Creative Contemplation

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August 11, 2026
Creative Contemplation
S5E1 Mary Tonkin; A Painter Intimately Connected With The Australian Bush

Season 5’s first guest, Australian Landscape painter Mary Tonkin, sets the bar high for this season of guests. Podcast Host and Creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur has a deep conversation with Mary about her work, her development as an artist and what it feels like to paint from a more sensory & intuitive approach to the landscape. 

BIO:

Mary Tonkin is one of Australia’s leading landscape painters whose epic, immersive paintings respond to the changing seasons, lights and viewpoints of the bush where she paints en plein air. 

Tonkin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours, 1995) and a Master of Fine Arts from Monash University (2002), where she has also lectured. 

Tonkin's recent exhibitions include;  a 2026 survey show entitled "Among the Trees" at the S.H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney and "Rambles" a solo show at the Benalla Art Gallery in 2025. In addition, she has had solo exhibitions at Australian Galleries in Melbourne and Sydney since 1999. Her work "Ramble, Kalorama" was exhibited at the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair in 2022. 

Instagram: @mary.tonkin

Early Influences Mentioned:

Geoff Dupree

Graham Nickson

Host Bio:

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary American realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family.

Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation"

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May 1, 2026
Creative Contemplation
S4 Bonus Suzanne Lago Arthur; Reflections On My Creative Journey

The tables have been turned in this very special bonus episode! Creative Contemplation podcast host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur shares her own creative journey and discusses her upcoming solo show “Portals & Sanctuaries” (May 1 - 31, 2026) while being interviewed by the person who knows her best, her husband, James Rian Arthur.

Website: lagoarthurstudio.com

Instagram: @lagoarthurstudio

"Portals & Sanctuaries" Solo Show at TAG/The Artists Gallery, Frederick MD

Upcoming Workshops

Early Influences Mentioned:

Tina Blondell

Janis Goodman

Franklin White

Suggested Podcast Equipment & Links:

Samson Q2U XLR/USB Mic

How To Start A Podcast // Podcasting For Beginners by PSS Creative Media

Special Host: James Rian Arthur, husband of Suzanne Lago Arthur.

Guest (And Regular Host) Bio:
Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family.

Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation"

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February 20, 2026
Creative Contemplation
S4E9 Marie Riccio; Exploring Symbolism, Composition And Design Through Still Life

Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a conversation with Maryland based painter, Marie Riccio about her development as an artist and the inspiration behind the work for her upcoming solo show "Community" at First Street Gallery (3/4/26-3/28/26) 

Website: mariericcio.com

Instagram: @marie_riccio

"Community" Solo Show, First Street Gallery, NYC

TAG/The Artists Gallery, Frederick MD

Guest Bio:

Marie Riccio grew up in New York and received a B.F.A from SUNY Purchase. She also lived in Philadelphia where she earned an MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania before moving to Rockville, MD. She is an award-winning artist who has exhibited her work in New York, Philadelphia, Colorado, and throughout the Washington, DC area.

Host Bio:

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family.

Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation"

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February 5, 2026
Creative Contemplation Presents
EU02.5 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Chris Bennett and Laura Smith {Continued}

In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best.  In this episode, Suzanne continues her insightful conversation with 2 of Euan's students from the Slade, artists Chris Bennett, ROI and Laura Smith, NEAC. 

Chris Bennett Website, Chris Bennett ROI

Laura Smith Website, Laura Smith NEAC, Laura Smith Instagram

Chris Bennett was born in London in 1957 and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in the early ‘80s under Euan Uglow, Geoffrey Camp and Philip Sutton.  He has exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2004 Chris signed a publishing contract with DeMontfort Fine Art who license selected works as open and limited editions in the UK, Japan and the USA.  His paintings are exhibited and sold in prestigious galleries around the UK.  A notable commission is a portrait of Sir William Hawthorne, now in the collection of Churchill College, Cambridge, who, with Sir Frank Whittle, designed the first jet engine.

Laura Smith trained at The Slade School of Fine Art where she won the Clare Winsten Memorial Award, graduating from her MFA in 2012. A still-life painter working towards the abstract tradition, she is interested in dissolving our familiarity with everyday objects. Her current work explores the idea that repeated motifs enable a deeper and freer investigation of the objects themselves. The paintings often depict emotive gestures and actions, where objects take the place of the loved, the abandoned and the closely held.   

