Welcome back painter/art writer Don Wilkinson to In-Focus Podcast Number 63. Don was one of our earliest guests on Podcast Episode 4 . He received his BFA in Printmaking from the Swain School of Design in 1982, and his MFA in Visual Design from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 1991. He wrote the pre-pandemic BART Chat and Art Beat columns for Southcoast Today . His writings have appeared in Artscope Magazine , Art New England , The Standard-Times , The Providence Journal , Ceramics ...
Jan 18, 2021•44 min
Welcome photographer and visual artist Brandon Cabral to In-Focus Podcast Number 62. Brandon works in and around the streets of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He describes himself as simply a "34-year-old father of three and artist with a focus in film photography." Brandon grew up in and is intimately familiar with nearly every section of his birth city of New Bedford. The city is broken up into three geographic sections - the Westend, the Northend, and the Southend. Neighborhoods aren't as easily...
Jan 11, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Welcome painter/poet/podcaster Phillip J. Mellen to In-Focus Podcast Number 53. Phillip was born during the Bicentennial year which was dedicated to celebrating the Nation’s independence from the Crown of England in 1976. He lives and works in Taunton, Massachusetts home of the Liberty & Union Flag . He received his Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art s. Phillip J. Mellen has exhibited both nationally and internationally and, his work is part of numerous pri...
Jan 04, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Welcome grant writer Ben Jones to In-Focus Podcast Number 60. Ben is an arts adjacent. What does that mean? Ben Jones grew up surrounded by the arts. He had two aunts who worked as professional visual artists and teachers. His parents made sure his brother and he always had plenty of art materials. There were many museum visits. His mom continues her grade school “art lady” duties to this day via social media. Yet, Ben remains a self-described arts adjacent – what he has in creative enthusiasm, ...
Dec 28, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Welcome painter Nancy Hayes to In-Focus Podcast Number 59. Nancy was a ceramic sculptor for over twenty years. Her work concentrated on organic forms infused with patterns that defined their surface and defined her work. Then, as she relates, "When I turned fifty, something happened, something changed. And then, as if overnight, I made the decision to abandon the clay and find my voice as a painter. I had no idea where I was going, no idea what I would find." It is now, ten years later, and Nanc...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Welcome painter and "recovering adman" and Chicago native Lowell Thompson to In-Focus Podcast Number 58. Lowell began creating ads and commercials for some of America’s biggest ad agencies and companies. He was one of the first African Americans hired into a top 10 ad agency following the riots after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Lowell Thompson refers to himself as a “recovering adman” because he spent so much of his spent career in advertising. He began to ...
Dec 14, 2020•55 min
Welcome abstract painter/art instructor Catherine Carter to In-Focus Podcast Number 57. She earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her paintings and collages are inspired by calligraphic marks, textile weaves, and lines found in Nature such as roots and vines. Catherine's artwork has been exhibited at galleries and museums internationally. Her work may also be found in numerous public, corporate, hospitality, and private collections. She h...
Dec 07, 2020•55 min
Music courtesy of www.bensound.com Welcome musician/songwriter/ Beatlemanix member Jack Maravell to In-Focus Podcast Number 56. Jack is recently retired and resides in Fort Pierce, Florida after decades of pursuing a dream and building a career! As he describes his life, “I played gigs, did shows for over 45 years, and wrote hundreds of songs. I started off small and ended with a bang!” Jack was an integral part of a well-known Southcoast group called City Lights and went on to join THE most aut...
Nov 23, 2020•48 min
Welcome painter/graphic designer Randy Swamm to In-Focus Podcast Number 55. Randy was raised in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He moved to the Southcoast in 1975 to attend the Swain School of Design . Randy Swann remained and has lived in the Southcoast (also spelled South Coast) area since his graduation in 1979 as a Painting major. While at Swain, he studied under David Loeffler Smith, Ben Martinez, and Sig Haines. He embarked on a graphic design career and spent several years as the Package...
Nov 16, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Welcome filmmaker Don Burton to In-Focus Podcast Number 54. He owns and operates an Emmy award-winning digital arts studio in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Don produces documentaries, brand content, Indie films, and video installations. Don Burton’s work maintains an emphasis on issues of place, community, and identity. He received his BFA in sculpture from UMass Dartmouth and holds an MFA from the University of Connecticut. Don has worked as an editor and creative director in Los Angeles. He has ...
