Episode Transcript
Speaker 2 00:00:22 Okay. Welcome to the Frame Center podcast. Uh, we're back with our second episode for 2023, and I'm really excited to have our guest today, Laura Jennings. Laura's a fantastic artist who has paintings in numerous places, but she's also a fantastic person. I'm always enjoyed talking to her, so I'm really looking forward to the conversation today and looking forward to getting her out in front of the people that listen and don't
Speaker 3 00:00:50 Know. Hopefully we can broaden your audience to a whole bunch of new people, so well,
Speaker 4 00:00:53 Yeah, thank you you so much for having me. I'm so flattered and honored to be here.
Speaker 2 00:00:57 Oh, uh, you know, I'm excited to have you in, um, I'm a big fan of your work. We had some of your pieces hanging during the holiday show. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 4 00:01:04 <affirmative>. Yeah, that was a great idea.
Speaker 2 00:01:05 Yeah. No Dina's idea, but, you know, <laugh> MySpace, so I get, I get, I get partial credit.
Speaker 3 00:01:12 It's a my line on that area.
Speaker 2 00:01:13 Yeah. I get partial credit for it. Um, but yeah. And you're in, you're in Marshfield, right? Yep. And you've been in Marshal for a long time, or
Speaker 4 00:01:21 18 years I think. Mm, okay. Now maybe, yeah. About 18 and a
Speaker 3 00:01:24 Half. Have you always been, uh, up this way, like
Speaker 4 00:01:27 In North or were Yeah, I, I actually grew up in Massachusetts mm-hmm. <affirmative>, but then I, after college was gone for about 20 years. Oh, okay. Up and down, mostly up and down the, uh, east Coast. East Coast, yeah. From, but from Maine to Connecticut to DC and other places in Virginia and Florida and, and then back <laugh>. And so I was really happy to be back. I mean, it was fun. It was an interesting
Speaker 3 00:01:50 Oh,
Speaker 4 00:01:50 Sure. Yeah. But I'm happy to be back in Massachusetts and, and I love Marshfield.
Speaker 3 00:01:54 Yeah. Well, that's how you get to that change of scope. The impressions from other areas to you did affect your artwork. So make
Speaker 4 00:02:00 Sure, meet a lot a difference of interesting people along the way. Very true. That helped me, you know? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so it's, yeah. It's been really nice. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:02:08 Yeah. Did you, you study painting in, in, in college?
Speaker 4 00:02:11 College, yep. I did. I went to, uh, Westfield State University. Okay. And majored in art. And then I went, uh, to a time abroad over in England at, um, Trent University, and that was a crazy art school. Hmm. Um, and then years later, um, went back to school at, uh, salve Regina. Okay. Um, so a little bit of that. But then I, I started off as a graphic designer for about eight or nine years. Ah, yes. Yeah. And then that's why I was originally school people. Yep. You're like, how are you gonna make a living as an artist that your parents would say to you, or, I don't know, mine. Or,
Speaker 3 00:02:46 The great thing is I can identify all these fonts now, and that's, that's what's really important. Well, yeah, I guess I could, that's what I could,
Speaker 4 00:02:52 I guess I could still identify a few. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:02:54 But it's, yeah, it does art, layout, design, structure, placements, things like that. It
Speaker 4 00:03:01 Does give you an element of that design piece, I think too. And I loved doing
Speaker 3 00:03:05 It. Oh yeah. No, it's a great time. Yeah. It's just, unfortunately when I was going up for it, it was that change over from analog to digital. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> going from a dark room to doing everything with scans and photographs on the computer Right. To it, you know? Yeah. That time between floppy disk and CD <laugh>. Oh, same. So it was, it was a very different, uh, time and nobody kind of knew where it was going yet, so they couldn't really structure or plan you out for a future yet. They didn't know, uh, but they didn't tell you that, of course, <laugh>. So, every place I went to was either very old school or so new school, I had no idea what was going on, so. Oh, yeah. Luckily, uh, framing came into my life so <laugh>. Oh yeah. I can put that art history background into, into use too, so, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:03:46 So
Speaker 3 00:03:46 It's, it
Speaker 4 00:03:47 Works. Yeah. In fact, I did a little stints framing too for a long, long time. Really?
Speaker 2 00:03:51 Now, really? Where'd
Speaker 4 00:03:51 You do where you were framing? It was at, um, the Torpedo Factory in, uh, Alexandria, Virginia. Oh, cool. And I went around cuz I knew, I, I think I was still a graphic designer then. Yeah. I was. And I knew I wanted to be an artist, so I was painting a little bit here and there, and I was just trying to figure out how the heck am I going to like, get into this whole thing? Yeah. And, um, I went around like literally knocking on all the artists stores, like, do you need an assistant that that will, but you're gonna pay me? Right, right.
Speaker 2 00:04:19 I like the name the Torpedo Factory.
Speaker 3 00:04:21 Yeah. Was it done by the Naval Yards?
Speaker 4 00:04:23 Oh, um, I don't, it must've been, I
Speaker 3 00:04:26 Don't remember. Yeah. I just know that Rodney has, has some naval yards and things. That's why torpedoes make sense for, you know, like,
Speaker 4 00:04:31 Yeah, it was an old factory,
Speaker 3 00:04:32 But Oh, well then that makes sense
Speaker 4 00:04:33 Too. Yeah. Well that made, uh, torpedo
Speaker 3 00:04:34 <laugh>. They might have been making
Speaker 4 00:04:36 <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:04:37 It's far enough away that we don't have to hold it
Speaker 3 00:04:39 Against you. Yeah, exactly. No direct competition there. Competition a
Speaker 4 00:04:43 Couple states. Yeah, it was, it was, yeah. <laugh> and she just had me do some framing and I don't know, other little things
Speaker 2 00:04:49 That, did you feel like that helps too with, with, with your, the presentation of your artwork? Like having an understanding of that? Um,
Speaker 4 00:04:56 Not especially to be, be honest with you, I had a, I like, it's very strange. I love painting. Yeah. And I really don't like, like that's why I love you guys. Yeah. I love bringing my work here. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And you tell me what I should do. <laugh>. Yeah. <laugh> for the, for the framing. Sure, sure. Because I
Speaker 3 00:05:12 Don't, well, there's a lot of different ways. Like the ones you have on display here, you've got them, you know, in floater frames versus, you know, traditional, traditional framing set up to where you don't lose or cover any of your
Speaker 4 00:05:21 Artwork. I know, I, I think for cuz of, well those paintings particularly mm-hmm. <affirmative>, but a lot of my work, I feel like I go to the very end.