"Euan Uglow: An Arc From The Eye" exhibit at MK Gallery, Milton Keynes

"The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth

"Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell

"Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall

HOST BIO

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo designs by Elisa Nader,  Mag7

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January 29, 2026
Creative Contemplation Presents
EU02 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Chris Bennett and Laura Smith

In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best. In this second episode, Suzanne has a deep and moving conversation with 2 of Euan's students from the Slade, British artists Chris Bennett, ROI and Laura Smith, NEAC. 

Chris Bennett Website, Chris Bennett ROI

Laura Smith Website, Laura Smith NEAC, Laura Smith Instagram

Chris Bennett was born in London in 1957 and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in the early ‘80s under Euan Uglow, Geoffrey Camp and Philip Sutton.  He has exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2004 Chris signed a publishing contract with DeMontfort Fine Art who license selected works as open and limited editions in the UK, Japan and the USA.  His paintings are exhibited and sold in prestigious galleries around the UK.  A notable commission is a portrait of Sir William Hawthorne, now in the collection of Churchill College, Cambridge, who, with Sir Frank Whittle, designed the first jet engine.

Laura Smith trained at The Slade School of Fine Art where she won the Clare Winsten Memorial Award, graduating from her MFA in 2012. A still-life painter working towards the abstract tradition, she is interested in dissolving our familiarity with everyday objects. Her current work explores the idea that repeated motifs enable a deeper and freer investigation of the objects themselves. The paintings often depict emotive gestures and actions, where objects take the place of the loved, the abandoned and the closely held.   

BOOKS ON EUAN UGLOW

"The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth

"Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell

"Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall

HOST BIO

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo designs by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" by artist Suzanne Lago Arthur
Music by Up North Music  

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January 13, 2026
Creative Contemplation
S4E8 Ayako Shimada; Gathering Inspiration Close to Home

Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a delightful conversation with Tokyo based painter, Ayako Shimada about her solo show "Painting Diary" at Opa Gallery (1/16/26-1/21/26) of her recent landscape paintings of Inokashira Park and its playgrounds, which subtly hint at her private life beyond the canvas--her role as a mother and caregiver.

Opa Gallery, Shibuya Tokyo, Japan

Website: Ayakoshimada-art.com

Instagram: @Ayakoshimada5050

Influences Mentioned:

Erin Raedeke
Ed Praybe
Lennart Anderson
Euan Uglow
John Dubrow

Ayako Shimada's Artist Statement: For me, painting is an universal language that I can talk with anybody. I am a mother of a little kids and a Japanese teacher. Talking with visual language is such a powerful way to show how I see and think about things. 

For my works, finding a mundane moment and working with motifs that are close to me is important. In my painting process, I want to catch a beauty of moments such as daylight shift or atmosphere, find interesting relationships between each motifs and combine those elements into paintings rather than just paint as they are. So that way people would see true moment in terms of colors and feelings from my paintings.

Host Bio:

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family.

Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation"

Send us Fan Mail

December 30, 2025
Creative Contemplation 
EU01.5 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner & Lisa Micklewright {Continued)

In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best. In this episode, Suzanne continues her inspired conversation with 3 of Euan's students from the Slade, artists Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner and Lisa Micklewright. 

Susannah Fiennes Website, Susannah Fiennes Instagram,

Ann Gardner Website, Ann Gardner Instagram, 

Lisa Mickelwright Website, Lisa Mickelwright Instagram, 

Susannah Fiennes studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London (BA Hons 1st class) 1979-1983. She was awarded a BP Portrait Travel Award (China) in 1993, a British Institution Fund Award, a Royal Academy Award  (London) 1984 and a Boise Travel Scholarship (Italy) in 1983.

Ann Gardner was born in 1964 in Bedford and attended Bedford High School for Girls, leaving in 1982 after gaining a place at The Slade School of Fine Art. After achieving a BA (Hons), 2:1, she gained a postgraduate place at The Slade to be started in 1987.

Lisa Mickelwright Following in the footsteps of her artists parents, Jane Maltby and Keith Mickelwright, Lisa studied her foundation year at Bournemouth College of Art and Design  (1982-1983) and holds both a BA (Hons) (1983-1987) and Post Graduate Diploma (1987-1989) from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL. 

"Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell

"The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth

"Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall

"Drawing: Mastering The Language Of Visual Expression" by Keith Mickelwright

Host, Suzanne Lago Arthur's Website
Logo design and episode cover by Elisa Nader,  Mag7

Send us Fan Mail

December 18, 2025
Creative Contemplation 
EU01 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner & Lisa Micklewright

In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best. In this inaugural episode, Suzanne has an inspired conversation with 3 of Euan's students from the Slade, artists Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner and Lisa Micklewright. 

Susannah Fiennes Website, Susannah Fiennes Instagram,

Ann Gardner Website, Ann Gardner Instagram, 

Lisa Mickelwright Website, Lisa Mickelwright Instagram, 

Susannah Fiennes studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London (BA Hons 1st class) 1979-1983. She was awarded a BP Portrait Travel Award (China) in 1993, a British Institution Fund Award, a Royal Academy Award  (London) 1984 and a Boise Travel Scholarship (Italy) in 1983.

Ann Gardner was born in 1964 in Bedford and attended Bedford High School for Girls, leaving in 1982 after gaining a place at The Slade School of Fine Art. After achieving a BA (Hons), 2:1, she gained a postgraduate place at The Slade to be started in 1987.

Lisa Mickelwright Following in the footsteps of her artists parents, Jane Maltby and Keith Mickelwright, Lisa studied her foundation year at Bournemouth College of Art and Design  (1982-1983) and holds both a BA (Hons) (1983-1987) and Post Graduate Diploma (1987-1989) from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL. 

"Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell

"The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth

"Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall

BBC Radio 3 "The Essay" with Martin Gayford and Euan Uglow

Host, Suzanne Lago Arthur's Website
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7

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November 20, 2025
Creative Contemplation
S4E7 Aaron M. Thompson; Painter of Observation And Imagining

Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast reconnects with Pennsylvania based painter, Aaron M. Thompson to discuss his work, his journey as an artist and the relationships he has forged with his mentors, two exceptional American realist painters--Phillip Geiger and Scott Noel.

Website: www.aaronmichaelthompson.com

Instagram: @paintlanguage

Phillip Geiger Retrospective, Daura Museum of Art, University of Lynchburg

Scott Noel talk at the Phillip Geiger Retrospective

Bio

Aaron M. Thompson is a professional painter whose Paintings and Drawings have been exhibited in P.A.F.A.’s Samuel M. V. Hamilton Museum, the Charles DeMuth Museum, and Provincetown Art Association Museum. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Thompson earned his BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and was awarded The Merit Scholarship from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he later earned a Masters Degree in Painting. As a Gamblin Artist Colors Mid-Atlantic Educational Representative, Aaron has given lectures on “navigating color space” and oil painting “material practices” at Museums and Institutions of Higher Education for a decade. Currently, he is a Full-Time Assistant Professor at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design where he teaches drawing and painting in the Fine Art Department.

Host Bio:

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family.

Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation"

Send us Fan Mail

October 8, 2025
Creative Contemplation
S4E6 Morgan Irons; Painter of Archetypal Symbolism Within The Western Landscape

Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a moving and at times astonishing conversation with Montana based painter, Morgan Irons about her psychologically charged work set within the Western landscape that she lives in. Don't miss this inspiring episode that will have you listening with bated breath.

Website: www.morganirons.com

Instagram: @morganirons

Old Main Gallery, Bozeman Motana

Bio

Primarily a self taught painter, Morgan Irons began studying painting in 2015 following her move to a rural piece of land in Montana. It was then she began studying the work of master painters and has since sought out workshops with some of the top representational painters today. A figurative painter by nature, Irons believes in painting solely what she knows best, life on the land she lives. Her paintings are narrative and timeless in theme and palette.

 Morgan Irons has been a featured artist in Fine Art Connoisseur's "Artists to Watch", Southwest Art Magazine’s “21 Under 31: Young Artists to Watch in 2017”, and Big Sky Journal's "Ones to Watch". She is a two-time recipient of the 2018 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant for emerging figurative painters. Irons is represented by Old Main Gallery in Bozeman, Montana where she currently lives and paints in a cabin on a mountaintop.

Host Bio:

Suzanne Lago Arthur is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family.

Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University.

Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com
Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio)
Logo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7
Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation"