In this episode of Tom Ray's Art Podcast, we delve into the meticulous world of Sophie Parr, an artist who has mastered the art of hand-drawn maps. Sophie's journey from urban planner to map illustrator is as fascinating as their detailed creations, capturing locations from a bird's-eye view with striking pen and ink techniques. Sophie reveals how a simple family vacation activity evolved into a full-fledged artistic pursuit, leading to establishing a unique niche in the art world. We discuss he...
Apr 14, 2024•41 min•Season 15Ep. 13
In this episode of Tom Ray's Art Podcast, I meet Evie Woltil Richner, an artist and emerging author with a dream to create children's books. With roots in painting and drawing, Evie's journey has led to picture book illustration. Evie's transition from academia led to pursuing a passion for creating children's books. We talk about character design and the challenges of breaking into the competitive publishing industry. Evie shares experiences with online courses, the importance of community thro...
Mar 31, 2024•42 min•Season 15Ep. 12
In this episode of the Art Podcast, we dive into the quirky and slightly macabre world of Madison-based artist Sara Christenson, of Bunny Attack Illustration. Their pen and ink illustrations of "weird rabbits" blend the adorable with the eerie. Sara's bunnies aren't your typical fluffy creatures; they're fierce, sometimes spooky, and always captivating. Join us as we uncover the origins of Sara's unique style, starting from a serendipitous owl drawing inspired by the grain of wood on her patio. ...
Mar 17, 2024•32 min•Season 15Ep. 11
In this episode of Tom Ray's Art Podcast, I meet Maria Amalia, a Honduras-born, Madison-based artist with a penchant for community-focused art and a rich history that spans continents and mediums. From aspirations in architecture to graphic design, and finally, to the tactile world of paper making, Maria's artistic evolution is a captivating tale of resilience, adaptability, and profound personal growth. Dive into her story of navigating life's unexpected turns, the therapeutic power of art duri...
Mar 03, 2024•54 min•Season 15Ep. 10
In this episode of the Art Podcast, I meet Angel Manuel Lopez. Discover how a truck driver's son turned a childhood filled with comic books into a career-spanning movie poster designs for films, branding for comedians, and creating comic book variants that capture the imagination. Angel's journey from traditional artist to a 3D modeling maven is a tale of relentless learning and passion. Angel Manuel Lopez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_sonofasaint Tom Ray's Art Podcast Website: htt...
Feb 18, 2024•50 min•Season 15Ep. 9
In this episode of the Art Podcast, I meet Jesse Mangerson, a Madison-based fine art painter and educator with a passion for realism. Jesse shares his artistic evolution from aspiring illustrator, interning at the New Yorker, to a dedicated painter who finds solace in the act of painting itself. He opens up about his journey from illustration to fine art, the meditative qualities of his work, and the transition from imaginative pieces to direct observational painting. Discover the balance betwee...
Feb 04, 2024•54 min•Season 15Ep. 8
In this episode of the art podcast, we delve into the multifaceted world of Sylvie Rosenthal, a woodworker, sculptor, designer, and educator based in Madison, Wisconsin. Sylvie discusses their journey from New Haven, Connecticut, through various cities, and how a residency led to setting roots in Madison for love and grad school. We explore the complexities of managing a studio, creating large-scale works, and the challenges of storing and shipping unique pieces. Sylvie Rosenthal's Website: http...
Jan 21, 2024•47 min•Season 15Ep. 7
GG of Green Goodies found purpose and community through art after starting their teaching career. When the pandemic hit, GG turned to TikTok, using live streams to combat loneliness. GG's videos led to a portrait project documenting unfiltered stories of life. Green Goodies website https://www.greengoodies.art Green Goodies on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/greengoodiesgives Green Goodies on TikTok https://tiktok.com/@green_goodies Tom Ray's Art Podcast Website https://www.tomrayswebsite.co...
Jan 14, 2024•52 min•Season 15Ep. 6
Photographer Kamal X shares his journey from posting photos on Instagram to publishing books documenting real-life moments. After losing his best friend to cancer, Kamal began traveling the world and using his camera as an outlet. His work evolved into a quest to find answers through investigative journalism compiling his experiences into the book Black Astronaut. He aimed to provide a visual perspective on America's story beyond news reports and facts. Kamal discusses the challenges of getting ...
Jan 07, 2024•40 min•Season 15Ep. 5
This is an experimental bonus episode! Since it's the holidays I wanted to wait until they were over to post the next artist interview. So I thought I would try a little experiment. I take a lot of marketing courses. And to tell you the truth they all teach the same thing. But one that I took talked about how to build an audience when you are starting out with nothing and building your own product. I thought I would just share what I learned. Let me know what you think! Tom Ray's Website - https...
