Foreground/Background podcast episode 6: Joe Seipel

The latest episode of my Foreground/Background podcast, about the day to day aspects of making a living as an artist, is out now! Take a listen below and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify to get every episode when it comes out.

Joe Seipel is a sculptor and conceptual artist who served as a Virginia Commonwealth University faculty member for over 40 years, including 17 years as chair of the sculpture department, 8 ½ years as the Senior Associate Dean of the School of the Arts. And in 2018 even returned from retirement to spend a year as the interim director of VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art (not to mention a two year stint as vice president at Savannah College of Art and Design). Now a professor emeritus, Joe has returned to a studio art practice. His work is monumental in scale and ranges from conceptually-based objects to multimedia pieces and robotics. His work has been shown internationally including exhibitions in New York City, Peru, Milan, Baltimore, and of course Richmond, Virginia.

If you enjoy this podcast please leave a comment and let me know what resonates with you and give it a thumbs up or 5 star review wherever you listen to it. And of course if you’re not already a Patreon supporter I hope you’ll check it out at Patreon.com/NoahScalin.

Foreground/Background podcast episode 5: Pallavi Sen

The latest episode of my Foreground/Background podcast, about the day to day aspects of making a living as an artist, is out now! Take a listen below and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify to get every episode when it comes out.



Pallavi Sen is a multi-talented artist from Bombay, India who works with installation, printmaking, textiles, and intuitive movement. Pallavi has obtained an array of creative jobs in addition to receiving a handful of artist residencies and currently teaches as an Assistant Professor of Art at Williams College. Her recent art-making has focused on nature in the form of landscaping. Pallavi on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this podcast please leave a comment and let me know what resonates with you and give it a thumbs up or 5 star review wherever you listen to it. And of course if you’re not already a Patreon supporter I hope you’ll check it out at Patreon.com/NoahScalin.

Veda's 365 Days of Butterflies

Veda Aprile in Oakville, Ontario, Canada is creating 365 Days of Butterflies...

 

Why did you decide to do this project? I had been following the progress of my friend Lilian #lilsheart on instagram for awhile which put the bug in my ear, then when I retired Lilian gave me Noah's book as a gift.  I was pretty excited as i had been itching to do the project just from following my friend. I chose butterflies to represent the changes that were happening in my life (retirement) and wanted to concentrate on the positive changes and growth I knew I would be experiencing in this new life of freedom from 'work.'  Also I wanted to pick a subject I knew I would enjoy painting or drawing.  I added the gratitude portion to the project on day one, when I thanked my friend for the book, at which point i thought what a good idea to keep me grateful over the course of a year.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I think this was the perfect time to start a project like this for me, it has given me something to think on every day which helped with my transition of working full days to no work days. 

I am now finding the time to do creative things I may not have attempted. For example on day 2 my butterfly cat- I learned how to use a draw tablet from my daughter.  It's interesting to note that at the beginning of the day when I read the suggestion and maybe I am at a loss of what to do, I now know if I just think on the idea for a bit something will come to me. 

I am also noticing my first attempt is a stepping stone to my final project. I have been keeping some of my original ideas to compare ie my favorite piece to date is my tea cup collection. When I first put the cups out it felt lacking - I left it on the table for a bit and out of the blue I thought 'sugar!' and that little touch just elevated the design to me. This has been happening over and over again.

 

  

I am enjoying the input from my friends as well, not only are they appreciative, they have been giving me all sorts of ideas and sending me butterfly pictures and messages. 

It was also rewarding for me to have another friend start the 365 day challenge after me with water as her subject. Now i feel like I am part of an exciting team of creativity and I am hoping to encourage more people to join the bandwagon.

See all of Veda's butterflies on Instagram and on Facebook.