Join Tamara for an interview with Molly Cusick, who works in the dual arts of photography and pottery, and shares a City Market studio with her mother (who also works in two art forms!). Traveling through the world's most beautiful places, Molly sees beauty where others are not looking. Faces of rocks, creek reflections, abandoned cars and barnacled boats offer a rich interplay of texture, color, and tone. Her eyes are drawn to the way that nature overtakes manmade objects.

She has a specific project called the Tree Pilgrimage:

"...born from the ashes of the Thomas fire, in January 2018, is a project honoring embodied connection and awakening.  

I followed a calling from deep within my heart to be with and photograph the amazing Trees around the world while I still had the chance."

Check out Molly's work and follow her here: 

https://www.instagram.com/mollycusickphotography/

Topics in their chat include:

Growing up in a creative home and receiving her first (film) camera at 14; her affinity for junkyards and rusty old cars; in February 2020 Molly went to New Zealand for a 3-6 month photography trip, and when the pandemic hit she ended up staying there for 1 1/2 years, extending her visa to travel solo and do nature photography; her early time in Savannah selling work at the Savannah Gallery of Art; being a part of the Clayer & Co pottery teaching studio in Thunderbolt; getting photo prints made and her discovery of metal prints; close calls with bears and cobras; and her plans for future photography trips to Bulgaria and Madagascar.

Tune in and get all the details!

Join Tamara for an interview with Phoebe Plank, who is just a few months from finishing her MFA in Fibers at SCAD. Her path to making art in the first place began when she studied abroad in Paris during her undergrad program, and had her eyes opened to a more unconventional way of life by the older woman who housed her. After graduating, she moved from Vermont to San Francisco, eventually making a bunch of artsy friends and attending the Burning Man festival, and from there she decided to move to Savannah and pursue her art. 

Phoebe says: "With what might be considered waste, or overlooked foraged materials, I assemble and create useful art objects and experiences. To address an overwhelming degree of alienation in our time, I aim to make work that is useful, even if in quiet sensory ways."

Check out Phoebe's work and follow her here: 

https://www.instagram.com/phoebe_plank/

Topics in their chat include:

Phoebe coining the name "stickwork" for her recent series of pieces, alluding to a magical, whimsical, wand-like vibe; playing around with hanging her stickwork on the wall with one point of contact, as a metaphor for how one exists/balances in the world, vs. hanging it from the ceiling and allowing it to sway around; what is "wet lab" felting and how do horses come into it?!; how is a jacquard loom like a player piano?; how "Dobby" refers to both a Harry Potter character and a person in the weaving process; weaving weeds in Lacoste; Phoebe's "pocket Rumi" book and how she pairs a poem with each of her pressed flower pieces; the amazing Rumi poem about cooked chickpeas that sticks in her memory; and her goal to live in France and pursue her art, post-MFA.

Join Tamara and David for an interview with Stephen Kasun, who moved to Savannah and began working in the City Market studios back in 2009, and now has two ground-floor studios/gallery spaces. Before that he went to art school at Memphis College of Art, and then University of Cincinnati, and then sold his work in art fairs for years.

Lately painting with acrylic paint and a palette knife, Stephen says: "My subject matter can be anything--as long as it’s about mood and light. My direct, deliberate approach requires a lot of pre-mixing my colors and doing most of the "thinking" on my mixing plate. Each paint stroke is carefully considered beforehand." 

Check out Stephen's work and follow him here: 

https://www.kasunstudio.com/

Topics in their chat include:

His switch from oil paint to acrylic 10 years ago and the experimental nature of acrylics; how both pig bladders and earwax (!) have figured into creating paint through the centuries; falling in love with Savannah and City Market back in the 1990s; his recommendation to young artists starting out; the time he lost an entire wall full of paintings into the Savannah River because of a gust of wind during a River Street art fair; how does one pronounce the word "scourge?"; the benefits of selling art through a gallery even though they're taking a commission; is a palette knife the Ferrari of painting materials?; the requirement when you have a ground floor space in City Market to staff/open your studio 7 days a week, but the tradeoff of how high your sales are; the specific qualities of acrylic paint that allow Stephen to be a "mad scientist" and do experiments with air brushing, mediums, etc; Stephen's bespoke palette knives (!); how the Six Pence phone booth is a "gift to artists;" and his upcoming work hopefully to be based on his new drone photography hobby.

Join Tamara and David for an interview with The Maxines, "a badass all chick rock band in Savannah, GA - grunge w/ a kiss of metal."

They're led by AJ Grey on vocals, with Emma Smith on bass, and twins Coco and Maddie Oke on drums and guitar. You might remember them from our musical episode back around Thanksgiving - if not, go have a listen!

The Maxines released their debut album "Skin Tight" - named after the first song they ever wrote - back on October 1. 

