Throughout the political tumult of the mid 20th century, painters Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo made deeply spiritual, surreal, and mythic art, drawing from a dream world to envision a distinctly feminine form of power. Their stories inspired our guest Claire McMillan to write “Alchemy of a Blackbird,” a novel that follows the geographical and spiritual journeys that led Carrington and Varo’s lives to intertwine. Rebecca and Claire channel the wisdom of the two artists to discuss the power of surrendering to flow in all its forms and what it takes to bring our full selves to making art.  

You can learn more about Claire’s work at https://clairemcmillan.com.

Paintings mentioned:

“The Call” by Remedios Varo

“Exploration of the Sources of the Orinoco River” by Remedios Varo

Podcast episode with Meredith Emmett mentioned:

Friendship as a Source of Power

This independent show is a delight to make, and it also takes a lot of time and care. If you’d like to support our work with a gift of $33, click here. If you would like to reach our team, you can write to us at [email protected]. 

Rebecca helps women remember who they are and become leaders of their own destiny. If you’d like to work with Rebecca, her website is rebeccaauman.com.

Voices in the River is created by Theo Balcomb, and it is produced with help from Sara McCrea.