#7: Christy L Culp: Dedication to a Studio Practice
04/26/20 • 64 min
I laughed so much talking with Christy Culp! It was a joy to hear her insights on teaching while building an art career. She talked about becoming a master questioner and learning to say yes to student ideas. She shared her road to gallery representation and how she seeks opportunities and creates community connections. We dig into how she balances all the things (hint: you have to say NO to some of them!).
Christy Culp is a studio potter and art educator making functional pottery. Her work is created to bring beauty and pleasure to objects of daily use-- coffee and tea cups, bowls, plates, platters and more.
Christy Culp teaches high school art, but started her teaching career in middle school art. She is also a lifelong student and often takes workshops to continue building skills and stretching outside her comfort zone.
I especially loved what she said about saying NO to things that are not serving you and reframing that as opening up an opportunity for someone else to step into that role. That requires prioritizing as well - deciding what you really want to say YES to - is it pulling off an amazing student art show? Perfecting lessons? Contributing to the school community? Or Studio time? Working on the business side of your art career? Or family time? Christy shared her weekly schedule with me after our interview, which includes about 2 hours of studio time every day and more on weekends. That is dedication! She also includes time with her husband, dogs, and friends, and time for pilates and exercise.
Christy also sent me a GORGEOUS mug, which she’ll be happy to hear I’ve been using for coffee each morning. The painted and carved details are beautiful! I love how the carving adds a bit of texture. The form of it is also perfect for warming my hands, which always seem to be freezing. Thank you, Christy!!
Blog post with links and images
Christy Culp Ceramics on Facebook
Arts Education Collaborative - the organization that has supported several of Christy's projects
Craftsmen's Guild of Pittsburgh
. . .
Follow: @teachingartistpodcast
Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.
We also offer opportunities for artists!
I laughed so much talking with Christy Culp! It was a joy to hear her insights on teaching while building an art career. She talked about becoming a master questioner and learning to say yes to student ideas. She shared her road to gallery representation and how she seeks opportunities and creates community connections. We dig into how she balances all the things (hint: you have to say NO to some of them!).
Christy Culp is a studio potter and art educator making functional pottery. Her work is created to bring beauty and pleasure to objects of daily use-- coffee and tea cups, bowls, plates, platters and more.
Christy Culp teaches high school art, but started her teaching career in middle school art. She is also a lifelong student and often takes workshops to continue building skills and stretching outside her comfort zone.
I especially loved what she said about saying NO to things that are not serving you and reframing that as opening up an opportunity for someone else to step into that role. That requires prioritizing as well - deciding what you really want to say YES to - is it pulling off an amazing student art show? Perfecting lessons? Contributing to the school community? Or Studio time? Working on the business side of your art career? Or family time? Christy shared her weekly schedule with me after our interview, which includes about 2 hours of studio time every day and more on weekends. That is dedication! She also includes time with her husband, dogs, and friends, and time for pilates and exercise.
Christy also sent me a GORGEOUS mug, which she’ll be happy to hear I’ve been using for coffee each morning. The painted and carved details are beautiful! I love how the carving adds a bit of texture. The form of it is also perfect for warming my hands, which always seem to be freezing. Thank you, Christy!!
Blog post with links and images
Christy Culp Ceramics on Facebook
Arts Education Collaborative - the organization that has supported several of Christy's projects
Craftsmen's Guild of Pittsburgh
. . .
Follow: @teachingartistpodcast
Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.
We also offer opportunities for artists!
Previous Episode
#6: Deborah Reilly: Encouraging the Artist Within
Deborah Reilly’s home is full of her beautiful artwork, but also beautifully decorated with calming colors, textures, and light. It was so nice to talk with her there over delicious snacks and mimosas! We chatted in a meandering way about teaching and art-making, yet kept coming back to encouraging artists - both our students and ourselves.
Deborah and I met through the organization we both work for, P.S. Arts. I was leading an art activity booth at a fundraiser and she arrived to help, wearing almost the same army-green hoodie as me, over our matching event tee-shirts and jeans. We got to chatting and discovered that we both grew up in Montana, which feels rare here in Los Angeles. Our work reflected that background - we had both been drawing and painting lots of pine trees and thinking about the fires across the Western U.S. I loved getting to visit her space and talk more about art and teaching! Thank you Deborah!!