Nov 09, 2020•55 min
Welcome painter/poet/podcaster Phillip J. Mellen to In-Focus Podcast Number 53. Phillip was born during the Bicentennial year which was dedicated to celebrating the Nation's independence from the Crown of England in 1976. He lives and works in Taunton, Massachusetts. He received his Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art s. Phillip J. Mellen has exhibited both nationally and internationally and, his work is part of numerous private collections both in the United St...
Nov 02, 2020•59 min
Welcome musician/songwriter Johnny Gwynn to In-Focus Podcast Number 52. Johnny is residing in Nashville, Tennessee while pursuing a dream and a career! Johnny is a transplanted songwriter from Cape Cod. He plays and writes everything from Country to Rock to Pop to Jazz. Johnny Gwynn is a client of Attorney Steve Berger who was featured on In-Focus Podcast Number 11. Steve assists newly emerging singer-songwriters like Johnny, as well as, solo musicians and bands of many genres. Listen in on his ...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr
Welcome art collector Richard Connor to In-Focus Podcast Number 51. Richard is actually Dr. Richard Connor, Evolutionary Biologist! He has recently retired as a Professor of Biology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr. Connor obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Richard Connor had post-doctoral appointments at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Harvard University. He was also a fello...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Welcome, Master Illusionist Lyn Dillies to In-Focus Podcast Number 50. It's a milestone for us and we couldn't be happier celebrating this magical number with anyone else! Lyn has mesmerized audiences of all ages throughout the United States and Canada for over two decades. A Westport native, she has been hailed as the finest female magician in the land. Her engaging personality, along with some of the most spectacular, eye-defying illusions in magic today wows her audiences with an unforgettabl...
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Welcome painter Pat Coomey Thornton to In-Focus Podcast Number 49. Pat is one half of a painting power couple! Her husband, John Havens Thornton is also a painter of note. She holds an MFA from Pius XII Institute Graduate School of Fine Arts , Florence, Italy, and a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art , Boston. Pat Coomey Thornton taught at the School of the Worcester Art Museum before working at Rhode Island School of Design for 20 years.She has exhibited in galleries and museums in Massa...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Welcome actor Earl Lee White to In-Focus Podcast Number 48. As he self-describes: "I'm an actor. I'm a rapper. I'm a skateboarder. I'm a sponsored Teck Decker." Earl is new to the television and film industry but charging ahead full speed. At this writing, Earl has embarked on an adventure in N.O.L.A. - New Orleans, Louisiana and is thankful for the many opportunities that have come his way and is obviously excited to see what lies ahead. Listen in on his conversation as The Artist Index’s host,...
Sep 28, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Welcome art educator and painter Ben Martinez to In-Focus Podcast Number 47. Ben is a native of New York City. He is a graduate of The Cooper Union and studied at the Brooklyn Museum Art School and The Art Students League. Ben also taught at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, Boston University, and most especially, the fabled Swain School of Design in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Ben Martinez has exhibited at the original Bowery Gallery, back when it was actually on the Bowery, as well as Gallery 12...
Sep 21, 2020•58 min
Welcome editor, feature writer, newswriter, and sportsbook author Ralph Hickok to In-Focus Podcast Number 46. There have been thirty episodes since Ralph's first visit on In-Focus Podcast Number 16. In 1973, he became the copy chief at Southeastern Advertising Agency (SEA) in downtown New Bedford. Travel/tourism was a major focus of SEA. Ralph wrote many of ads, brochures, and other materials for the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Battleship Cove, the City of New Bedford, and Bristol County. He is ...
Sep 14, 2020•57 min
Stephen Remick was born and raised in Vermont. He received his Associates’s degree in Architecture from Vermont Technical College. Steve moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1982. He received his BFA in Painting from the Swain School of Design in 1986 where he met his future wife, Anne Carrozza. Steve Remick worked for a year in Boston at Jordan Marsh’s in-house design firm but couldn’t endure the commute. He went on to start a painting and paperhanging company. Steve, his family, and the busi...
Sep 07, 2020•48 min
William Perry! Bill is originally from Dartmouth, Massachusetts. His photography journey began as a student at Dartmouth High School. An international trade lawyer, he returned to focus on his photography about 12 years ago Bill sells his photography on a number of websites, such as Fine Art America, Shutterstock, Dreamstime, Adobe Stock Images, and Istock/Getty. His stock photos are sold under a number of different names, such as William Perry, Bill Perry, and bpperry. William Perry’s style is ...
