Welcome to another roundtable series! This time I’m joined by Growth Studio members Louisa Jornayvaz, Braighlee Rainey, Jack Wray, and Elisabeth Svendby in a discussion about finding your voice as an artist.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about what it means to find your voice and ways you can connect with it. You’ll also get personal insights into how the participants’ have connected with their voice and how it brings meaning into their artistic practice.

1:37 - Braighlee, Louisa, Elisabeth, and Jack quickly introduce themselves

3:27 - How they define what the artist's voice means to them

8:46 - How to know when you’re connected to your voice

11:00 - How your background can impact your art and the journey of finding your voice

19:52 - How each roundtable participant has progressed in finding their voice

26:35 - Why this journey isn’t straightforward and how it can evolve as you continue to walk the path

33:59 - Advice if you’re really not sure where to look to help you discover your artistic voice

42:27 - The connection between finding your voice as an artist and meditation and green lights

46:46 - The importance of imperfection and challenge in bringing character and resonance to art

50:10 - The impact of being taught in curiosity and sensitivity conditioning

54:59 - What the roundtable participants learned within Growth Studio to help them find or connect with their voices

Mentioned in How Artists Find Their Voice and Create from the Heart

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Elisabeth Svendby | Instagram
Jack Wray | Instagram
Braighlee Rainey | Instagram

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It’s one thing to have an interest in creating art or putting something on canvas. It’s another to see yourself as an artist and have an artistic practice.

What’s a difference-maker between those who do and those who don’t? Creative confidence, and to talk about it, I’m joined by Growth Studio members Alyssa Marquez, Merrie Koehlert, and Andrew Rea in another roundtable series.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about the concept of creative confidence, its impact on artistic practice, and how it differs from self-confidence and arrogance. You’ll get personal insights into how the participants’ confidence has evolved, whether there’s such a thing as too much confidence, and how peer support can help navigate challenges and enhance artistic expression.

1:34 - Defining creative confidence and how it’s necessary for artists to create and share their work

6:46 - How you’re constantly making art (even if you haven’t always been the artistic type)

13:00 - How Alyssa’s creative confidence has evolved over time

24:42 - How an evolution in confidence has most recently affected Merrie’s and Andrew’s art

29:49 - How to distinguish between confidence, self-confidence, and arrogance

33:19 - Can you have too much confidence in your painting or art practice?

40:33 - How confidence has impacted Alyssa’s desire to take risks with art

43:03 - Impact of the Growth Studio community on the roundtable participants’ confidence

Mentioned in How Creative Confidence Impacts Your Artwork

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Merrie Koehlert | Instagram

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Do you turn into a nervous Nellie at the thought of other people critiquing your art? Perhaps you even try to avoid the situation, or find yourself asking what’s the point of getting a critique if art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder anyway?

I’ve brought together artists from Growth Studio in a roundtable series to discuss several topics of interest to artists. We kick off the first of this series with Sabrina Setaro, Elisabeth Svendby, and Beverly Woodhall to go on a deep dive on the subject of getting your work critiqued.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll hear us cover the purpose of a critique, how to deal with the advice you receive, and how to get past the nerves. We’ll also discuss the kinds of things you can learn about your work from consistently seeking out constructive feedback.

1:19 - Sabrina, Elisabeth, and Beverly’s introduction and the benefits of getting a critique

7:41 - What Elisabeth learned about herself through critiques and the evolution that occurs with this simple question

13:13 - The difference in the critique conversation for half-done versus completed paintings

19:22 - How having faith in your own vision becomes a huge part of your evolution as an artist

27:02 - How Beverly, Sabrina, and Elisabeth look at their paintings differently now as a result of getting critiques

32:55 - What you and your art gain when you go with your instinct and follow your curiosity

40:57 - An important caveat about getting critiques and what to look for in somebody to critique your work

Mentioned in Why Get Your Work Critiqued?

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Elisabeth Svendby | Instagram
Beverly Woodhall | Instagram

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Perfectionism can show up in your studio and throughout your practice in many ways. Some are obvious, and others not so much. But what perfectionism looks like is often difficult to clearly define; the best way to illustrate it is by contrasting it with mastery.

In the final episode of this four-part live series on The Savvy Painter Podcast, you’ll learn about the concepts of perfectionism and mastery and explore the different behaviors they can cause. I’ll also provide insight into how to recognize and address any perfectionist tendencies you have to foster a healthier, more productive artistic practice.

1:04 - The difficulty of nailing down the concept of perfectionism

3:20 - Behaviors associated with perfectionism and mastery in artistic practices

13:34 - How emotional awareness can help you respond more effectively to perfectionist tendencies

24:48 - Working through an impulse to go for too many brush strokes when self-doubt creeps in

30:57 - The importance of distinguishing between feelings of openness and closing off in response to challenges

39:27 - Working through how to reframe and respond to rejection as an artist

48:38 - The very high price tag that comes with perfectionism

Mentioned in How Perfectionism Shows Up In Your Studio

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Many artists have a tricky relationship with money. The stories we tell ourselves about money can create hidden barriers to pricing and selling our work with confidence. By shining a light on these beliefs, you’ll find a path to transforming your approach to money—and building a more sustainable, abundant art practice.

