By Chip Freund
Fun and engaging discussions with contemporary visual artists who answer five simple questions about their artistic journey, media, and inspirations. New episodes drop every other Tuesday.
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The podcast currently has 49 episodes available.
Peggy Van Arnam has been making jewelry since she found herself with a skirt with which she had “nothing to wear.” During her career as a university administrator, she searched for unusual beads and stones as she traveled and made jewelry for herself and her family. In retirement she began taking classes, selling her pieces and approaching jewelry making as a business. Thus Uniquely Yours! was born. In 2002 Peggy co-founded a still thriving cooperative gallery in Upstate New York and remained a member until moving to Cary in 2016.
Uniquely Yours! specializes in sterling, glass and gemstone jewelry. Using these materials, Peggy creates one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets and earrings. She is perhaps best known for her sterling chains and her work with Venetian glass. Many pieces of jewelry have a story behind them; some are custom designed. And making pieces longer or shorter to suit the customer is a common occurrence. After all, making it uniquely yours is what it’s all about! (source: carygalleryofartists.org)
Peggy's work can be found at Cary Gallery of Artists in lovely downtown Cary, NC and at Cazenovia Artisans, Cazenovia, New York.
Peggy's Artist Recommendations
Cary Gallery of Artists (a collection of 25 Triangle Area artists)
Cocoon Gallery, Apex NC
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Theresa is an intuitive abstract artist, creating vibrant art for memorable spaces. She specializes in mixed media, using acrylics, spray paint, ink, adhesives, and paper. Her work refuses to be contained and often extends beyond the edges of the canvas.
Theresa's process has her working on multiple pieces simultaneously, flowing from one canvas to the next with big athletic strokes. She often incorporates fluid art techniques and decoupage for layered effects. Preferring to work on a large scale, Theresa enjoys developing customized art for specific spaces and audiences.
Theresa believes color and shapes can inspire and energize and her goal is to make happy art that will make a space come to life and radiate positive energy.
Born in Sweden and emigrated to the US, where she is now a naturalized US citizen. (Source: adapted from artbytheresaraines.com)
Theresa's work can be found online and in several commercial buildings in the Triangle.
Meet the Artist Reception
September 29, 2023 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Alliance Health Building
5200 Paramount Pkwy
Morrisville, NC 27560
Website: www.artbytheresaraines.com
IG: @artbytheresaraines
FB: @ArtByTheresaRaines
TW: @theresaraines
LkIn: @theresaraines
Theresa's Artist Recommendations
Eduardo Kobra - www.eduardokobra.com
Marc Chagall - www.marcchagall.net
Fine Arts League of Cary - www.fineartsleagueofcary.org
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Sarah Cawn’s mission is to design and create beautiful, unique, and functional glass objects.
Initially using Tiffany stained glass techniques, Sarah has evolved into creating original fused glass works of art. Her innovative use of color, shapes and whimsical designs never fail to engage the viewer. She is fascinated by the captivating power of light’s interaction with glass, showing the beauty of the color spectrum. This quality has inspired her to explore many aspects of the glass medium and transform ordinary functional objects into unique innovative art treasures.
Sarah’s beautiful art objects incorporate unique colors and create a dance of light that delights viewers and collectors nationwide. (Source: sarahsglassart.com)
Sarah's work can be found online and at Bel Air Art Center, Rocky Mount, NC
Website: sarahsglassart.com
IG: @sarahs_glassart
FB: @Sarahs-Glass-Art
Sarah's Artist Recommendations
Glass Artists
Nathan Sandberg - nathansandberg.com
Ian Chadwick - ianchadwickglassart.co.uk
Painters
Rocky Alexander - roxannalexanderartworks.com
Nicole White Kennedy - nicolestudio.com
Diana Coidan - dianacoidan.com
Diana was a guest on the Artist Spotlight listen to our conversation here.
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Autumn Cobeland is a painter, muralist, triathlete, and Raleigh native. She holds a degree in Fine Arts and studied art in Florence, Italy. Her prints and paintings can be seen in galleries, shops, and private collections both nationally and internationally. Autumn has created a series of paintings devoted to the Triangle Greenway System, and she donates a percentage of the proceeds from print sales to the support of local greenways. Her studio is located in Artspace in downtown Raleigh.