Speaker 3 00:05:29 Very true. Yeah. And
Speaker 4 00:05:30 It's very
Speaker 3 00:05:31 A little, you watch every aspect of
Speaker 4 00:05:32 The, it's important. So I can't really have anything covering it, so that's why important. But
Speaker 3 00:05:36 They also make your pieces feel more open. They don't have a defined edge, so, you know, it looks like it's part of the room. It doesn't feel constrained or constricted. So it's nice.
Speaker 4 00:05:44 So, yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Well, you, you know, you guys are amazing with everything that you do with
Speaker 2 00:05:51 Yeah. The ones you have behind, the ones we got behind us, they're all the interior shots.
Speaker 4 00:05:57 Yeah. Those are all I love. That's really my jam. I have to say I love doing interiors. That's my favorite thing to paint. Um, but I paint everything. I paint landscapes and I paint still life and figurative work. And
Speaker 2 00:06:10 Are these ones on location or are these like,
Speaker 4 00:06:14 Um, no, I, so they,
Speaker 2 00:06:16 Me like memory imagining things or are you
Speaker 4 00:06:18 A little bit of everything. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So basically, um, I, cuz you know, I was raising three kids so I wasn't gonna be able to go Sorry kids. Yeah. I'm gonna just go paint for a while. Yeah. <laugh>. See you later.
Speaker 3 00:06:29 I got to go on location. I'll not be here. So. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 00:06:33 Um, but I would just take a, like a ton of photographs at a place that inspired me. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and then I would come back to the studio and just kind of figure out, but I'd have memories of them, you know, what I was seeing. Oh sure. Yeah. And I never hardly ever anyway followed what the colors were that I saw mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So I usually, those were kind of all in my own head.
Speaker 3 00:06:51 Yeah. You developed a palette based on what you saw would work well with mm-hmm. <affirmative> with your lighting and colors. Cuz I mean, I hadn't been as familiar with your work up until now, just the few pieces that I've seen you bring in, but like your actual portfolio of pieces. I went on the site earlier today to familiarize myself with and in your interior sections here, I love the theme of a, they all have a very lived in look. They don't look like they're, you know, a staged area of like a, you know, a furniture store or a housing that's about to be sold for someone they, they feel lived in. And I, I, I really like that kind of difference in that. And the dramatic lighting. You have light and shadow in all the pieces, you know, it feels like a living room, so.
Speaker 4 00:07:31 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, thank you. Yeah. I love, well I love a, actually an underlying theme for I think almost all my work is the tension between chaos and tranquility. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And I think that kind of, for most paintings kind of comes across, but also it's about sort of taking that moment to reflect and Oh, sure. Pay attention to that. So that's kind of another aspect a
Speaker 3 00:07:51 Lot of, but I feel this is how people's homes typically can be in most times. So they would feel more of a connection to something that, you know, like I said, doesn't look like it's in a museum. <laugh>, like a, a stationary still life. Like it's, it's, it's living, it's breathing, you know, that kind of kind of design. That's, that's what I like about it. Yeah. On these ones. And like I said, these dramatic light and shadow pieces that you have going across definitely change here. Your pigmentation of, of like this mostly blue scale kitchen area except for where the light comes across and you get this, these pale green hue. It's really nice. Ah,
Speaker 4 00:08:24 Thank you. Yeah. I, well I love light. I mean that's, there's many artists too. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's so much about the light. Um,
Speaker 3 00:08:31 Yeah. Light and shadow seems to be really prevalent in most of the, your paintings that I've seen too. Yeah. Like it's even, even in your differences in your landscape where you go from some very detailed pieces to some that are more, you know, simple mm-hmm. <affirmative> designs, you're, you compensate that with dramatic shadow and lightings, which I think really again, makes the painting become interesting and alive. So
Speaker 4 00:08:53 Yeah. Thanks. I, yeah. I, well I just, I can just be stopped still all the time looking at light fall across anything honestly. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>,
Speaker 2 00:09:01 <laugh>, the landscapes. You do, you, we, you know, the, we've been doing a lot of those for you. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:09:07 The
Speaker 2 00:09:07 Little ones. Yeah. And now is the, the landscapes, you try to keep those on a small scale? Or is that for by, by design? Is that what the
Speaker 4 00:09:15 Uh, that's a good question. <laugh>. Um,
Speaker 2 00:09:18 Well, opposed to like, some of these, you know, obviously some of the bigger interior shots, are those more done? Cause you're, you know, those are gonna move.
Speaker 4 00:09:27 Uh, a combination of reasons. Um, I've been doing a, some plain air painting mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Oh yes. So I'm not, you know, I don't wanna bring anything huge when I do that mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So that's, that's part of that. Yeah. Yeah. Um, um,
Speaker 2 00:09:40 Yeah, we were tell when we were used to sell a ton of like nine by 12, uh, gallery frames, just cuz that was like the perfect size to fit in these, like those plin airs.
Speaker 3 00:09:50 Yeah. The little carry along wooden easel setups that you could, there was also the tripod,
Speaker 2 00:09:54 It's funny, one that dictates the, like how the size works Yeah. Travel. The smaller ones are more cuz it's easier to paint
Speaker 4 00:10:03 On location. Yeah. They're easier for that. They're, um, if I'm trying to figure out something, I like the small ones I've been kind of exploring with a few different kind of styles I think. So those work well for that. There's also a practicality too of Oh sure. Certain, you know, like I, I'm a member of the Copper Society of Art mm-hmm. <affirmative> and they always have a small work show. Yep. So you can only be so big. Right. And so, you know, <laugh> and also not everyone has the space or whatnot for those sorts of
Speaker 3 00:10:30 Things. Well, even if you were painting something that was on a larger scale, trying to get something complete all in one sitting to like see your light and see how it plays on an area. You may have to come back a couple times for something that's that big and then your light's not the same depending on, I know weather, you know, time of year and all kinds of other things. So the smaller one, I'm sure affords you more times to get a piece finished, if not almost completely finished before having to
Speaker 4 00:10:55 Worry about that man as that light moves so fast. Oh yeah. S I mean, I'm not really, you know, there's people especially time of year do this so much better than I do, but yeah, there, it's just, it's a hard thing to do. Yeah. It's, I think it's really hard. I, I'm more of a studio painter. I like being in the studio and slowly taking that down. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:11:11 Well you have controlled environment, you have the ability to work at your own leisure with that. And things like, like you said, out on the field, it's like, you know, <laugh> five minutes later, all of a sudden, you know, the weather around here in New England. Oh
Speaker 4 00:11:21 Yeah. It's just
Speaker 3 00:11:23 Went from nice 90 day to blustery and rainy and half a half a second, but especially on the coast. Yeah. You know, so Yes. But I, I thinks so many my favorite
Speaker 4 00:11:31 Ones out there.