In part three of this live event series on The Savvy Painter Podcast, we’re exploring some common money myths that can hold artists back. Together with a few participants, we’ll question these limiting beliefs and offer ways to reframe them, so you can feel more empowered in pricing your art and growing your creative business.

2:18 - Common money beliefs and how they shape attitudes toward spending and earning in the art world

8:50 - How to start becoming aware of and questioning your beliefs about money

13:30 - Braley’s dichotomous belief about the value of original pieces versus smaller prints

20:16 - The purpose of questioning your thoughts about pricing and selling art

25:27 - Reframing the fear of creating artwork that isn’t good enough or doesn’t feel authentic

35:17 - The impact of Morgan’s money beliefs on her pricing and ability to connect to potential collectors

46:45 - What you’re actually selling and why you create the art vs. why a potential collector wants to buy it

51:50 - The importance of separating facts from subjective stories about money

Mentioned in How Artists Can Overcome Money Mindset Blocks

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You have an inner critic blocking or interfering with your ability to fully trust in yourself and your art. That harshly critical internal voice thinks it’s doing you a favor. It thinks it’s protecting you. Yet, it says things to you that you wouldn’t dare say to a loved one or friend.

So let’s take the microphone away from your inner critic and hand it to the higher self that’s been patiently waiting to speak through you. It’s time to trust in your creative process and yourself as an artist.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll hear part two of this four-part live event series as I guide you on how to cultivate trust in your artistic voice. I’ll discuss the signs of trust or mistrust, give you the three steps to cultivating trust, and much more!

4:52 - The lesson that our inner critic can learn from The Stoics and their Memento Mori

9:22 - How to start to get more familiar and friendly with the voice of your higher self and build trust

13:45 - What it looks like when you don’t trust your voice and your process

17:54 - What it looks like when you do trust your own voice and process

23:30 - What trusting your voice means, how it (or the lack of it) might feel to you, and the first step to obtaining it

26:21 - Three starts to questions you can use to start enabling curiosity (step two) and the third step to cultivating trust

31:31 - What arrogance is and how it differs from your inner voice when analyzing your art

33:20 - The importance of seeing yourself as an amazing artist

38:41 - The power in always having full trust in yourself and the common thread that runs through all of your work

Mentioned in How to Cultivate Trust in Your Artistic Voice

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As an artist, you might have been taught (implicitly or explicitly) that your work doesn’t matter. Many artists I’ve worked with have heard it in school, at home, and in the media.

Yet, your work as an artist does matter. It can help others feel, connect, and demonstrate the beauty of the world and the human experience. But only when you’re centered, present, and confident in your creative process do you allow that potential impact to flourish.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll hear the first part of a live event I gave a while back that covers what creative confidence is, what it looks like, where it comes from, and how to curate it for yourself. You’ll also hear coaching examples with a few attendees as I help them work through fears that have resulted in a lack of progress, self-sabotaging habits, and a feeling of invisibility.

4:58 - What creative confidence in your artistic abilities looks like

8:15 - The two types of confidence you can lean on as an artist and how they differ

13:51 - What usually stands in the way of creating what you want and how to overcome it

18:33 - How you can curate self-confidence and examples of thoughts that get in the way

23:19 - How Nancy’s thoughts have hindered her progress, the fears they’ve exposed, and their impact on her physically

36:08 - How Carol’s fear and familiar thoughts have led to habits of self-sabotage

42:59 - What happens in your brain when it offers you the worst-case scenario and more thoughts that can help you create self-confidence

46:22 - Why Ekaterina feels invisible despite creating all kinds of things and where to focus to begin to push past it

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Have you been experimenting with your paint colors lately? Do you wonder about different colors and the best way to mix them? Well, you’re in luck! Robert Gamblin and product manager Scott Gellatly are here to answer more of your questions in our special color episode!

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn about the pigments used in modern paints, the emotional content of a color, what makes student grade paints “student grade,” the best paints to use for plein air painting, and so much more. You don’t want to miss a minute of this in-depth and fascinating conversation!

2:55 - Why modern oil paints have more pigments than older ones

5:54 - Gamblin’s guide to color imaging and the emotional content of color and its impact on paint-making

9:51 - Are there paints that artists often misuse (aside from whites)?