Dec 31, 2023•18 min•Season 15Ep. 4
Visual artist Chelsea Ramirez discusses their delicate, layered drawings and installations using pigments and found objects. After discovering their passion at the New York Studio School, Chelsea has spent the last decade developing her signature style of "radical softness" to subtly resist social constructs. We explore Chelsea's large-scale piece "The White Room," her home studio practice, and upcoming projects expanding her ethereal aesthetic. Chelsea Ramirez on Instagram https://www.instagram...
Dec 17, 2023•41 min•Season 15Ep. 3
Pat Henzy has been creating art since he was young, covering his walls with drawings and finding inspiration in the artistic films of the 80s and 90s. While art remained a hobby for years, Pat eventually started posting illustrations on Instagram. By tagging breweries in these beer-inspired posts, Pat landed their first commission. From there, social media connections and engagement snowballed into designing beer labels, skateboard graphics, and prints. Hear the story of how Pat built this busin...
Dec 10, 2023•44 min•Season 15Ep. 2
Surrealist pop artist Lindsay Kovnat Davis talks about their evolution from animation to painting and their first major gallery show. Featuring cats and invasive lantern flies, Lindsay brought their art to life with sculptural frames made of wood and foam. After a successful debut, Lindsay plans to do more shows, collaborate on animation, and even make a full-length animated film someday. Lindsay Kovnat Davis on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lindzartsenses Tom Ray's Art Podcast https:...
Dec 03, 2023•44 min•Season 15Ep. 1
On this podcast episode, painter Pranav Sood stops by again to talk. Pranav was born in Punjab, India, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. He works primarily with acrylic, gouache, and watercolors both on canvas and paper. Last time we spoke we talked about the inspiration and technique of their work. But this time around we talk about trying new things and how Pranav was inspired to create a whole new series of work based on just a slight change in what they do. Pranav Sood Website https://www.prana...
Sep 03, 2023•38 min•Season 14Ep. 7
On this podcast episode, I meet Jordan Baraniecki . Jordan is an artist from Saskatoon, Canada. His ink collage paintings are a mesmerizing blend of intricate detail and three-dimensional aspects, inviting viewers to experience a unique relationship with scale through the use of color, texture, and form. We talk about how Jordan discovered the style and method for the work they create and how they almost gave up on art completely before finding their voice. Jordan Baraniecki Website https://www....
Aug 28, 2023•48 min•Season 14Ep. 6
On this podcast episode, I meet Kate Rusek. Kate is a sculptor from New York currently working in Montana. Kate Rusek assembles highly tactile sculptures transmuting these themes into abundant maximalism. We talk about Kate's current project they are doing in Montana, other works they've created over the years, and how they create their unique pieces. Some of which are works made out of aluminum blinds. Kate Rusek Website https://katerusek.com/ Kate Rusek on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/t...
Aug 20, 2023•44 min•Season 14Ep. 5
On this podcast episode, I meet Angela Cappetta. Angela is a photographer living in Manhattan. Angela's creative work has appeared on art blogs, in media as diverse as film, television, and thriving rights-managed collections like ImageSource. Angela's shooting philosophy offers a unique blend of poignant, candid, and sometimes humorous views of the human condition. Angela Cappetta Website https://angelacappetta.com Angela Cappetta on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/angelacappetta_ Tom Ray's...
Aug 13, 2023•29 min
On this podcast episode, I meet Amra Causevic. Amra is an artist living in New York. Amra creates their work in a very unique way, the work includes mixed found objects made into materials for the pieces and also uses different things they find that have a connection or a story to them. I talked with Amra about how this all started and the process for creating these works that have been displayed in galleries and other art shows. Links Amra Causevic on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ammmmra...
Aug 06, 2023•38 min•Season 14Ep. 3
On this podcast episode, I meet Debbi Kenote. Debbi is a New York-based artist who creates paintings on their own unique canvases. We talk about how Debbi got started, how they discovered the style they make, and the different opportunities they have had since showing work publicly. Links Debbi Kenote website https://debbikenoteart.com Debbi Kenote on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/debbikenote Tom Ray's Art Podcast - https://www.tomrayswebsite.com Get my webcomic book "Then This Happened......
Jul 23, 2023•46 min•Season 14Ep. 2
On this podcast episode, I meet Estefania Velez Rodriguez. Estefania is an American artist born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico living in New York. Her work often uses abstracted landscapes as well as non-objective visual spaces that are somewhat open field and bright. Estefania experiments with raw pigments, spray materials, oil mediums, and acrylic polymers. Her painting language ruptures visual spaces to open the viewer's receptivity to fleeting spaces, times, and emotional presence. We talk about E...