Speaker 3 00:11:32 <laugh>. I got a love, I love the lily pad. Oh, the lily pads here with this, these, this nice, you know, blue purple water here and all that. Just the, the color that pops off of that one is, is very dramatic. So
Speaker 4 00:11:44 Thanks. That was from, um, I had an art residency. I was awarded this residency through the Kale Society of Art to, um, live and work down in p town at, at the Fine Artwork Center. Oh, okay. And it was honestly one of the most like, amazing experiences of my whole life. Okay. So I was there for a whole month and Oh, wow. Yeah. I would bike ride every day and so I would bike ride by these lily pads. So, um, I didn't take my easel over there, but I did, like, I had lots of photographs and lots of visual memory Oh sure. Yeah. Experience. So I did some paintings from that ex that whole experience
Speaker 2 00:12:19 Of being there in the summertime.
Speaker 4 00:12:21 Um, it was in, I feel like it was like the last week in August and into September. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 00:12:26 Yeah. It's a nice
Speaker 4 00:12:27 Time down. It was really great. Yeah. And then I also had one at, um, at the, um, in the dune shacks. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Do you know, have you heard the dune shacks down at the InTown?
Speaker 2 00:12:36 Is that like the, like the, uh, there's like, is that, there are like rows of them? Is that
Speaker 4 00:12:42 No, they're like actually in the dunes. Okay. So like they, there's like these like literal shacks that are like maybe, you know, I don't know, like nine feet by 10 feet or something. It's
Speaker 3 00:12:54 A little bit bigger than a shed <laugh>.
Speaker 4 00:12:56 Yeah. Yeah. And then you have no running water, no electricity. Oh God. Yeah. Um, no heat. And it was just, I just had two weeks to just live there. Okay. And they're, and the shacks are very far away from each other. It's not like you see them, they're
Speaker 3 00:13:09 Isolated.
Speaker 4 00:13:09 Yeah. So, yeah. And so, but you're, you're on like a big, big dune. Oh, that's cool. And then you, the ocean is right there. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:13:16 So makes for a great subject matter. And
Speaker 4 00:13:18 Imagine a big, it was just the, that was really, that was another really great experience. It was just so, so cool. And just, uh, very quiet and contemplative. And you're off the grid and Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:13:28 No distractions from,
Speaker 2 00:13:29 Do you know anyone down there? So you get to get some running water,
Speaker 4 00:13:32 Get a shot? No, they have a <laugh> <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:13:36 Oh. Just go like full out niff mode.
Speaker 4 00:13:38 Yeah. Just braided my hair. I know they had, um, they had little, um, you know, those little bags that you heat up through the sun?
Speaker 3 00:13:47 Oh yeah. You know the solar bags.
Speaker 4 00:13:48 Yeah, that's, yeah. So you would find a place that wasn't windy around the shack outside. Yeah. And you would just like run, like I learned to do it really quickly. I would like, I figured out how, how did I figure out there was a method. I figured out that what's the best way? So you could stay sort of warm and go really fast and then run back in
Speaker 3 00:14:04 Before that coastal breeze hit you.
Speaker 2 00:14:06 Yeah. <laugh>, that's, that's like the, a legit outdoor shower express dry, not like these new outdoor showers.
Speaker 3 00:14:12 No, no, no.
Speaker 4 00:14:13 And it was, no. And they had the really, honestly, the cutest outhouse you'd ever, it was like really adorable. I'm like, oh, this is not so bad. <laugh>. That's funny. Um, so yeah, it was just, so I did shower <laugh> and they, and they did have a, um, a pump, a water pump.
Speaker 3 00:14:29 Ah, there you go. That's so old school. Yeah. Yeah. From a Well, yeah. Nice.
Speaker 4 00:14:32 Yes. Yeah. It was, it was,
Speaker 3 00:14:34 That sounds was, but I'm sure that's a, that experience has gotta be different. So
Speaker 4 00:14:37 I think that was like five years ago. No kidding. Yeah, it was. Yeah. I wanna go back. I just loved
Speaker 2 00:14:42 That. And how did you get, how did you end up getting asked to do
Speaker 4 00:14:46 That? That was through, uh, I had to apply for it and I should know this. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, oh, the, the mm
Speaker 5 00:14:54 Oh, the pressure of being on the spot. It was the Outer Cape Artist's Residency consortium that had granted her time to stay at the p Town shacks.
Speaker 4 00:15:03 But it was a great organization. Yeah. And it was, uh, I did a lot of paintings from both of those residencies. Oh yeah. They were great.
Speaker 3 00:15:09 We gotta talk about these still
Speaker 2 00:15:10 Lives. The still lives. Which one? What do we got? The bowls of cereal. Oh yeah, that's where, that's where I was going because, because the bowls of cereal is, you know, some of the first is an interesting setup. Some of the first stuff that I'd seen in yours. And I think that, I'm trying to remember cuz that was a a, I show a Duxbury Right. You had a dex The Are complex.
Speaker 4 00:15:31 Um, was maybe,
Speaker 2 00:15:33 Um, I feel like I remember seeing something there,
Speaker 4 00:15:35 Like the art complex museum probably did, did something there and then probably at North
Speaker 2 00:15:39 River. Yeah. And I, cause I hung a show at North River and I remember, like I, I remember, I feel like I, you know, I'd seen like some from the series in Duxbury and then I remember hanging, hanging them and they were up on the stage. And I can't remember if it was on the far left or if it was in the center. Dead
Speaker 4 00:15:57 Center. Center. I
Speaker 2 00:15:57 Remember center. It was a dead center. Yeah. Yeah. Cause it was such like a
Speaker 4 00:16:00 Strong, great job by the way,
Speaker 2 00:16:01 <laugh>. It was like such a strong piece. So, you know, cause I've, you know, I've hung that there, uh, the festival show for them for a number of bes now. And, and you know, I don't know if you remember when that, when those were in, in Marshville, but it goes back at least that far. Yeah. But I remember, you know, it was such a strong piece that me and Michael, um, who helped me with, helps me with it. Uh, you know, it had to be up on the stage and it had, you know, dead, dead Center Sounds right cuz it was just like such a strong piece.
