Tom Ray's Art Podcast

I mentioned in a previous episode of the show I had participated in an annual zine fest in Madison called Print & Resist. One of the people showcasing his work at the event was John Porcellino, creator of the popular minicomic zine King Kat.

Went to his table to introduce myself and I blurted out that I had this podcast and I would love to talk with him. We exchanged information and he was nice enough to talk with me a few weeks later on facebook messenger.

John's Website http://www.spitandahalf.com/

John's Author Page on Amazon - https://amzn.to/2L5fkdU

I went to a local coffee shop to meet the people I talk with today, Olivia and Elizabeth from the start-up UnderBelly.

So from time to time, I like to do a nearby location search on Instagram just to see if there is any interesting artwork that's being posted in the Madison area to try and find some new things to check out. I can’t remember exactly but I think that’s how I discovered underbelly.

They have been working with local businesses to give a different view of the city. The hidden gems, the alternative, the niche and the interesting. UnderBelly is excited to show a local perspective with a twist. They do all this by putting out a weekly zine and just created their own mobile app.

Visit the UnderBelly website and check out the app https://www.exploreunderbelly.io

Lacey Smith aka Luluweird is someone that I heard about after I met Lauden from American Trash back in August. I had connected with her on Instagram and asked if we could meet at the train car I recently rented out.

Lacey has played synthesizer in bands, traveled, was a cook, was a farmer, collectively ran a grocery co-op and was the zine coordinator at a bookstore. Her artwork is inspired by nature, the mysterious, the strange, animals, handmade, new places, old things, music, people & posters. And she runs a record label the specializes in special releases of albums by The Residents.

Sara Meredith and I have actually tried to set up an interview several times in the past year. I don’t know why we kept having trouble doing that. But we finally were able to sit down and talk.

She goes by the name SmereTactics and is a Madison-based relief printmaker and teacher. Her black and white woodcut prints have a bold visceral quality while the overlapping subject matter offers a nuanced perspective and layers of meaning.

Scott Pyburn emailed me after he discovered the podcast. He is also someone like me who decided he wanted to get back into drawing and creating again and told me that he was going to be touring with a Comic-Con and one of the stops was going to be right here in Madison.

The day the Comic-Con rolled through town I decided to head on over to meet Scott and check out the artwork at his booth.

Plus, I also talk about how I participate in my first Zine Fest!

In this season of the podcast, I decided to try and start my own business. It's going to be a multimedia podcast studio and retail space.

And I'm doing it in an old 1930's train car!

One of the things I need to figure out is what I'm going to sell and what online shopping cart I want to use. So I meet with two artists here in Madison, WI to talk about the different cart options out there and ask why they are in the process of leaving Etsy?

Today I get to meet Emily Balsley. She's a full-time self-employed artist whose illustration work I really admire. We've tried to get together to talk a few times. When she started working on a mural here at the University of Wisconsin, I stopped by and we were finally able to get together and talk.

Links

https://www.emilybalsley.com

Instagram: @emilybluestar

Grant Baciocco is a puppeteer, comedian, writer and professional wrestling host from time to time. He also is the creator of the podcast series The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd which I happened to make an animated cartoon pilot for.

He is known for his work on Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (2017), Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (2017) and The Happytime Murders to name just a few of the many creative things he's done.

We've known each other for years, there's just one thing... We've never actually met face to face.

Grant on twitter https://twitter.com/ToasterBoy

Links

http://www.saturdaymorningmedia.com

http://thetoiley.com

http://www.mrgrant.com

Music by Lorenzo's Music

https://www.lorenzosmusic.com

Ben Walker Storey had listened to the podcast and contacted me on Instagram. The funny thing is I had actually been looking at his work online earlier that day. So I asked him if he wanted to meet with me on the show.

He runs a podcast of his own called The Cheap Chills Show where he and his wife watch trailers of old horror movies and talk about them. His artwork also lends itself to that style which I really dig.

But what really interested me about him was that he had his own Amazon Print-On-Demand store. We talk about that and a whole lot more on the show. 

Also, I realize there is kind of a "Spotify for your drawings" type thing out there, where you can get paid when people just look at your drawings. 

I started one with just a collection of drawings on my phone - https://tapas.io/series/phonedrawingsminicomic

Peter Krsko had been listening to the podcast and contacted me. And meeting him was a delight! I had checked out some of his stuff on his website and one thing that caught my eye was these large sculptures that he did. They were these giant wooden things sprouting out of the ground. It also said that he discovered a way to use a traditional scanning electron microscope as a focused electron beam lithography instrument, enabling him to create artwork viewable only with a microscope. So needless to say I had some questions about how he makes his artwork. But I learned a lot more about how his mind works too.

Plus, I look at the ad promotions I've been making to sell my artwork and learn that the second time around really is the charm.

See Peter's work on his website http://www.peterkrsko.com

Music for the show by Lorenzo's Music

https://www.lorenzosmusic.com