Jul 09, 2023•54 min•Season 14Ep. 1
On this podcast episode, I meet Sfera Louis. Sfera is a painter living in Brooklyn New York. Sfera describes their paintings as Spherealism and works on several paintings simultaneously. With a background in working with music promotion, Sfera has a solid grassroots method of promoting creative work, which has led to making their own studio home to open mics for creatives and gallery salons! Sfera Louis website https://www.sferalouis.com Tom Ray's Art Podcast website - https://www.tomrayswebsite...
Jun 18, 2023•37 min•Season 13Ep. 14
On this podcast episode, I meet Damone Harris of Mone Media. Damone is a video creator living in Milwaukee WI. I found out about Damone on YouTube a few years back because they have a weekly video series recreating Saturday Morning cartoon broadcasts from the 1980s and earlier. And I mean the commercials, station breaks, cartoon lineup, and everything! But Damone also has a unique way of telling stories through other types of videos and short films they create. Mone Media on YouTube https://www....
Jun 11, 2023•50 min•Season 13Ep. 13
On this podcast episode, I meet Melanie Sartori. Melanie is an artist living here in Madison WI. Melanie is a multidisciplinary, experimental self-taught artist creating abstract and surreal scenes with acrylic, oil and plaster. Melanie started selling artwork publicly in 2018 and one thing that worked was posting it on Facebook Marketplace! Melanie Sartori on Etsy Melanie Sartori on Instagram Join my podcast email list to get a call out for artists when I'm booking interviews! Tom Ray's Art Pod...
Jun 04, 2023•48 min•Season 13Ep. 12
On this podcast episode, I meet Peter Schenck. Peter is an artist living in Brooklyn, New York. Their artwork is abstract, with what Peter calls a cartoonish language of his own world of symbols. We talk about how Peter got started and how their paintings have found their way into galleries and more! Peter Schenck's website https://www.peterschenck.com Peter Schenck on Instagram http://instagram.com/pbschenck Tom Ray's Art Podcast https://www.tomrayswebsite.com Join my email list to get a call o...
May 28, 2023•43 min•Season 13Ep. 11
On this podcast episode, I meet Drew Sternitzky. Drew is an artist living in Wisconsin who draws a comic called Mr. Hugh’s History. It's a weekly comic strip about events big and small that have shaped our collective history. And it's also available now in a new book! Mr. Hugh's History on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mrhughshistory My New book Then This Happened... Going outside again available on Amazon - https://amzn.to/40LQmmX Tom Ray's Podcast Website - https://www.tomrayswebsite.com...
May 21, 2023•48 min•Season 13Ep. 10
On this podcast episode, I meet Stephen Gilpin. Stephen Gilpin has been working professionally as an illustrator since 2001. He’s illustrated numerous picture books, chapter books, graphic novels and illustrations for a host of clients including Disney/Hyperion, Simon and Schuster, Harper, MacMillan, Scholastic and others. Since 2016 he's done a regular comic strip page for Scout Life (Boys' Life) Magazine. We talk about how Stephen is currently trying to break out with his own comic ideas these...
May 14, 2023•47 min•Season 13Ep. 9
On this podcast episode, I meet Joseph Iorio. Joseph is an artist living in New Jersey. Joseph had pursued art in the past but somehow it got away from him. Then a few years ago he found inspiration again and started painting again and working on getting his pieces out there and even showing them in galleries. We find out how he has been going through the steps to restart his art career. Joseph Iorio on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ioriojoseph Tom Ray's Podcast Website - https://www.tomra...
May 08, 2023•36 min•Season 13Ep. 8
On this podcast episode, I meet Ryan Haugland. Ryan is an artist I know from Instagram who I knew as a musician. But recently Ryan has started painting and I was very interested in the paintings they were posting. So we got together to talk about how this new painting pursuit started and the answer kind of surprised me! Ryan Haugland on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mosswedo Ryan Haugland on Bandcamp https://mosswedo.bandcamp.com/album/north-flowing-rivers Podcast website - https://www.tom...
Apr 30, 2023•35 min•Season 13Ep. 7
On this podcast episode, I meet writer Liora Paniz. Liora tells me about how a combination of dancing and Mediation led to being a writer. And how a vacation trip inspired Liora with the idea to start making children's books. Miss Lynnie The Librarian Website https://sbgpublishing.com/product/miss-lynnie-the-librarian Liora Paniz on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/liorapaniz Tom Ray's Art Podcast - https://www.tomrayswebsite.com...
Apr 16, 2023•33 min•Season 13Ep. 6
On this podcast episode, I talk with artist Rob Parkinson. Rob is a graphic designer who has worked as an artist for different companies and eventually went into business for himself as a full-time freelance designer. Rob also started an online t-shirt company of his own called Relik Ragwear where he recreates logos of Wisconsin places from the past that have gone out of business. Rob and I used to work together when I was in high school at a store called Artwave where we hand-painted custom t-s...
Apr 09, 2023•49 min•Season 13Ep. 5