Speaker 4 00:16:34 Yeah. It, well, I love doing those, those were all inspired by my mom. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, because I was really close to her. She passed away, um, 18 years ago now. Oh wow. Yeah. And, um, and I, we were just, I we were just so, so close. And so I, I knew that I wanted to do some sort of homage to her after she died. And um, well actually while she was still alive, we had a thing about like, if something happens to one of us, we will leave shells on each other's beds. If there's a way to do that too. That's where that comes from. Okay. Yeah. To allow the other person to let them know that they're okay from the afterlife, if there's some way to do something like that. There you go. So, um, I ended up getting my sign, which is a long story, which I won't go into. But, um, that was, it was really cool. And so I thought I was gonna do these paintings of shells and make them sort of ethereal. And I did a couple of 'em, but they weren't kind of working out the way I thought. And, um, and then I, I don't know what happened, but for some reason I ended up doing this big bowl of Cheerios. Yeah. It was a big painting. And,
Speaker 2 00:17:33 Um, yeah, I feel like they were like
Speaker 4 00:17:34 30. Yeah. Most of them are pretty big. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:17:36 They're large scale.
Speaker 4 00:17:37 Most of them are, some are small. All the small ones. I almost all of them I think are gone. But, um, the, I did a large, one of, of Cheerios and my mother had a thing for pretty linens, so there's always, always these sort of backgrounds. And then she could,
Speaker 3 00:17:50 That's my favorite one. It's the multi-grain Cheerios with the Paisley background is, is fantastic.
Speaker 4 00:17:56 Um, she could only eat, uh, Cheerios at the end cuz she had cancer and, um, and she drank tea. So a lot of them are tea, but some are coffee.
Speaker 3 00:18:04 There's her little shell right there.
Speaker 4 00:18:05 Yeah. And there's always shells in them. Yeah. And um, and then what happened was this girl was, uh, being interviewed, she was like nine years old, and she was being asked, her mom was sick and she was dying. Uh, and so before she, you know, died, they took some really great trips to the day she said. So she was asked, look, what was your favorite time with your mom? And she said, well, you know, we went to Disney World and we went to Europe, and that was really Oh wow, great. And she said, but my favorite time was, you know, she stick it up at two o'clock in the morning and go downstairs and have Cheerios. And so she said, mom, will you wake me up next time? And they did. They went down and they had their Cheerios. And she said, that was really my favorite
Speaker 3 00:18:40 Time. That's funny how those little things stick with you, isn't it? Yeah,
Speaker 4 00:18:42 Yeah, yeah. So that, but that was like the light bulb thing for me. And then the whole series came from that because I said, oh yeah, yeah, they're fantastic. These, these moments are really important. That's why they're really blown up and in your face and mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know.
Speaker 3 00:18:54 But I love it. It's like, it's such a, like I said, it's a simple and wholesome idea to have a, a painting of a bowl of cereal. Yeah. But then you've got like all this hyper detail with these, like you said, fine linen cloths and, um, just even some of the, the plates have some detailing in 'em that have like the blends of a, a ceramic glaze or something along those that just kinda, again, speak to home. I think my other favorite one here is just one of the tricks with the amethyst glass that you've got here, refracting the light. Oh, yeah. Like, that is fantastic. <laugh>, you know, again, these are just something that people can relate to. It's something people have seen, so it's not pieces
Speaker 4 00:19:27 Of home. Well it's so interesting that you bring that up because I agree. I think that's the thing. I feel like, you know, most of us anyway, grew up eating cereal mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, and then as parents, we, you know, you start to ditch, we give that, we give our kids cereal. Yeah. And then, you know, it, it is kind of a universal thing. And of course it depends on what culture you come from, I'm sure, but Oh, sure. But it's, but it is like, it's pretty universal no matter where
Speaker 3 00:19:49 You are, you, I can identify every single one of those cereals,
Speaker 4 00:19:52 <laugh>, <laugh>.
Speaker 3 00:19:53 But then you've also got these ones of like the muscles, the clamps, the always, you know, there and the croissant. Uh, they're, they're just, like I said, all stuff that people, like I said, can feel a connection to or, or have a, something that might invoke a memory of, you know, like you said, something as simple as going downstairs at two in the morning for a bowl of cereal, you know? Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's, it's very funny, you know? Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:20:15 I thought that was a cool series. And I, yeah, like I said, I distinctly remember 'em all being big, but there was some, you did some smaller one, there was some of those a smaller scale.
Speaker 4 00:20:24 Yeah, I did some that were 12 by twelves. Yeah. I think I had
Speaker 2 00:20:27 All squares though.
Speaker 4 00:20:28 All all square. Yeah. Yeah. There're always square. Perfect,
Speaker 2 00:20:30 Perfect
Speaker 3 00:20:31 Fit for, yeah. It's a nice profile. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:20:33 Um,
Speaker 2 00:20:34 Yeah, I think that was the, that was the, I think the first, you know, that's how I first, you know, saw, saw your work, and then I think the, you were doing something in the, the VNA or was it, or
Speaker 4 00:20:46 At Cancer Support,
Speaker 2 00:20:47 Community Cancer Support. Yeah. That isn't in that same building, right. As
Speaker 4 00:20:51 The Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:20:51 Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:20:52 Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:20:53 So is, is that how you started work? Did you do, do you do work with different cancer groups and things like that,
Speaker 4 00:20:58 Or? Well, I, I, so as an artist, you know, artists have to usually wear a couple hats in the world because
Speaker 3 00:21:04 <laugh>
Speaker 4 00:21:04 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So, um, so tech support, I know <laugh>. Yeah. So I was, you know, I feel really fortunate that I've been able to stay in the art world Yeah. And keep, you know, doing just what you like to do, being creative. Right. <laugh>, so, so I teach, I teach oil painting. Yes. I see. And then I, um, have an expressive arts practice. So that's like another aspect of things, which is sort of a therapeutic process. So, nice. I work with a lot of different communities. So one is, uh, the cancer support community that I worked with mm-hmm. <affirmative> I worked with as at risk teens. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, oh,
Speaker 3 00:21:36 That's another, that's another great
Speaker 4 00:21:38 One. Either. Um, gosh, I'm gonna like forget. Um, oh, palliative care kids and their families, um, bereavement and then just regular folks that are just trying to figure out some stuff. Yeah. And, you know, or just self-discovery kind of
Speaker 2 00:21:51 Stuff. Yeah. The ex What's the expressive, expressive arts? Like how do you, how does that, like how does one get like
Speaker 4 00:21:58 In that? Yeah, yeah. Um, well, interestingly enough, I have a friend who's a writer who, um, was going back to school at Salve Regina mm-hmm. <affirmative> for this program. And she was explaining it to me and it, and it, I was like, and I think I, I believe it, or it's, so, I dunno how to explain this, but even teaching, I feel like I was doing expressive arts with my students, but I didn't know I was doing it. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, because I'm such a touchy feely person. And I'm, and I'm like, oh, but you know, there's feelings that can be created through paintings and whatnot. So, um, so it was just kind of a weird kind of segue into all that. Yeah. And then, um, when she was telling me about the program, I'm like, wait, what are you doing? I like, there's a whole career out there doing this stuff. Oh my God. Yeah. So like, I'm, can I go to school with you <laugh>? Yeah. So,
Speaker 2 00:22:44 So Expresso is kind of a, it's a form of therapy, right?
