Passionate Painter Podcast

Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

So true, and true as well for the visual artist. The act of creating is exhilarating to be sure, but it is often excruciating. If you are an artist, you’ve probably thought the same thing, whether you are just starting out or have a long career behind you.

The most important characteristic of successful creatives isn’t talent, money, a spacious studio with northern light, or even being able to devote full time attention to your craft. The most important characteristic is the will to take consistent action. You’ve got to keep showing up. The irony is that you can’t count on being inspired before you get your hands dirty. The beauty is that when you engage in your creative pursuit, the act of engaging in it often ignites inspiration. That is why in my dictionary, inspiration is a verb.

I’m your host, Caroline Italia Carlson. I’ve been an artist all my life. Both my parents were entrepreneurs and craftsmen, and I grew up amidst the grit and economic stress of family business. We lived on Long Island and I spent many days wandering the museums and galleries of New York City. My studies began early. I learned fine art and illustration, and was freelancing before I was eighteen.

I graduated from the State University at Stony Brook with a degree in painting and art history. While painting remained my first love after school, growing up in a household with two unpredictable incomes let me to launch my career in corporate marketing firms, working in print, web design and development, and illustration. My journey took me from New York to New Jersey to California, and over 20 years later I am settled in the midwest.

I continued to paint and show my work over the years, and despite winning awards for my work, I could not see my way to letting go of the security of my 9 to 5 job. Even while often freelancing at the same time.

The recent death of my father was pivotal for me however. I still enjoy the creative kaleidoscope of my corporate career, but I’m finally dedicating serious time and intention to my painting. I’m currently creating a new body of work with which to find my next gallery.

If I had to turn my artist statement into an elevator pitch, it would be that my work is about connection and loneliness. This includes connection to fellow humans and our kindred spirits in the animal world. It’s about the gap between what is said and what we feel but cannot say. We are all connected and we need each other. If you look at life from the end first, nothing else really matters.

I have created this podcast to encourage other artists to continue to create. For the most part, the episodes will consist of artist interviews. You’ll get practical tips and techniques and hear how they’ve created successful careers. You’ll also hear from people on the business end of the art world as they share insights into getting yourself out there and navigating the waters. And finally, you’ll have a front row seat as I share my victories and screw-ups along the way. And I’m sure the Journey will be worth it.

I hope you’ll join me. Feel free to sign up for my mailing list at carolineitalia.com to receive exclusive bonus materials. I’d also love for you to message me about podcast topics you are interested in, and pictures of your art as you show up and create.

Don’t forget, if you’re making art out of passion for the creative journey, whether it’s your full time career, a side-gig, or a hobby, you are an artist and you have people. I would be honored to count myself among them.

Until next time,

Go make something.

Welcome back to my interview in progress with American painter Lisa Daly Kansas. Please note there's a point in the interview that I jump off the mic to quickly grab something to show Lisa in our Zoom call. For those of you listening in audio-only format, it's a framed photo of two paper checks I received in the mail. You'll understand the rest when you hear it.
That said, don't forget the full video of this interview can be seen on the show notes page for either episode at passionaterpainterpodcast.com.
And if you haven't yet listened to part 1, you might want to go back and listen to that first to hear Lisa's bio and learn about her origin as an artist, how she began selling her work, her social media strategy, and advice on art fairs.
You can find it at passionatepainterpodcast.com/episode92.

Welcome to part 2 of my interview in progress with American Painter Amy Peterman. In this second half, we talk about how Amy sells her art, keeping production costs down, selling prints, where Amy turns for mentoring, and so much more.

If you haven't yet listened to part 1, I recommend you go back and listen to that first, to hear Amy's bio and hear about her background, her process, making time for her art, her biggest challenge, and so much more. You can find it at passionatepainterpodcast.com/episode83.

Amy and I met at the 2022 Waterfront Arts Festival in Escanaba, up here in the lovely Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was honored to be asked to judge the paintings at this year's festival, where many talented artists exhibited and sold their work.

I discovered Amy was a kindred spirit, having a professional background in graphic design and freelancing for a living, like me, while working on her paintings. We were also both raised by craftsman parents who worked with furniture, glass, and fabric. We both gave up studying a string instrument in high school to spend more time in art, and enjoyed exposure to a wide range of techniques before college.

We're practically twins. If she'd told me she'd also gone on a secret mission to rescue a chicken in her freshman year at university, I definitely would have been creeped out.

Amy's expressionistic landscapes are captivating, with strong compositions and fearless brushwork. I was struck by how many paintings she had on display, in addition to prints, each more beautiful than the next. I was grateful artists were required to designate one for consideration in the best-in-show category. I never could have picked one from the others.

In looking at her work, I could see Amy's unflagging commitment to making her art despite any obstacles or demands on her time. She is prolific, professional, and organized. I was truly inspired and I knew you would love to hear from her.

Needless to say, Amy took the prize that day, and I can confirm she deserved it. She has since become a good friend and agreed to come on the show. It's full of great information and encouragement.
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Kimberly Brooks is a contemporary American artist known for her portraits and landscapes in series addressing history, memory, and identity. Her work has been showcased in numerous juried exhibitions among museum curators including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Her recent solo show, “Painting Architecture”, at the Museum of Art and History Lancaster featured large interiors and landscapes collapsing in on one another.

Throughout her thirty-year career, Brooks has focused on the medium of oil with occasional integrations of gold and silver leaf. in 2008, Brooks started to feel increasingly suspicious about the fumes she inhaled as a part of her practice. Coinciding with modern science and historical manuscripts, Brooks created an ultimate guide for oil painters illuminating why solvents aren’t necessary when you oil paint. Learn more about Kimberly and how to contact her in the show notes for this episode at passionatepainterpodcast.com/episode70

Cheri Christensen was born in Enumclaw Washington, a small rural town of horse, dairy and cattle ranches at the foot of Mt. Rainier. Cheri's grandfather was a cattle rancher there and he was a big influence on her choice of subject matter today.
Cheri studied oil painting and drawing intensely for three years with Ron Lukas, a protege of Sergei Bongart, who taught in the tradition of the Russian Impressionists. Cheri concentrates on seeing and conveying the effects of color and light on form. The first painting she submitted to a competition was included in a prestigious exhibition at the Charles Emma Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington, and the first painting to include farm animals received the Beatrice Jackson Memorial award for Best Traditional Landscape in the Allied Artists of America 1995 show.
Currently, Cheri is represented at several galleries, McLarry Fine Art in Santa Fe N.M., InSight Gallery in Fredericksburg Texas, Eisenhauer Gallery on Martha's Vineyard, and Roby King Gallery on Bainbridge Island, WA. Cheri has been featured in several magazines such as American Art Collector, Western Art Collector, and Southwest Art Magazine. She currently has 5 videos available through Liliedahl Video Productions, "Straight Ahead," "Highlight," "Keeping an Eye Out," " Bushwork & Backlight" and her new video "The Color of White" where she demonstrates both her brush and palette knife techniques. She is also featured in the books, "Art Journey, New Mexico," and "Finding your Visual Voice. A Painter's Guide to Developing an Artistic Style." She currently resides in Texas.
" I am inspired by the simple everyday interaction of the animals in their environment: the way the light dances across the form, the harmony of color relationships and the shapes of light and shadow. I prefer early-morning light or late afternoon settings, with extreme back-lighting. My focus is on the farm animals, their character and the use of color, light and texture to convey a mood. "
—Cheri Christensen
You can see some of Cheri’s work and get his contact information in the show notes at passionatepainterpodcast.com