysis, art, communication, creativity, going deeper, growth, meaning, personal voice, rebecca crowell, style
In the process of making a work of art, the artist deals with many questions and decisions. There is a constant evaluation of asking if the piece is on the right track, and considering what is needed for the next move. What will best convey the artist’s ideas and intentions? Many of these decisions are quick and intuitive, but sometimes a more reflective and conscious process is called for.
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Episode 233: The Compulsion to Create
December 10th, 2022 | 31 mins 15 secs
art, communication, compulsion, creativity, drive, rebecca crowell, spirituality
There is something compelling and mysterious about the urge to make art. Those of us that make art today are part of a tradition going back many thousands of years. What is its role in your own life? What basic needs does making art satisfy? Today we toss around some ideas about what motivates us to create and the satisfaction it brings.
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Episode 232: The Demons of Procrastination
December 3rd, 2022 | 37 mins 22 secs
art, business, creativity, procrastination, productivity, rebecca crowell, work habits
Procrastination may be human nature but identifying its role in your life can be a big help in moving forward. Instead of simply laziness or looking for distractions, procrastination can also be active avoidance behavior in which you channel energy into activities other than what you really want to achieve. Today we look at how artists in particular are affected by procrastination and ways to confront it in your own studio practice.
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Episode 231: Thanksgiving Thoughts
November 26th, 2022 | 35 mins 22 secs
art, creativity, gratitude, rebecca crowell, specials, thanksgiving
It seems to be true for us as humans who sometimes struggle in our lives that identifying the good things in life--what you feel grateful for-- is a practice that leads to more contentment and joy. Thanskgiving in the United States is a traditional time to count one’s blessings and share time with family and friends. Today, Rebecca and Ross share a few things they are feeling gratitude for in their own lives and hope their conversation inspires you to think of what has been good in the past year for you, our listeners.
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Episode 230: Artists Collecting Art
November 19th, 2022 | 32 mins 30 secs
art, barter, collecting art, creativity, personal relationships, professional relationships, rebecca crowell, trade
We often think of art collectors as people who love art but don’t create it themselves, meaning that the work they purchase may seem to them to come from a somewhat mysterious creative realm. Yet artists are very often collectors themselves, and have a different kind of appreciation for the work they acquire due to their deep understanding of what is involved in creating art.
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Episode 229: Pricing Quandries
November 12th, 2022 | 34 mins 5 secs
art, business, creativity, galleries, personal relationships, pricing, rebecca crowell
One of the trickiest issues that artists deal with is pricing their work, especially when a situation is not straightforward. At those times, even experienced artists can find themselves feeling indecisive or worried they are charging too much or too little. Today we will explore some options for times when it's not clear what to charge.
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Episode 228: Creative Flow
November 6th, 2022 | 33 mins 2 secs
art, creativity, flow, mindset, place, productivity, rebecca crowell, travel
The experience of creative flow in the studio is one many artists crave as the source of ultimate joy and satisfaction in making art. But this state of mind is elusive—it may appear without any conscious effort or disappear when you most want to rely on it. Today we talk about this state of mind, how to cultivate it, and the role it can play in your work.
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Episode 227: The Gift of Days: An Artist Residency
October 29th, 2022 | 41 mins 19 secs
abstraction, art, artist residency, creativity, influences, lisbon, materials, place, portugal, rebecca crowell, travel
In today’s episode, Rebecca reflects on her recent 3 weeks of residency at the Obras Foundation in Portugal, and the challenges and rewards of this experience.
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Episode 226: The Importance of Place
October 22nd, 2022 | 38 mins 50 secs
art, creativity, home, influences, place, rebecca crowell, travel
The influence of specific locations on creative work is important among many kinds of artists, from plein aire painters to site-specific sculptors. On today’s podcast, Rebecca talks about the ways responding to certain places has impacted her own abstract work over the years, and specifically how this has evolved in recent years since her move to New Mexico. We hope that her thoughts invite contemplation of your own influences from both your home environment and your travels.