Listen to The Maxines and follow them here: 

https://www.instagram.com/themaxinesband/

Topics in their chat include:

Their great experience recording their recent and first album, Skin Tight, with Scary of Black Tusk; their new bassist Emma, who replaced Veronica Garcia-Melendez (a previous interviewee on the show!); the addition of an instrument called a "donkey jaw;" how the band formed through word-of-mouth of various female musicians around Savannah, and all of the shared songs they wanted to cover; AJ's physicality during their performances and her philosophy on preparing ahead of time for that; Madonna's lifelong influence; working through the stage fright of their first performance; the complicated bass solo in their song "Letter to a Pill" and how Emma faces it; the success of their first show - an open mic in late 2021 at the Wormhole; their collaborative process of songwriting; going on their recent first tour, lasting 2 weeks, with Savannah band Neckromance; how Coco and Maddie have taught themselves screenprinting to produce all of the band's merch; the excitement of getting CDs made (they still have some available!); their brand-new band manager!; the success of the album release party / music fest they threw in October; new experimental sounds they look forward to trying, such as megaphones; and how metal singers take care of their voices, both in general and especially on tour. 

Join Tamara and David for an interview with Logan Artisan, a painter who works in an impressionistic style and who shows/sells her work primarily at the Savannah Gallery of Art.

Originally from Fayetteville, NC, she earned an undergrad degree at Wingate University in music & vocals, with an aim to becoming a professional opera singer (!). After moving to Savannah, she studied fine art and illustration in graduate school at SCAD.

Stick around for the 54-minute-mark of the show, when Logan sings "Habanera," an aria from Carmen!

Check out Logan's art and follow her here: 

https://loganartisanart.weebly.com/ 

Topics in their chat include:

Challenging the "artistic snobbery" against painting Savannah landscapes; painting soft edges and working in an Impressionist style; earning an undergrad degree in music & vocals, with an aim to becoming a professional opera singer (!), but then unfortunately being waylaid due to the effects of Lyme disease; her success in selling at Savannah Gallery of Art; the occasional horror of countryside living, as far as animals killing each other; the beauty of Ginnie Springs in Florida; Logan's practice of making a daily "drawing of a girl;" quitting drinking; her early years living in Savannah and working in the service industry (complete with server nightmares); discovering a love of egg tempera during her MFA in Illustration program at SCAD; and the wild realization during the interview that she was attempting to do illustrations in her painting classes, and paintings in her illustration classes.

Join Tamara for an interview with full-time musician Matt Eckstine, whose songs we featured on a recent special musical episode. Within this episode you'll also hear a few snippets of his music, both solo and with past band The Accomplices. 

Matt was voted Best Local Americana/Folk/Roots Band/Artist in Connect Savannah's "Best of 2022" awards. Harnessing a wide range of influences from Tom Petty and Jack Johnson to Steve Earle and James Taylor, he released a debut solo album in 2017, and then in 2020 he created a home studio, resulting in his album "Lil' Blue."

Matt sings and plays guitar regularly in Savannah, Bluffton, and Hilton Head. He plans to work on a brand-new album after the New Year, so keep an ear out! 

Listen to Matt's music and follow his show schedule here: 

https://www.instagram.com/matteckstinemusic/

Topics in their chat include:

His recent show at the Lucas Theatre with the Savannah Philharmonic, and in a Traveling Wilburys tribute show at Victory North; how he taught himself guitar in high school; moving to Bluffton and then Savannah from Ohio; his years in the band The Accomplices, including an anecdote from touring life that would make a heartwarming Christmas movie!; and how he balances his time between performing live and creating/recording/editing new music. 

Tune in and get all the details!

Join Tamara – and David Laughlin, previous co-host of the show! – for an interview with Bobby Bagley, a full-time painter. Born and raised on a military base in Arkansas, he painted his first piece during his freshman year of college.

After moving to Savannah, he spent 10 years spent selling every painting he created through the Morris & Whiteside Gallery (now the Red Piano Gallery) in Bluffton. After that relationship ended, he moved into his own City Market studio (307 W. St. Julian Street, Upper Level, Studio #11), where he now works and sells his art.

In his highly realistic paintings, he typically depicts landscapes that are "a perfect bubble," like his childhood environment, yet they always include some winks to Black history as well. His titles are evocative and include "The Brown Girl You See" and "Come Sunday."

Check out Bobby's artwork here: 

https://www.instagram.com/bobbybagleyfineart/

Topics in their chat include:

Bobby burying hints/nods to Black history in his paintings and/or titles; composition, story, and color are the most important elements in his work; "Come Sunday" is a nod to the items in his grandmother's purse during church services; why he doesn't depict a person's entire face; Bobby's view that "art doesn't always have to be fun," because it's work, and making it can be tedious; his 10 years spent selling every painting he created through the Morris & Whiteside Gallery (now the Red Piano Gallery) in Bluffton; how that relationship eventually ended because of a disagreement over Bobby's desire to experiment with a different direction with his art's content; currently he works out of a studio in City Market (on the south side), juggling a few paintings at once; the surprising disclosure that Bobby listens to "the saddest music possible" while he works (!); how his color palette is heavily influenced by the colors in stained glass windows, because of all of his church memories; and Bobby's recent practice of revisiting old drawings from years ago, working in a quicker and less detailed way than he usually does.

