Karen K Wallen is an artist based in California, originally hailing from Stillwater, Oaklahoma.

Her vibrancy and magnetic energy resonates on and off the surface of her works which are most often expressed as abstract expressionism.

Karen's previous career as an educator always involved using art in her classes with students as a way to learn and encourage individual communication. As Karen states in this episode, a big part of art is being yourself, and that is certainly an ethos which she is committed to in her practice.

The conversation we shared was a real joy and saw us exchanging our creative journeys, and methods of creation and discovery. We also had some guests appear on the show in the form of Karen's two Siamese cats, Sasuke & The Goose.

Karen K Wallens artworks can be found on instagram as karenkwallenart

and in the links at the bottom of this bio:

https://www.instagram.com/karenkwallenart/?hl=en

https://www.flowcode.com/page/karenkwallenart

I spoke with Austin Hearne about a wide variety of his work and practice during what was a very active 2020 and 2021. 

We began by discussing his film Whispers, the role of Flaneur in his approach to seeing, gathering, and creating, through the viewpoint of smartphone, lo fi editorial choices, enmeshed in a series of vignettes.

Austin spoke about his work with Glenn McQuaid in Satin Shadow, a two-piece Goth, coldwave band, their visual and audio motifs, creating an album, and of their performance at The Complex.Later in the chat we revisited some of Austin's most recent shows including Slabs, at The Complex, and Love Letters to Cardinal Raymo, at Periphery Space, and of the experience of creating and disassembling for these shows as well as his work with collective Child Naming Ceremony.

Austin very generously spoke about his upcoming work in 2022, and how he sees his practice developing towards this.

Artist statement:

I am a multi-disciplinary artist. Photography, painting and installation have been at the heart of my practice now for some time. Coming from a family of painters and decorators the stuff of this industry melds with photographic material to make intricate ephemeral wallpapers, furniture pieces and mise-en-scéne that serve as backdrops for staged surreal narratives. My oeuvre has expanded lately to include music making, zine production, moving image and performance. It is important to me that I approach every project with an openness, to push whatever medium I am working in, to take risks in the name of progression.

My work is concerned with Irelands occupation by the Catholic Church and in particular its effects on my past and present life as a queer person. I use my position to comment with snarling, snarky satire over an institution that has floated like a spectre over a population and who still seek to govern lives, loves and bodies. 

Links to works discussed:

Whispers, film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZF-vPQMUoo&t=827s

Satin Shadow, live at The Complex https://vimeo.com/552384114

Slabs, The Complex https://www.thecomplex.ie/slabs

Love letters to Cardinal Raymo, and interview with James Merrigan

https://periphery.space/exhibitions/2021/7/8/austin-hearne-cardinal-raymo

Child Naming Ceremony  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oXw2xn5v7Y&t=302s

Artist website http://www.bishopaustinhearne.com/

Social Media 

Instagram @austinhearne

Twitter @austin_hearne

OWM SOUNDS (Old Wise Monks) is a community-led label born in 2021 in the heart of Bristol.

 It originates from the will of Yush, Chiara and Mike of translating the energy given by the practice of mindfulness and meditation to the creation of Bass music.

This is a genre that has undergone many exciting developments, given by the influence of trap, garage and drill music, and we aim to be a valuable part of the conversation happening in the South West.

We believe that a genre becomes more valuable when connected to its community: like the energy of the bass expands and fills a room, we want to expand the energetic and healing force of music to our community, sharing our knowledge with people passionate about the genre, promoting small businesses and encouraging the connections of new creators.

Our mantra is that music, knowledge and community ought to be shared.

OWM

https://soundcloud.com/user-415622952

https://owmsounds.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/owm.sounds/?utm_medium=copy_link

Recorded live, during the opening week of Kitsch Doom's solo show , 'Living Collage'.   

 Kitsch discussed their artistic journey,  Culture Night takeover, and the big-screen premier of their film, 'The clothes wear you' at Indie Cork Film Festival.  Kitsch spoke about the influence of gender theory, sociology, celebrity, and identity, sharing some insight into the characters they create, then embody as vehicles of expression.  

Video -->> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YK0u3z_Mqc

Hosted by Alec Michael Wilson 

with Videography by Make Shift Productions 

Photography by Mark James Hall  

Exhibition curated by Lisa Byrne 

Marketing & press by Larry Dunne  

Poga Tram Jam music by Chiara Tedeschi 

Recorded live at The Presentation Centre  Enniscorthy 13/09/2021

Video Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YK0u3z_Mqc 

Lisa Ghosn is a freelance filmmaker and Director from Bath, UK; she’s been shortlisted for BBC New Creatives and is part of the BFI Network. 

Lisa started out as an actor for theatre then moved to screen and later decided to make her own films. 

She creates abstract and experimental work that explores the unconscious mind (both in film and photography) but has said she’d like to move into a more accessible narrative form in the future. She enjoys making music videos and edits all her own work.

Lisa's latest film, Habitus, will be released September 17th, airing as part of her Director's Takeover at pausTv.com

Links to some of the works discussed available below: 

@lisa_ghosn

https://www.instagram.com/lisa_ghosn/?hl=en

events.paus.tv/LisaGhosn 

https://vimeo.com/529550928

https://magazine.wfu.edu/2021/05/14/freeing-dreams-stuck-in-notes/

(Recorded on site at The Presentation Centre)

On this episode, I chatted with Project Manager Lisa Byrne and Lar Dunne about the successful launch of the Enniscorthy Walls project.

Lisa Byrne is Visual Arts Manager of The Presentation Centre, and Wexford Arts Centre. Lar Dunne is Marketing and Social Media Manager, for both sites respectively.