Whether abstract paint on canvas, watercolor portraits of people or pets, marker work, kids books, or hand stitched forms with needle, burlap and thread, Deborah Reilly’s common thread is her love of line. In her work, line, shape, and color take form to represent that which is visual and that which is unseen.
Art has a unique ability to connect us to one another. Courage and compassion are required to tackle a blank canvas in whatever the context. Deborah’s role as teacher is to guide the collective and the individual to their goal. Having a sense of humor also helps..and word play...and rhyme.
Deborah takes her Montana roots with her wherever she goes and is continually drawn to the sunshine, warm tropical waters, and nature’s beauty. She travels the country with her dogs, taking the scenic route and hiking along the way.
Small Art Camps hosted in her home studio in Venice provide a great introduction to a variety of art practices in a fun and exploratory environment. Teaching is a give and take. You’ve got to listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart to guide each individual to their own expressive and creative curiosity.
Deborah holds a BFA from Montana State University, Bozeman. She shows and sells work through local venues, including Mart Bar LA, and online. She has written and illustrated 4 children’s books. The latest one is The Collected Writings of A. Morkus Dog, inspired by her beloved dog, Mork.
She teaches elementary art and has taught workshops and private lessons for both kids and adults.
Her dogs, Mork and Cleo, make their appearance in the podcast - keep an ear out for their protective barks, squeaky toys, and adorable little footsteps.
We do also swear a little bit, so this one might not be for young ears.
Blog post with links and images
deborahreillyart on Facebook
@d.reilly.art - Art
@amorkusdog - Mork
@dr.art.101 - Teaching
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
. . .
Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.
Next Episode
#8: Nikki Brugnoli: Daily Ritual as Art Practice
I loved talking with Nikki! We discussed how and why she made the shift from teaching at the university level to teaching high school and the value allowing her career dream to change brought to her life. She talked about how she balances teaching and family and art-making and how her art practice is connected to every part of her life. She uses daily rituals to continue making throughout the busy times. She talked about embracing failure as an opportunity to learn. Nikki has such an incredible way with words and I found myself wanting to write down so many of her phrases! I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
I especially liked the idea of teaching on a platform of failure, helping high-achieving students learn to embrace failure and learn from it, both in artwork and in life. I also love the lists she shared of her current inspiration. Check out the blog post to see photos and links to the books she’s reading, podcasts and music she’s listening to, and art she loves. Thank you, Nikki!!
Nikki Brugnoli received her BFA from Seton Hill University (2004) and her MFA from The Ohio State University (2007). She currently teaches studio art at Flint Hill School, in Oakton, VA and serves on the Artist Advisory Committee for the IA&A at Hillyer, Washington D.C. Previously, she served on the faculty at George Mason University and was the Assistant Graduate Programs Coordinator and Graduate Advisor in the School of Art. She also was the Coordinator of the Art Lab at the Lorton Workhouse, Lorton, VA and served as a Hamiltonian Mentor. Nikki has taught at The Ohio State University, the Northern Virginia Community Colleges, and The Renaissance School in Charlottesville, VA. Nikki’s work is included in many private collections across the United States, and is featured in national academic and public institutions.
Nikki is married to Artist/Maker, Josh Whipkey and they have one son, Finnegan, a crazy tabby kitty boy, Augustus Ravioli, and one-year old golden retriever, Joon. They started SILO PRESS, a small artist residency in their farm house in Warrenton, VA in 2017.
In her recent 2-person show with her husband, Josh Whipkey, at Riverviews Artspace, both artists aim to share their experiences of loss, transformation, re-evaluation and memory, after being displaced from their home in 2015. Check out her site for more images and poetic writing accompanying each body of work.
Blog post with images and some of Nikki's writing
Silo Press - the residency program Nikki and her husband run out of their home
. . .
Follow: @teachingartistpodcast
Support this podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, or see more ways to support here.
We also offer opportunities for artists!
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