Speaker 4 00:22:47 Yeah. It's a therapeutic, um, it's like a, it's, it, I act like a midwife kind of. Yeah. And so what I do is sort of help you to discover what it is that you need to figure out mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So I give you tools and, you know, through a series of different exercises, like four different modalities mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So there's, you know, I don't even call it art because you don't have to be an artist mm-hmm. <affirmative>, just image making, um, simple writing exercises. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, um, um, movement and sound. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, through those things. And then I sort of try to figure out a program that's good for whatever, you know, community I'm working with or for that individual, what might be appropriate to help facilitate them to figure out what they need to Yeah. Or not to feel like, or like for, you know, um, for people that have cancer, you know, to figure out how not to feel so lonely or mm-hmm. <affirmative> sad or angry or isolated. Yeah. You know, all the, all the things that kind of can, can sometimes come with that. Oh yeah. So, um, it's a,
Speaker 3 00:23:46 It's, it cascades very quickly sometimes, like how, how fast it all hits you, like a Right. It's on the bricks, you know? So, um, yeah. Art, it's a great expression for that. That's, it
Speaker 4 00:23:57 Is,
Speaker 3 00:23:57 It's such a, that's how I got into it. I started doing Saturday art classes in the local watercolor place when my, when my after my father passed. That was a way to, like I said, just as a way to get that kind of, you know, thing going. And then after that it's like, I forgot. That's the whole reason I was there. I was just there for, you know, cuz I was enjoying it and stuff. So it's, it's a great segue. It might unlock something. Um, we had a lot of people during Covid who had, who were stuck at home or isolated it and, and, and had no nothing to do or nowhere to go and found out that they could draw, they could paint, they could Yeah. Write books. And we had so many new people come in that had never been here before, and we got to meet so many new people and they knew, I'm like, oh, you've been doing this for a long time. No, this is my second painting. And I'm like,
Speaker 4 00:24:41 <laugh>, what?
Speaker 3 00:24:43 Yeah. Well I watched your YouTube video. I'm like, oh, YouTube's a savior for that kind of thing. They show you how to do everything. Yeah. But it was a nice, like I said, it's a way, it's an outlet, a way to get those, those things out. So that's a, that's a great, great thing that you're doing there, so.
Speaker 4 00:24:56 Oh, thanks. Yeah. It's, I love, I love
Speaker 2 00:24:58 It. Solving, solve, solving problems and making, making art, solving problems, helping people,
Speaker 4 00:25:02 Figuring it out. And, you know, and I do it on myself too. Like, I'm not, you know, I have stuff that I'm going like, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? Like, or I'm getting crazy and I'm, so I'll just sit down and do one of my own
Speaker 3 00:25:12 Exercises. <laugh>. Exactly. Can, you know, but now you know the, the steps to do it. So it's, it's like you don't have to like, well that's the thing. Fumble through it.
Speaker 4 00:25:19 <laugh>. So I try to like teach people like, you can do this, you
Speaker 2 00:25:22 Know? Yeah. And there was a like an actual structured class to teach.
Speaker 4 00:25:25 Oh yeah. It was like, it was, it was like, it took me, well, I mean, I guess you probably could do it. It was an intensive program. Yeah. So it was on weekends and you went all weekend and then you had all this homework to do and Oh, yeah. So it, I fully
Speaker 3 00:25:38 Took and Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:25:40 <laugh>. Yeah. It took, yeah. I have like a CGS from doing it. So it was, I think it took me like five years, or three or five years to go through the whole thing. Yeah. Because I just did a little bit at a time. Cuz again, you know, you're working and kids and
Speaker 2 00:25:53 <laugh>. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:25:54 Slow process. And it was really intensive. I mean, I, I had two hours of homework every day, <laugh>. Oh no, goodness. At
Speaker 3 00:25:59 Least. Yeah. Back in school. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:26:01 <laugh>.
Speaker 3 00:26:03 So
Speaker 2 00:26:03 Yeah, I felt like when I used to paint, I did, you know, I did it as like a stress reliever mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But that was, you know, again, with like, with the, uh, I think I also mixed that with like, you know, having a couple drinks to like unwind, but, you know. Yeah. But you know, it did do, do the trick, you know, I think that was how I, you know, started with, with when I, when I painted. But you, I I, I didn't have any formal, uh, you know, probably, you know, probably a formal class would, you know, solve, help, solve or bring some of my problems to life. You know, <laugh>,
Speaker 4 00:26:35 We're all trying to figure
Speaker 2 00:26:36 Out, figure out what's wrong with just a natural,
Speaker 3 00:26:38 It's a naturally talented set up for it. So that's,
Speaker 2 00:26:41 That's funny. But the, uh, yeah. So the, the cereal bowls, are you still going, going back to any of those? Or is that kind of, well, do you kind
Speaker 3 00:26:49 Of, there's always new cereals coming out, so I'm just saying you
Speaker 2 00:26:51 Can just, you kind of close the chapter on like, uh,
Speaker 4 00:26:54 I haven't re you know, it's kind of interesting. I haven't done them for quite some time. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I, but I keep thinking that I wanna go back. Like I don't feel like I'm totally finished with it. Yeah. And maybe that's part of like, I don't like the oatmeal. Maybe end it <laugh>, maybe oatmeal. Yeah. Um, so, but I haven't done it for a long time cuz I've just been so, I've got so many ideas in my head that I'll Sure never live long enough
Speaker 3 00:27:16 To get them all out. Well, she get everything out on cam on paper. Yeah. So it's, it's, it's very tough,
Speaker 4 00:27:19 But it's a hard thing to, to get everything.
Speaker 3 00:27:22 Yeah. Well, I mean the, the palette's fantastic. I mean they're very, you know, similar in palette across the board, they remind me of almost like, um, colors that you would see in like a Norman Rockwell, you know, like those Oh yeah, yeah. Those slightly subdued tones that are just kind of, you know, this, there's a brightness to it even with them being, you know, toned down. Which I really like. Like I said, like I said that the amethyst glass, the, the reflection, the reflection, reflection of Light <laugh>, I can speak, um, like I said, really just kind of brings it up. But also these vibrant reds you've got under some of these ones they just really kind of pop against the White Bowl. Like, I mean, you can do so many different variations and it would, you could put them still all together on a wall and it would almost have like a, the way they're set up on the screen right now is very, almost like patchwork quilt looking to me like how it's, you know, like those little squares. Thanks. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:28:09 Yeah. Did you get commissions for the, uh, the cereals? Anyone ask for put it a special request? I
Speaker 4 00:28:14 Don't think I had a commission for a cereal, but I would take one <laugh>. Yeah. Listeners. Fun way to go, like get back into it.