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Episode 225: When Less Is More
October 16th, 2022 | 33 mins 33 secs
abstraction, art, creativity, elements, less is more, minimalism, rebecca crowell
For some artists, bringing meaning to their abstract work is hard because they lack ideas, or direction, or a true sense of connection to the work. But for others the problem is the opposite. They have so many thoughts, feelings, and references they want to work with that they become overwhelmed and frustrated. Today we want to talk about the value of focus in your ideas for abstract work, and what happens when your they are too complex and create blocks in your expression.
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Episode 224: The Challenges of Exhibiting
October 8th, 2022 | 40 mins 25 secs
art, business, creativity, exhibits, galleries, rebecca crowell
Whether it’s your first exhibit or you are a veteran of many, an upcoming show of your work can take you on a wild ride of emotions and expectations. In anticipating the planning, production, and stress involved, you may even wonder, why bother? Yet for most artists, being able to show their work in a public space is important to their identity as artists. In today’s episode, we’ll look at the benefits and rewards of exhibiting and the role it plays in an art career, as well as some of the emotional and logistical challenges.
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Episode 223: Your Upcoming Exhibit
October 1st, 2022 | 42 mins 3 secs
art, business, creativity, exhibits, galleries, rebecca crowell
Nothing energizes and motivates an artist like being offered an exhibit, especially one that involves showing a lot of pieces together. Even experienced artists with a history of exhibits feel excited by the opportunity, but also a little daunted by all the work and planning involved. For artists preparing for their first big exhibit, there is a lot to learn and figure out. Today we’ll go through some of the practical aspects of preparing for a show, based on Rebecca’s almost 40 years of experience with exhibiting her work--and in a future episode we’ll consider some of the other challenges involved with showing your work.
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Episode 222: Self Assertion for Artists
September 25th, 2022 | 40 mins 49 secs
art, business, confrontation, creativity, personal relationships, rebecca crowell, self assertion
When artists deal with the world outside their studios, they are often called upon to state their needs, assert their rights, and sometimes to confront unfair actions by galleries, organizers, or clients. Most of us don’t have agents or employees to handle these situations for us, and so we need to handle them on our own. To be effective, you need to be confident and straight-forward with the discussion. But instead, your personality may cause you to feel shy, socially awkward, or less than confident when you need to be self-assertive. Today’s episode is for those of you who struggle with confrontation and self-assertion in your dealings with the art world.
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Episode 221: Creative Momentum
September 18th, 2022 | 33 mins 12 secs
art, business, creativity, galleries, mindset, momentum, rebecca crowell, sales, work flow
Studio practice has noticeable ebbs and flows in terms of productivity, sales, exhibiting and marketing. There is also an energy flow that is less specific and harder to quantify that runs through our days in the studio. Sometimes our energy is strong, and we feel carried along by ideas and excitement, and other times we feel sluggish, lack ideas, and must push ourselves to even go to the studio. When we lose creative momentum, it’s hard to feel we’re doing our best work. What is creative momentum, and how can we create and sustain it?
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Episode 220: The Blank Canvas
September 10th, 2022 | 38 mins 58 secs
art, blank canvas, creativity, getting started, materials, practice, rebecca crowell, time
Beginning a work of art is a leap into the unknown. Facing a blank canvas or panel or sheet of drawing paper, a lump of clay, a block of wood, a freshly prepared litho stone, or the untouched material of any art form is exhilarating but also a bit intimidating. How do you approach starting new work? Do you feel the energy of a fresh start, or is there some worry about how things will go? How do you overcome resistance to starting something new? Today we will talk about the ups and downs in launching into new work.
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Episode 219: The Confidence Game
September 4th, 2022 | 33 mins 18 secs
art, attitude, business, confidence, creativity, personal development, rebecca crowell
As artists and as creative entrepreneurs we all know the challenges of building confidence—in our own attitudes and in our encounters with people we want to engage with our work. To a large extent, we invent ourselves as we go along, developing a vision for our work and an audience to appreciate it. And often we tackle all of this without much emotional or practical support, and the times when we struggle have a way of depleting our confidence. Today we will talk about understanding the role of confidence in your work and in your business dealings.