Tune in and get all the details!

Happy holiday season! We're celebrating with a special show of music by some of Savannah's beloved local musicians.

First, Matt Eckstine, voted Best Local Americana/Folk/Roots Band/Artist in Connect Savannah's "Best of 2022" awards. Harnessing a wide range of influences from Tom Petty and Jack Johnson to Steve Earle and James Taylor, Matt released his debut solo album in 2017. In 2020, the mandatory quarantine provided him with an opportunity to move to a home studio, resulting in "Lil' Blue," 8 brand new tracks that vary in sound and feel but are grounded in their influence. We're playing 9 of his songs, most of which are from that album, plus a few older ones.  

https://www.instagram.com/matteckstinemusic/

https://www.instagram.com/themaxinesband/

Stay tuned for future weeks of the show, because we will be featuring an interview with each of these bands, as separate episodes, as well!  

Join Tamara – and David Laughlin, previous co-host of the show! – for an interview with Ron Martinez, owner of Hostess City Hot Glass, and his assistant Chris Charley.

A native of nearby Metter, GA, Ron was first introduced to glassblowing while in college in the Pacific Northwest. While supporting himself in jobs ranging from salmon fisherman to antiques dealer, Ronald continued to pursue his love of the ancient craft in Seattle, the Bay Area, and even on a program in Sweden! Ron eventually returned to Savannah with his wife and daughter, and after a few years of working at the now-closed Drayton Glassworks, he opened Hostess City Hot Glass in 2018. 

In his amazing glassblowing studio you can take a class, book an event, and shop online and in-studio. They even put on seasonal "epic little scavenger hunts" called Glass Hunts, which allow folks to explore a certain spot in Savannah and find their very own one-of-a-kind hand blown piece of art! 

Check out Ron's glasswork and follow the shop here: 

https://www.hostesscityhotglass.com/

Topics in their chat include:

Ron considers himself to be a glass turner, as opposed to a glass blower; how a glass business is really difficult to maintain, not least because your electric and gas bills are super high - the temperature in his studio frequently reaches 2300 degrees so they have fans running and much of their making is done at night; Ron's belief that his business's success is due to keeping a balance of both making/selling products, and teaching glass making; his term "glasshole" for the jerks in his business; the glass hunts they put on every few months - keep an eye out on their social media! - basically an Easter Egg hunt in a particular spot in town, but you're finding and keeping one of Ron's small glass objects!; at the beginning of the second half Ron goes into the history of glassmaking and info about the modern scene, how the two major tracks are Venetian and Swedish; creating all of the art for his show last year at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in one week; how Ron will be exploring light fixtures for his new/upcoming work; his focus on symmetry as the main technical element in his work; his loss of fingerprints on one hand (!); their new shopdog, Peaches the bulldog; and his awesome answer to David's last question: What's something you can do with glass that you can't do with other mediums?

Tune in and get all the details!

Join Tamara - and David Laughlin, previous co-host of the show! - for an interview with Ted Michalowski, a Professor of Illustration at SCAD with a long career as an On-the-Spot/Reportage/Lifestyle Illustrator. He graduated in the inaugural class of Murray Tinkelman’s MFA Illustration program at the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford.

Ted went on to work as a courtroom artist in a variety of high-profile trials, broadcasted by CNN, CNN en Español, CBS News, ABC News, and Fox News. For ten years he also studied privately under Fred Brenner, prominent children’s book illustrator, wildlife artist, fashion illustrator, and educator.

He and his students got the chance to create live drawings of many actors visiting for the recent SCAD Film Fest, including Bob and Erin Odenkirk and Kevin Bacon. Ted also has an original piece in an exhibition opening Nov 17, at the Society of Illustrators in NYC! 

https://www.instagram.com/tedmichalowski/

Ted's hilarious quote about courtroom illustration: "capturing people through drawing; drawing people who have already been captured;" his father's influence on Ted and instilling the value of making, keeping, and maintaining friendships; the "friendliness of drawing" in connecting with a person visually; teacher Fred Brenner who inspired him to start drawing people while sitting out in public, and his thoughts about a face being a landscape; a teaser of Ted's AMAZING rock DJ voice at the beginning of the show's second half; the annual live music and live drawing events Ted and a musician friend puts on throughout Poland; Ted's thoughts on society's salacious interest in violent video games and in the famous trials he's illustrated, vs. the real-life emotionally difficult experience of sitting near the families involved, having to listen to the testimony, etc; Fred Brenner's words: "the role of the artist is to reinforce the value of life;" Ted's compliments on the quality and emotional depth of the movies shown at the recent SCAD Film Fest, especially "American Fiction" and "Poor Things;" and his thoughts that becoming a teacher was about finding something he loved that gave him meaning, and then turning around and passing it along to a new generation.

Tune in and get all the details!