Speaker 2 00:28:21 Yeah. A lot of the paintings you do are about most on speck or do you fair amount of commission work
Speaker 4 00:28:27 Too? I feel like commissions seem to come in waves for me. Yeah. Like I, you know, well I shouldn't say that. So I've usually had at least a couple mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, or few a year or something like that. Right now I've had a ton mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and I've really mostly been working on commissions for the past couple years, which is, you know, great. Yeah. At the same time. It's
Speaker 2 00:28:48 Tricky. Did you tie your hands, like art, like well
Speaker 4 00:28:50 What
Speaker 2 00:28:50 You want, like how you want to express it self artistically? Or is
Speaker 4 00:28:53 That I'm really careful about what I take on for commissions because I, I really explain to everyone that, um, and I don't mean for this to sound, but I, you know, no, but you
Speaker 2 00:29:04 Want to paint, you want to do what you want. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:29:06 How you wanna work. Like it's the, like I feel like it's a leap of faith. They're taking leap. They like my work, so they're commissioning me to do something, but they're not gonna get to see like, the process of it or in between. And they just kind of see it at the end. And
Speaker 2 00:29:17 They're not dictating that they're going, there's gonna be like a, you know, we're gonna have this blue blank.
Speaker 4 00:29:21 And I mean, I do do, I mean I work with them a lot. I'll sit down and I interview kind of everyone in the family cuz a lot of my commissions tend to be, um, family oriented. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, fit with figures and yes, I try to get an idea of what they like to do as a family or that person likes to do. Yes. And incorporate that into the paintings and that.
Speaker 3 00:29:38 Yeah. There's some works, like some music, there's a lot of family, there's a lot of family in here. I see. There's just a lot of groups together. But I also love the angle in your shots too. It almost reminds you of like a, uh, we're like a, the view of a security camera from that angle, that high, you know. Yeah. Above what normal people would see and looking down on a group. I really kind of like that look on it too. It's cuz she's
Speaker 2 00:29:58 Tall. I know,
Speaker 4 00:29:59 I know. I think that is part of this, right? It's like wanting to be tall <laugh>,
Speaker 3 00:30:05 But it really does affect how the picture looks and allows you to compass more of the rooms I think from, from these settings that I see. You know, versus a, a straight on shot. You, everything's gonna be blocked by tables, couches, anything else from above you can see.
Speaker 4 00:30:17 Well I like that cuz it's like, to me it's like looking at a big puzzle mm-hmm. <affirmative> and you're trying to figure out like, you know, I like, I like a lot of the stuff. I like the kind of the chaos kind of in a way mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So I tend to like that angle a lot. And I, I think it's interesting too Yeah. To look at things from that angle rather than just straight
Speaker 3 00:30:38 Again, it's how we see it every day. See it from getting, get a new perspective. Yeah. You know, it's, it's, it's not necessarily a, a bad thing. It's a, it's a new way to see, see the same thing you see every day, which is nice, so.
Speaker 4 00:30:50 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks.
Speaker 2 00:30:53 And you have a lot of, you know, you have some bunch of stuff in some pretty well known, uh, collectors or <laugh>, some pretty fa you know, famous people have some work of
Speaker 4 00:31:02 Yours. Mm. Thanks to Is there
Speaker 2 00:31:03 Any good, is there any good, is there any good stories as to how they acquire Job
Speaker 4 00:31:07 <laugh>? Um, well let's see,
Speaker 2 00:31:10 Because you, you know, you told me over Bruce, Bruce Hornsby like questioning whether or not I've ever heard of the Yeah,
Speaker 4 00:31:15 Yeah. <laugh>, well I don't know
Speaker 2 00:31:17 <laugh>, but did you get to, I just, did you, did you meet him too?
Speaker 4 00:31:20 I did get to meet him. He, he called me one day and it was like, I practically went met. Well I just, you know, I was like floored. Um, so yeah, he just called one day and he said, hello, this is Bruce Hornsby. And I, and I acted like, I can't even believe I was like, oh, oh, hello? Bruce Horn. Yeah. First name basis.
Speaker 3 00:31:38 Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:31:40 Crazy. The
Speaker 4 00:31:42 That's true. Yeah. So, um, they were, they've been actually want, they bought a lot of my work. Okay. And so I did get to meet, um, well he and his wife and his wife has been just amazingly supportive of me. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and um, and she's an artist in her own right? She's a photographer and mm-hmm. <affirmative> Oh, nice. A painter. And so, um, you can, she has stuff on Instagram. Yeah. And it's, so it's kind of fun. We, you know, have a little comment here and there with different things. And
Speaker 2 00:32:07 We actually Is that re recent or was that when you were up and down the East Coast?
Speaker 4 00:32:12 Yeah, that was when I lived in Williamsburg, Virginia. Yeah. Oh, okay. So I was exhibiting there and I had, um, work at the, um, Hampton Arts Center. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, no, Charles h Arts Center, that's what it was called. And um, the guy Michael Curry, who was running it at the time, was like just amazingly wonderful to me mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, he went to Trent University in England, so the same school that I went to. Oh my gosh. So we had like this little connection. So he, you know, he was just great and he just really promoted me. And, um, he, I think he went around going, telling people she's gonna be famous <laugh>. Yeah. So I think people like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how what happened, but he,
Speaker 3 00:32:51 He got back to the right people. That's what's
Speaker 4 00:32:53 Important. <laugh>. And people just were buying the work when, so Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:32:58 That's that's great. I mean, and you, and do they, they still support you? You still have a, a good connection
Speaker 4 00:33:06 With them? Yeah. I mean we're, you know, they haven't body thing for a while, but Oh, <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:33:11 We'll this on Instagram, some of his music in the background, try to get him stir something out. <laugh>. But, um, but no, that's, that's great. Cause I know you had mentioned that, you know, we were talking earlier before we started rolling about the, you know, you know, I was saying that, you know, I think people like to know, you know, who's buy, you know who the artist is when they're buying the work, but you said you also like to know where the, you know, the pieces end up. I love that. It's so important. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:33:38 Yeah. I love knowing and, um, if Yeah, that's the hard thing too sometimes, cuz the world's sort of changing a little bit, but galleries used to let you know, like,
Speaker 3 00:33:49 Oh yeah. Yeah,
Speaker 4 00:33:50 Exactly. And I, and I really liked that cuz I really liked writing a thank you to them and I wasn't like, I know, I know that galleries have a tough gig there with different artists and stuff, so I I can understand why
Speaker 2 00:34:00 You Yeah. When they probably keep a separation so they don't think
Speaker 4 00:34:02 They Right. But I would like never do that because it's just, you're biting your own hand. I mean, when you do that stuff. Yeah. So I just, but I would love to write them a thank you just to say exactly, you know. Exactly. And, and just as a, to have, not like you're looking for like a friend or relationship, but it's just a nice connection. It's nice to know where the work ended up. And
Speaker 3 00:34:19 It's like a Providence tracker, you know, Providence, you know, you know where the went, where, where it ended up and what family it's with at that point. Yeah. And you know, later on when you're, you know Yeah. In the art history Hall of Fame, they can track all your artwork back to whoever it went to and you'll be fine. Yeah, exactly. Yes. So, but it, it, it is funny how, again, we want to, you do become connected to your artwork after a while and especially with all the hours you put into a piece, you know, you want, it's almost like, not to say that it's a kid, but you know, you want to know where it ends up. Yeah. Because you don't want it just sitting in somebody's closet, <laugh>, you know, collecting dust wrapped in a line cloth.
