There are some artists who like working in complete silence, but I am not one of them. I find that I need something else to occupy the attention of a particular level of my brain that would, if not so engaged, send me messages of self-doubt and criticism while I am painting. If that negative side of my psyche is distracted, I can get more of what needs to be done, done. I somewhat equate the need for this lack of silence to the need I feel for the DVD player in my minivan: if my kids were not otherwise occupied by an in-trip movie, I would have three unwelcome backseat drivers commenting on my every move and making my drive harder than it needs to be.
For me, listening to stories while I paint has been great. I listened to audiobooks for years, but after nearly exhausting the collection at the local library, I switched over to podcasts. Some of my favorite programs have been Old Time Radio Mysteries, The Moth, Radiolab, This American Life, and Stuff You Missed in History Class. They have been entertaining, informative, and inspiring (I have even compiled a page of painting ideas that were generated while tuned into these broadcasts).
As soon as I find a podcast I like, I download all of the available episodes and work my way through the archives. But just like the audiobooks, I eventually burn my way through what I have. Therefore, I am always on the lookout for another quality show to which I can subscribe.
You can imagine my delight then, just when I had nearly emptied my digital library, that I learned that there was a new podcast being published – and not just any podcast – but one about art, hosted by two representational artists! The new show, Suggested Donation, is the brainchild of Tony Curanaj and Edward Minoff, two (not necessarily) reformed New York City graffiti artists who are now tops in the field of representational art. It's their hope that using this modern medium to share interviews with both traditional and non-traditional artists and craftsmen, curators, and restorers, that they can "alter the very landscape of the contemporary art world, one conversation at a time."
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| Tony Curanaj - Nouveau Red |
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| Edward Minoff - Stormy |
There have been three episodes of Suggested Donation so far, with the most recent – a two-parter – airing on March 13th. In the first episode, listeners learn how two hoodlums met in the Amtrak Freedom Tunnel on the Upper West Side 20 years ago and bonded over Old Master paintings, before going on to become instructors at the Grand Central Academy. The second episode features an interview with the brilliant Graydon Parrish who talks about his own art education and about the benefits of the Munsell Color Indexing System. And the latest show spotlights painter Patricia Watwood, fresh off the success of her "Venus Apocalypse" solo show, talking about the feminine perspective in relation to the female nude, and about the future of painting.
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| Patricia Watwood - Venus Awakes |
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| Graydon Parrish - Cycle of Terror and Tragedy |
Upcoming podcasts will feature interviews with guests ranging from tattoo and graffiti artists to chefs and an artisanal bicycle maker. Curanaj and Minoff hope that these discussions will create a dialog through which they can discover a "common ground across disciplines and spaces united by a love of, and deep devotion to, skill."
I have listened to all three episodes, and I have greatly enjoyed them all. There has been something in each podcast that has resonated with me and my pursuit of art, and with my thoughts on art. And even though it would be be even better to sit around and have these discussions in person, it's still been really nice having everyone here with me in my studio.
You can listen to Suggested Donation at the podcast's website, or at iTunes, where you can subscribe for free and receive automatic downloads to your media player as each new episode is published.