Enniscorthy Walls is a project spearheaded and managed by Lisa and Lar in which ‘five nationally renowned artists facilitate the design and application of street art in key locations identified as high focus areas in need of rejuvenation,’

These spaces are then selected by the participating artists and are activated through their own artistic vision, and reference to the cultural lineage of the environment.

During this conversation, we spoke about some of the featured artists work including Ominous Omin, and their stunning Eileen Gray (World-renowned architect and modernist designer who hailed from Enniscorthy) mural, as well as upcoming sites and designs which will be undertaken by Amanda Doran, Anna Doran, ADW Art, and Solus.

I was particularly moved to hear Lisa and Larry express their ethos behind this project, and moreover how in a very short period of time, they have utilised the Presentation Centre as a hub for forward-thinking creatives, celebrating shared heritage and moving towards raising the status of Enniscorthy as a positive contemporary space.

We also spoke about the most recent exhibition, ‘Chrysallis’, show by Eva O'Donovan, and the media coverage by RTE’s Nationwide.

More information on Enniscorthy Walls, and other upcoming projects can be found via the links below.

Image shown, L-R, Lar, Omin, and Lisa, at the Eileen Gray mural.

https://www.presentationcentre.ie/

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/enniscorthyguardian/out-about/enniscorthy-walls-project-to-transform-look-of-town-39957663.html

Had the pleasure of chatting with Kieran about his explosive entry onto the art scene, heightened levels of expression, Noel Fielding's art club, Bodhráns (Traditional Irish percussive instrument), and much more!

Kieran is a contemporary artist from Ireland, whose emotive pieces are representative of his unique style, values and experiences. 

The blank canvas allows Kieran to confront feelings of fear and inadequacy, but also immense excitement and wonderment of what might be; unearthed from the subconscious, his creations are raw and spontaneous. 

Kieran's work can be seen via :

https://www.instagram.com/kieran__hyland/?hl=en

https://www.emergingartistplatform.com/kieranhyland

https://twitter.com/kieran__hyland?lang=en

Sam Bradley is a writer and podcaster. 

He is the co-host of the Starter Set Dungeons & Dragons podcast and the creator of the Tales of Tarthage crime drama podcast.   Starter Set - A Dungeons & Dragons podcast serves as a guide to new players trying the game for the first time while providing veteran players with customised ‘homebrewed’ content and discussions on narrative implications of the game. 

The show, which releases new episodes every Friday on the Robot’s Radio podcast network, is presented by Ed Silvester and Sam Bradley.  Tales of Tarthage is a D&D inspired crime drama set in the fictional city of Tarthage. The show follows the lives of four members of an Extraordinary Crimes Unit as they investigate a series of murders in the build up to an election. The show examines the human stories and themes of economic struggle, corruption and the war on crime in an otherwise fantastical setting. It draws inspiration from the work of David Simon, Jed Mercurio and JRR Tolkien, as well as real stories from members of the UK law enforcement community. It’s first season concluded in May 2021 and was well received. Season 2 will begin August 2021 with more seasons planned for 2022 and beyond.  

Starter Set Studio is a small content creation platform used by Ed Silvester and Sam Bradley to publish work that complements the Wizards of the Coast Tabletop Roleplaying Game, Dungeons & Dragons. Their current published works are the Starter Set Manual of Homebrew Heroes which contains four brand new playable races, and the People’s Republic of Aqualibrium Map which allows players to set their own adventures in the city homebrewed during the Making a Metropolis series on Starter Set. 

 Episodes of both Tales of Tarthage and Starter Set can be found everywhere podcasts are available: https://open.spotify.com/show/017DIgzgMJkvxOru4rywNr

Recorded live on site in Amanda Doran's superb studio, Gorey, Ireland.

Energised, inspired, and elevated to sublime levels- it was an honour to be there and learn of her work and outlook. 

"My work is currently dealing with themes of discomfort, death and rebirth as a cathartic outlet for me to address the peculiarities and unpredictability’s this past year has brought us.

I am engaging with themes of death, destruction, despair and the macabre side of alternative cultures; such as the tattoo scene and the punk and metal music scene.

The rawness of these dark and somewhat sinister images brings about a type of purity with which a beauty can begin to emerge from. Every aspect of life has an inevitable cycle, some things have to be confronted, battled with and destroyed to be reborn. It is that teetering chaotic edge from death to rebirth that interests me.

The work is painted with exuberance and immediacy, as if almost wanting to exorcize these images. Humour always plays an important part in my work and currently there is evidence of a dark humorous twist in some of the contexts and titles of the paintings. The works are thickly painted with figures that are obscure but also have aesthetically pleasing qualities such as ornate tattooed skin or animals with thickly textured fur or feathers.

Overall it is the playfulness and lack of control the painter can happen upon while making work that engages me the most in my practice. At times I like that to be reflected throughout; with image content, materials used or painting titles."

Text courtesy of artist, Amanda Doran.

Image taken during studio visit.

Robbie O’Keeffe is a painter currently based in London. 

He has exhibited in various shows including New Contemporaries 2017, Deptford X fringe festival 2018 and was an Ingram Prize finalist in 2020.

His painterly style has been described as visual music in which he builds layers of space and colour on a small scale. Although inspired by personal insights of places, seen in pier motifs and city and domestic scenes, the artist’s works often pull towards poetic, emotional notions. 

O’Keeffe holds a studio in ASC studios, and has growing participation in shows and projects in and around London.

For further information 

www.robbieokeeffe.co.uk

Cover image, 'Harbour at dusk', courtesy of artist.