Speaker 4 00:34:55 Exactly. Probably happens sometimes,
Speaker 3 00:34:57 But, you know, but hopefully it's, it's out on display and, you know, people are talking about it and you
Speaker 2 00:35:02 Know. Yeah. Well it's the best form of advertising. Exactly. Right. Like if it's, you know, you have something hanging on somebody's wall and you know, and they know who you are. Yeah. And then, you know, someone comments on it, you know, I mean, I feel that way about the frames that we put, you know, put out. It's like, I bet you want, you know, you know, that's, you know, well, you
Speaker 4 00:35:19 Enhance your hands, you're enhancing the artwork.
Speaker 2 00:35:21 Yeah. But it, but it, you know, if somebody's like, oh, that, you know, I had that framed at the Frame Center or something like that. It, it add, you know, it adds, it's like, it's almost like a bill billboard ad in people's homes. Absolutely. But, you know, they mean the same thing with the, with the artwork, you
Speaker 4 00:35:35 Know? Yeah, I know, I know. I remember I had had this one, um, gentleman who commissioned me for a piece. He was building a, um, a beach house and he, I thought it was the coolest idea. He commissioned all these artists to do portraits of people in his family mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, like even some extended family. Yeah. And even some like really close friends and things. And he was just gonna, like, that was how he was gonna decorate his whole No, that's pretty cool. Which was, I
Speaker 2 00:35:59 Thought was different styles too. Yeah. Yeah. Did you see it as a
Speaker 4 00:36:01 Fit? Like a, I no, I ne I didn't get invited to the beach house. I got back to his other house, but not that one. But, um, but was
Speaker 3 00:36:07 It's a shack on the dune.
Speaker 4 00:36:09 <laugh>. Yeah. <laugh>. I know. Um, but it was interesting because he, um, it was big painting. It was like 36, well, 48 inches by 36 inches. And I got his son to do, who was like maybe 33 at the time or something mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, I did the painting and I explained how I, you know, it's not a portrait. I don't really do portraits. It's more like a, an environmental sort of portrait of the person that I'm capturing a stance and mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's not like the face is gonna be like smiling and looking at, you know. Yeah. So it's not gonna be really about that. It's
Speaker 3 00:36:38 It's photorealistic. Right.
Speaker 4 00:36:39 Yeah. <laugh>. So I brought it to him and, um, and when he saw it, he, he didn't like it.
Speaker 2 00:36:44 Oh
Speaker 4 00:36:44 Really? And I was like, oh my God. I was devastated. And it was ear, you know, it was a little earlier, earlier in my career and I, and I just, that time I didn't know what to do and I just said, well, you don't have to take it, I'll just take it home. And that's, that's okay. I'll see you later. Bye <laugh>. And um, and then he said, well, no, no, hold on. Let me hold onto it for a little bit. Let me hang it, let me just see, let me, you know, a little bit of
Speaker 3 00:37:05 Adjust to it. Yeah. Become part of it.
Speaker 2 00:37:07 We
Speaker 4 00:37:08 Grow on him and yeah. And then it was really nice. So I, you know, I hadn't heard from him for like three months and then he, I think he called me and then he said, you know, actually that's like my favorite painting of all the paintings that I did. And he said, in everyone that comes in here, so when you were talking about being hung in good advertising. Yep, yep. He said, everyone is drawn to that painting more than anyone else's painting. So it was very, you know, I was very flattered and relieved. <laugh>. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:37:33 I'm sure word
Speaker 3 00:37:34 Of mouth is the best form of advertising. You know, you trust somebody, you know, more than a two minute ad on a tv. So it's, it's, it's great. Yeah. But like you said, if it wasn't exactly what he was expecting or thinking of, like you were saying like, cuz you don't do the photo realistic. Right. He may have been thinking and then, but instead of it being an actual image of the person, it's, it's, it's the action of a person, or like you said, the mannerism of the setup of the positioning, the way they always stand or a, you know Yeah. Maybe a, a hat they always wore or something along those lines. You know, that's, yeah.
Speaker 2 00:38:05 I'm sure it could probably grow, you know, like, you know, I mean, you, I have paintings that I've seen and, you know, that I've, you know, grown to grown to like, or ones that I initially didn't like, you know Yeah. At first. And then I like, you know, kind of them and think about it for, you know mm-hmm. <affirmative> from my area and then somebody, you know, like, I had one of my, my own pains. I wasn't, I wasn't, I had, you know, I had it as a, a horizontal and my, you know, I'd given it to my wife and she hung it as a vertical. And, and it kind of just, the, the, the shift in perspective, it just changed it, you know, not that I didn't like it before, cause I, you know, I really liked the painting, but it was just like I, you know, turned like in a different direction. It just, you know, you know, changed how I saw it and, you know, liked it better that way. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 00:38:55 Came
Speaker 2 00:38:55 Alive. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But in, but I'm sure that like, that sort of thing, like seeing paintings over and over and like, just picking up, you know, you know, maybe the first incident is not what you expected, like Scott said. And then, you know, as you see it and you know, hang it and Yeah. Sometimes when people are, aren't, you know, they're unsure when they bring something, you know, when they pick something, oh, just bring it home and take a look at it for a little while and make sure you're not, you know, make sure you're sure you don't like it. You know,
Speaker 3 00:39:22 Can't tell you how often we have to say that to someone when they come in. It's not exactly how I was picturing it when, you know, when we're looking at the corner and, you know, of course it's usually a, a four inch corner we're showing on something that's four feet long. It's kind of hard to get an idea. Yeah. Um, but we say, yeah, take it home, see how you like it. If you're not happy, please bring it back. We don't want you to not be happy with your artwork, but it may just be the lighting here, the store is far brighter than anything you're gonna have at home. Right. Maybe the lighting situation, things that are around it will help bring it together. You know, when it's that first piece of something you put on a wall in your brand new home and you put up the art and you don't have any couch, books, shelves, anything up there to kind of go along with it. It can be kind of jarring and, and sharp, but add the other little comfort elements in along with it and it kind of comes together. So.