14:36 - How modern pigments differ from mineral pigments

19:41 - Comparing Gamblin’s color palette to Rembrandt’s and the intention behind Alizarin Crimson Permanent

24:00 - What lake colors and hues are and the hues that Gamblin features

28:44 - How student grade paint differs from artist grade paint

34:20 - The best way to prevent dead spots/sinking in on your paintings

40:12 - Gamblin’s plans for skin tone colors and the concern over representation in the art world for artists of color

45:53 - Mixed colors as shortcuts, common mistakes to avoid in your palette, and when to move away from student grade color

51:54 - The different characteristics of Gamblin’s black oil colors

58:22 - Advice on the minimum amount and best paints to use for plein air painting

1:03:34 - Looking at the relationship between pigments when you’re creating a color palette

1:07:55 - Scott reveals the “secret weapon” colors he likes to use in his paintings

1:10:04 - How Robert produced his beautiful series of large iceberg paintings during his Greenland trip

1:14:27 - How to have a good white for glazing and whether some Torrit Grey colors are made by Gamblin in actual color

1:16:56 - The difference between transparent earth colors and ochres, umbres, and siennas

1:19:15 - Three reasons why cadmium and cobalt colors are so expensive (and three reasons why they’re worth it)

1:22:09 - Why Scott uses Transparent Earth Red (specifically one in the FastMatte line) for his underpaintings

Mentioned in Unlocking the Secrets of Color: Robert Gamblin and Scott Gellatly Answer Your Questions

Gamblin Artists Colors | Instagram | Twitter

 Previous Q&A with Gamblin

Bonus Content: Transcripts and Extra Interview with Gamblin

Claude Monet | Lori Putnam | Rachel Jones | Anna Rose Bain | Wolf Khan | Nancy Zydler | Robert Gamblin | Scott Gellatly

 The History of Color in Painting by Faber Birren

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You’ve heard that old phrase, “Jack of all trades and master of none,” right? Instead of being a jack of all trades, Robert Gamblin and his team at Gamblin Artists Colors have decided to focus on being a master of one: oil paint products. Their narrow focus has paid off as they display an amazing passion for detail and improvement in their product line and offer jam-packed information you can use in your studio every day. 

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn helpful insights and get some of your biggest questions about oil painting and other topics answered by Robert, product specialist Mary Weisenburger, and company president Pete Cole. You’ll hear their response to questions about pigments, oil separation, toxicity, and much more!

2:25 - Robert introduces himself and shares how he started Gamblin Artists Colors

6:05 - Robert reveals why Gamblin only provides oil paint and shares some interesting pigment formulations

15:59 - How dreams have inspired color combinations and examples of custom colors made for well-known artists

23:08 - The value of white in the painting process (and the difference between radiant and titanium white)

29:09 - The story of how flake white replacement came into existence

33:21 - Advice and recommendations for artists who are using oils for the first time

39:41 - Warm and cool-colored objects and clearing confusion around kit vs. ready-made Gamvar

45:56 - Why the oil separates from the pigment inside tubes (and what to do if you want an oilier viscosity to the paint)

49:11 - Why Gamblin doesn’t plan to introduce water-soluble oil paints and one of the biggest misconceptions about oil paintings

54:46 - The three eras of pigment history and two big drivers of misinformation about pigment toxicity

1:03:20 - Tips for artists who work in small, enclosed spaces or with a baby nearby

1:10:33 - What you can do instead of a retouch varnish and why varnish at all in the first place

1:16:18 - The trouble with finding good cadmium color alternatives that are opaque

1:19:12 - Working with cold wax mediums and what you should look out for when using them

1:22:12 - A rundown on the range of solvent-free mediums available at Gamblin Artists Colors

1:26:33 - The shelf life of oil paint in tubes and whether Gamblin is considering changing the size of their caps

1:31:28 - What FastMatte is, what inspired it, and three helpful ways to use it

Varnishing Made Easy PDF

Gamblin Artists Colors | Instagram

“An Interview with Art Writer John Seed”

“Interview: Art and Play with Jeremiah Palecek”

James Rosenquist | Nathan Oliveira | Wolf Khan | Robert Barnes

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As an artist, you’re always about the art. Even for a show, the focus is on creating pieces, not the other things that go into making the show itself a great event. Then when you realize it’s time to plan everything out, you’re instantly overwhelmed by all that’s involved.

What you need is a guide or template that can help you prepare and eliminate a lot of pre-show jitters. I want you to be in a place where you feel confident about your show and your artwork.

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn strategies for planning and executing a successful art show. I’ll take you step-by-step on how to envision, reverse-engineer, detail, plan, collaborate, and implement what you want so you can ensure that your event stays organized and goes smoothly.

3:09 - How to create a clear vision and plan for your show, step-by-step

9:21 - How to collaborate with partners and reverse-engineer a detailed plan

16:35 - How to create a calendar for planning ahead of time for your art show

22:30 - The benefit of using a calendar if you don’t like to plan and struggle to stick to a schedule

24:01 - The impact of visualizing the aftermath of a successful art show

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