Hello Atelier

Jillian Youngbird is an artist of many colors: sculptor, illustrator, textile artist, quilter. But whatever form her art takes, her artistic style manifests itself in an earthy quality that is directly tied to the nature that surrounds her. Listen in as we talk about her childhood in the Ozarks, sustainability in art, and her experience at the Standing Rock protests.

Evie Englezos is a printer turned potter who imbues her art with tangled tales of mythology. She is also a modern-day Snow White and devotes much of her time to wild bird rehabbing. In this episode we discuss how the struggles of nature, death and destruction find their way into Evie's pottery design. We also discuss how she made the decision to be a full-time artist, and her surprising introduction to the world of ceramics.

Lizzy was determined from a young age to be a fabric designer, a goal she realized before she was even out of college. Her career brought her more than a creative outlet - through her work as a quilting instructor she has traveled the globe, encouraging confidence and creativity through sewing. In this episode we talk about determination, what being a teacher taught Lizzy, and the dark side of creative burnout.

Artist Grace Chin's work is a contrast of the fragile and the forceful. She creates delicate paper flower wreaths that frame strong political slogans. The results are cheerful reminders of positivity in an often turbulent political atmosphere. Listen in as we talk about Grace's political heritage, her love of Sister Corita Kent, and why she thinks it's important to share her struggles online.

Seth Smith is a landlocked Midwesterner. The only sea surrounding him is a majestic ocean of gently waving green fields. But that is just where he is physically. Mentally he has time-traveled back 60 years, to a rosy-colored mid-century hotel with a deep turquoise pool. That is the magic of his paintings – they aren't just pictures, but transportation devices to a sunny state of mind. Watch out now, any minute the waiter will be here with your umbrella-topped drink.

Nedra Bonds is a quilter, dollmaker and activist. She makes a statement - and generates change - using the non-confrontational medium of textiles. As you'll hear in this episode, Nedra isn't afraid of, well, anything. She isn't afraid to speak out against an injustice. She isn't afraid to explore her world, and she isn't afraid to take on a disease as dire as cancer. Listen in as we talk quilting and craftivism.

Muralist Phil Shafer, a/k/a Sike Style, is part of a revolution that is turning graffiti into a public artform. Forget the image of an artist in the dead of night attacking a building with spray paint. While Phil does paint with spray can in hand, he also taps into his background of art history and hip hop culture to create intricately designed murals that become as much a part of the community as the building itself. In this episode we sit down with Phil to discuss his evolution as a muralist, the importance of public art, and the process of designing for a community space.

Like pop art icons Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, ceramicist Shalene Valenzuela transforms mass-produced images and objects into art. Recreating household items like rolling pins and telephones out of clay mutates them from a comforting everyday object to a hollow form, filling the viewer with uncertainty as they realize the object isn't what it seems. The graphic, retro women that cover the domiciliary items are forever trapped in a world of idealized femininity. Listen in as we talk to Shalene about creating art in the round, the magical Montana ceramics community and the ever present fear of a creative block.

Fabric designer Tula Pink has created a fantasy world that we can visit through her art. Her fabric designs are bright, colorful, and just a bit surreal - psychedelic cats, day-glo frogs, and swirling octopuses have all taken center stage in her fabric collections. Tula's designs have garnered her an international following of fans - dubbed Tula Troops - that collect, sell and trade her fabric. Listen in as we talk to Tula about her creative journey, love of quilting, working with her family and the importance of being identifiable as an artist.

Despite a late introduction to ballet, Devon Carney has spent his professional life as a dancer. Working with the Boston Ballet right out of high school, he was mentored by the great Rudolf Nureyev, from whom he learned the key to being a successful performer. Today, though retired from the stage, Carney is a choreographer and artistic director for the Kansas City Ballet. Now he acts as mentor for the company, which he guides through each performance, on a mission to push their artistry and create excitement in the community for the dance that he so loves.