As an artist, Autumn's medium is paint. There is a term in the Japanese language “wabi sabi” it means (roughly) a celebration and appreciation for human-made objects that have imperfections. In our digital, computerized world, it is possible to create images to near perfection, clean lines, bright colors, and clear edges. Autumn is a painter, so the idea of spending hours in front of a computer to design her art is not nearly as appealing as playing with the color mixtures and placing brush to paper or canvas and developing some “wabi sabi” results. (Source: autumncobelandpaintings.com)
You can find Autumn's work City Market Artist Collective in Raleigh, NC and online.
web: autumncobelandpaintings.com
IG: @GreenwayArtist
Year of the Trail - greattrailsnc.com
Don't miss the Year of the Trail Meet the Artists Event
North Carolina Museum of Art
Museum Park Welcome Center
June 3, 2023 11:00a-1:00p
2110 Blue Ridge Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
Autumn's Artist Recommendations:
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Susan Hensel’s new innovative artwork, which blends commercial embroidery processes with sculptural concerns, is gaining attention and awards. Her knowledge of materials makes it possible for her to create small to large-scale hard-edge sculpture from soft fabrics that paradoxically keep their crisp form with minimal armatures. Her knowledge of the physics of color allows her to create shape-shifting displays employing the special reflective characteristics of embroidery thread with the goal to create opportunities to experience awe, rest and renewal in daily life.
Susan Hensel received her BFA from University of Michigan with a double major in painting and sculpture and a concentration in ceramics. She has a history, to date, of more than 300 exhibitions, 35 of them solo, twenty + garnering awards. In the coming two years, Susan has solo and 2-person and group exhibitions scheduled in Ellicot, MD; Bloomington, MN ; Hopkins, MN; Duluth, MN and the Garrett Museum of Art, Garrett, Indiana. In recent years Hensel has been awarded multiple grants and residencies through the Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Art to Change the World and Ragdale Foundation.
(source: susanhenselprojects.com)
Susan's art work can be found at her gallery, Susan Hensel Gallery, Minneapolis, MN and online:
Susan's Artist Recommendations:
Wangechi Mutu - Saatchi Gallery
New Museum Exhibition - “Wangechi Mutu: Intertwined”
Agnes Martin - MoMa
Guggenheim
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Diana Hrabosky is a self-taught artist who is most grateful to those gifted individuals who elected to share their knowledge and talents by writing books on colored pencil, acrylic, and abstract technique and related subjects. She was inspired by an artist whose work she at an art show in Chantilly, VA but couldn't identify the medium. When Diana learned it was colored pencil, she wanted to try it for herself. She has no formal training and didn't even doodle or draw much as a child. (Source: adapted from diana-hrabosky.pixels.com)
Diana's work can be found on her website and Cary Gallery of Artists, Cary, and the Cotton Company, Wake Forest, NC .
Website: diana-hrabosky.pixels.com
Diana's artist recommendations:
Sergio Aranda - www.sergioaranda.shop
www.youtube.com/c/SergioArandaART
John Beckley - www.johnbeckley.com/en/
www.youtube.com/@JohnBeckleyArt
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Kyle Wilson is a photographer from Selma NC. He is originally from southern Maryland where he became fascinated by Rural America.
Kyle uses a technique called High Dynamic Range photography (HDR). It is an evolving form of art that enables the photographer to capture and display the full range of light that can be realized by the human eye. To Kyle art is a representation of the world we experience and all forms of photography fall within this sphere. He achieves his signature look by taking multiple exposures of the same scene and then blending the exposures to create the final photograph. His subjects feature chiefly, Rural Americana and all "lost" places. Kyle presents his work on dye sublimated metal prints that give them incredible depth, clarity and luminescence. (Source: adapted from - leftbehind.zenfolio.com)
Kyle's work can be find at art fairs through the Eastern US and online.
Website: leftbehind.zenfolio.com
IG: @leftbehindphotography
FB: @Left.Behind.photography
Kyle's Artist Recommendations:
Trey Radcliff - www.treyratcliff.com
(3D light box HDR artist we could not recall the name of during recording)
Scott Matyjaszek - www.artephax.com
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Growing up in Catskill, NY, Jim was constantly drawing. This led to being the art editor of his high school yearbook, majoring in Fine Arts at SUNY Plattsburgh, and obtaining a BS in Art Education from Florida International University of Miami in December 1979. Jim dreamed of being an art instructor and artist, however, that was put on a 35 year hold! Jim went to work for IBM in September 1979 in Boca Raton, FL. Later he transferred to Raleigh, NC in 1999. He retired from IBM as a Vice President in September 2014 and worked at Lenovo through January 2015. Now retired, Jim pursues his life-long dream of being an artist. His oil paintings include primarily landscapes, city scenes, and local Raleigh landmarks. He has also taught art (K - 5th grade and adult classes) part-time at Champion Learning Academy in Morrisville, N.C from October 2017 through June 2019
Jim is an associate member of the American Impressionist Society, the Oil Painters of America, the Pastel Society of America, an Elected Associate Member of the American Artists Professional League, a member of the Pastel Society of Southern California, and a member of the Pastel Society of North Carolina.
Jim’s Artist Statement: My foundation is built from my early college years and most recently the instruction I have received in numerous workshops, most notably the workshops with my teacher, mentor, and friend Albert Handell. I am on a journey, a road to discovery of the artist that I am and will become. I paint what I want to paint - what excites me, what motivates me, and what challenges me. I find myself seeking beauty in whatever subject is presented to me. Art is for keeps and I hope my paintings will spark an emotion or a memory with the viewer.
(source: adapted from jimhallenbeckfineart.com)
You can find Jim's work on his website, on social media, and the fine art galleries listed below.
Web: jimhallenbeckfineart.com
FB: @jimhallenbeckfineart
IG: @jimhallenbeckjr
Jim's Galleries and Studio Space
Artspace - Raleigh, NC
Mattie King Davis Art Gallery - Beaufort, NC.
Jim's Artist Recommendations:
Albert Handell - www.alberthandellstudio.com
Nicole Kennedy - www.nicolestudio.com
J.J. Jiang - www.jjjiang.com
(catch my conversation with JJ in Artist Spotlight S2/E19)
Derek Penix - www.derekpenix.com
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Maureen’s story as an artist started with her dad who was a commercial and fine artist. At an early age her father discovered that he had a talent for art (it runs in the family). He decided to pursue art as his career even though his family felt that this was a terrible mistake.
In addition to taking art classes, Maureen spent countless hours learning from father about art. He began with perspective and seeing beyond what your mind tells you. He taught her about light and color. He was a master of light. And as part of her training, he handed her the three primary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and said this is all you get. This taught her how to create the full spectrum of color. Along with color, he instilled in Maureen the love of art. Most of all he taught her perseverance. You need a lot of dedication in the journey to become an artist. It’s a wonderful voyage. (Source: adapted from - mscullinfineart.com)
You can find Maureen's work on her website and on social media.
Web: www.mscullinfineart.com
FB: @maureen.scullin.14
IG: @maureenscullinfineart
TW: @portraits_byms
LI: @maureenscullinfineart
Musero: @mscullinfineart
Maureen's Recommendations:
Book :
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: The Definitive
By: Betty Edwards
Artists:
John Singer Sargent - www.johnsingersargent.org
Richard Schmid - www.richardschmid.com
Tina Garrett - tinagarrett.com
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Boots Quimby considers everything she has done in life a creative endeavor. From teaching high school and college to raising children and designing experiments during her doctoral work and as a cell biologist, Boots explored her creativity. In 2016 she picked up a paintbrush and decided it was time to paint, something Boots had wanted to do since childhood. The artist inside finally had the courage to express herself. She self-taught and considers every painting an experiment, working and reworking it until she gets to were she wants to go. This has taught Boots perseverance, patience and self-forgiveness. She is inspired by life in rural North Carolina and the outdoor spaces she visits in the world.
Boot's Artist Recommendations:
Georgia O'Keeffe - okeeffemuseum.org
Vincent van Gogh - vangoghmuseum.nl
Sarah Graham - downagravelroad.com Instagram: @downagravelroad
Andrew Wilson -
Boot Quimby's art can be found here:
Boot's Website: theartistbb2.com
You can find some of Boot's work at the Smelt Gallery, Pittsboro, NC
You can also find Boot's on social media.
Instagram: @bootsquimby
Facebook: @bootsquimby
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The podcast currently has 49 episodes available.