Aug 31, 2020•43 min
Lasse Antonsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is an artist, art historian, and curator. For 25 years he was Director of the University Art Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he also taught art history. Toward the end of his teaching career, he specialized in Graduate seminars, focusing on creativity, which he was also teaching at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and at Massachusetts College of Art. As an artist, he has exhibited, or created installations, at the...
Aug 24, 2020•56 min
To say that Dave is a busy guy would be an understatement. He has sat on many boards, advisory councils and committees for nonprofits in the local community including the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, New Bedford Ballet, AHA!, Tri-County Symphonic Band, South Coast Chamber Music Society, South Coast Humane Society & Shelter, Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society, Alma del Mar Charter School, and Our Sisters’ School. Phew! Davis Prentiss also teaches part-time in the Political Science Depa...
Aug 17, 2020•53 min
Butch McCarthy has been a part of the musical fabric of the Southcoast since the seventies. He’s been involved in art and music all of his life but it wasn’t until he was in his 50s that he picked up a brush and began to paint seriously. Butch works from his home studio in Downtown New Bedford. He’s shown work at Gallery X and Frying Pan Galleries on the Cape. He works with acrylic paints on canvas and wood board. Listen in on the conversation as The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier, speaks with...
Aug 10, 2020•53 min
Alison Wells is a Trinidadian artist. Her paintings have been exhibited in solo and group shows in galleries and museums in the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe. Alison's work is also part of private, public, and corporate collections. She received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and her BFA from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica. Listen in on the conversation as The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier, spe...
Aug 03, 2020•54 min
Karen is an award-winning storyteller, teaching artist, workshop leader, and author. Since 2002 she has taught the art of storytelling to over 600 students. Karen is a contributing author to numerous publications around the world and her book, Story by Story: Creating a School Storytelling Troupe, received a 2016 Storytelling World Honor Award and a 2015 Anne Izard Storytelling Award. She produces and hosts the Story Café, a local television series, and is the recipient of the LANES Brother Blue...
Jul 27, 2020•53 min
Artist Robert “Bob” Brodesky joins the second installation of our first topical series: THE VAN GOGH BOAT. The concept stems from Rene Riccard, American poet, actor, art critic, painter, and Southcoast native pictured here. In 1981, he penned The Radiant Child about Painter Jean Michell Basquiat which is often referred to as the seminal Artforum article. Bob is a painter and was previously featured in In-Focus Podcast Number 5. He’s based in the Boston-area and has been painting all his life. Ro...
Jul 20, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Dancer and Art Educator, Laurie Wolfe. Laurie is also the widow Jack Wolfe (1924-2007) and his most avid promoter. Jack studied art at RISD and the MFA School in Boston. His diverse body of work includes large-scale explorations of geometry and color theory, as well as portraiture from life and political works focusing on social justice and anti-war themes. The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier, speaks with Laurie Wolfe about her life with her late husband and painter Jack Wolfe. Jack's legacy of...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Painter and Professor of Art, Tim McDonald. Tim is on the Framingham State University art faculty. He received his MFA from East Tennessee State University and his BFA from the University of Rhode Island. He has an extensive exhibition record. Tim has also been the Director for the Mazmanian Art Gallery at Framingham State University, as well as, the Interim Director for the Slocumb Galleries at East Tennessee State University. Listen in on the conversation as The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortie...
Jul 06, 2020•54 min
Welcome, Painter Matthew Beall an American ex-pat living in Germany to the show! Matt was born in California. He's a self-described coffee addict, golf nut, and oh yeah, painter. Matthew Beall paints abstractly. He paints simply to paint. It is his opinion that it is totally up to the viewers to see what they see; to interpret a meaning for themselves regardless of whatever he names a painting. Matt prefers to use a limited palette. Many of his paintings are done by afterthought. Matt says, "I b...
Jun 29, 2020•56 min
We welcome musician Quinn Sullivan to the show! He began taking guitar lessons at age three and first gained national media attention at age six when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I'm sure the term or label, prodigy, has been used and overused to describe this young man and by all accounts, Quinn Sullivan has had an extraordinary journey so far. Quinn, just 22 at this writing, has toured around the world, performed, and recorded with musical icons. It's no wonder he has been called on...
Jun 22, 2020•55 min