Speaker 4 00:40:08 Yeah. I know it's true. And also, you know, for me anyway, I've learned through the years you keep learning of course. And all this stuff, right? Oh yeah. Yeah. So I just now I'm like so adamant. In fact, to the last commission I was just doing the last several that I've been doing, I'm, I'm like, so, so, you know, like I keep saying it, like you're so the, it's might be they might be corner of the face. It might be this, you know, you're not gonna like, I'm like so adamant about all the what it is and Yep. And we know work with them too, if they have certain colors, you know, that they're kind of, you know, so it's not like it's totally, you know mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I will not deal with my painting. Yeah. But, um, and and finally he said, cause I think I said it like three times at different times. He's like, I got it. I know Lauren, you, it's going, it's okay. I trust you. I
Speaker 3 00:40:49 Understand <laugh>,
Speaker 4 00:40:50 <laugh>, I'm so worried. <laugh>. So
Speaker 2 00:40:53 Yeah. Bruce wants me, wasn't as, uh, difficult as this sound like
Speaker 4 00:40:57 Guy. No. Well, this was, you know, that was, he didn't, that wasn't a commission. They just bought stuff that they liked, which was great. Yeah. Um, yeah. And this guy actually, after he did that, he commissioned me for another painting. So it was kind of, yeah.
Speaker 2 00:41:07 I like now
Speaker 4 00:41:08 One. Right. And that went well. I was like,
Speaker 2 00:41:11 That's
Speaker 4 00:41:12 Great. Yeah, I know. It was great.
Speaker 2 00:41:14 And you, and then some of the other, uh, some of the other collectives, I, I know you mentioned you had some stuff in hanging alongside Claudes over in Harvard. You
Speaker 4 00:41:24 Have some
Speaker 2 00:41:24 Stuff in the collection there. Yeah. That, how did that, how did that come to come to be?
Speaker 4 00:41:29 Um, they commissioned me for a painting. Oh, that was, that was a, a commission. Yep. The Graduate School of Education commissioned me. And then, um, they have it there and then how so it's, it's there in their, I don't know, their building or whatever mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. And then it will be eventually go to the Fog Museum mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So
Speaker 2 00:41:50 That's good. Is that, is that a recent one? Uh,
Speaker 4 00:41:52 That was, uh hmm. I'm horrible with dates and 10 <laugh>, but that was a while ago. Like maybe 10 years ago or 12 years ago or something, or, yeah.
Speaker 2 00:42:02 Yeah. And so when, when they, when when, you know, like an institution commissions you, I mean, do they, who is it you dealing with like one person from there that's like Yeah. It's telling you what they want and
Speaker 4 00:42:14 Yeah. Yeah. And then I'll go out and do it again. Take a bunch of photographs and, um, we had some models that came in for that particular piece mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, then I actually approached, um, the, the Harvard coop, you know, the Harvard coop that's, uh, the store that's there. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> that, that sells the books a part of it. Yeah. It's right there. And um, when I was little, we used to go there for Christmas. Oh, okay. And save our allowance. Yeah. And we, like, I was the oldest of four when we'd get marched in there. We buy our pencils for everyone and you know, a print, they were known for their prints in those days. Oh, very cool. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but I and my grandfather went to Harvard, so I, we had like a, you know, sort of a special mm-hmm. <affirmative> kind of thing about it. And um, so I approached them to see if, if I could do a couple paintings and make prints of them and they would sell them there. Nice. So that was a different painting. But
Speaker 3 00:43:02 Were they the paintings of the Harvard Yard or were they Yeah,
Speaker 4 00:43:04 Yeah. Yeah. Actually that's one of 'em. Yep. And there's another one. And
Speaker 3 00:43:08 Then the Memorial Church Pathways. I love that one. Yep. That almost feels like you could be walking along and so,
Speaker 4 00:43:12 You know. Yeah. So those were really fun to do.
Speaker 3 00:43:14 And, and they're all oil on linen. Is that what you typically work in
Speaker 4 00:43:16 As oil? It is. I love oil. I love linen. Yeah. And, um, I like panel too a lot. Yeah. But panel I do small. Right. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:43:23 That's so large. Yeah. They tend to warp, but bigger sizes.
Speaker 4 00:43:25 Yeah, they do <laugh>. Yeah. Do you run into that a lot? Yeah,
Speaker 3 00:43:28 Yeah. Yeah. Used to <laugh>. Yeah. So that's why I ended up sticking with stretcher pieces, just to eliminate that, you know? Yeah. So like you said, they're good for small pieces though, and for, uh, you know, small squares, eight by 10, nine by 12, things like that.
Speaker 4 00:43:42 Yeah. So,
Speaker 3 00:43:43 Yeah. Much easier to store too.
Speaker 4 00:43:45 <laugh>. Yes. I know. There's a lot of good reasons to do the panel. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> Plus they're just the smoothness of them I love. Yeah. Yeah. I like Smooth <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:43:53 Is there any, any, any other notable ones that you, where you're,
Speaker 4 00:43:58 You
Speaker 2 00:43:59 Have some stuff for yours hanging on the wall. I don't, I don't have anything of yours yet, Laura.
Speaker 4 00:44:03 Oh, yeah. We have to work on that. Right.
Speaker 2 00:44:05 <laugh>, I've seen a couple on your, uh, you know, on your, on your Facebook, um, stuff that I, you know, that I have liked a lot. But, you know, I'm gonna have to see everything in a, in a group. You can come back next time you have a show or
Speaker 4 00:44:18 Something. Yeah. Come by for a studio visit.
Speaker 2 00:44:19 You pull, you have a lot of stuff in the stu in studio or,
Speaker 4 00:44:23 Yeah. I've got a decent amount of, you know, of work that's still hanging around. Nice. And,
Speaker 2 00:44:28 You know. Yeah. Cause I know you have a fair amount rep. You're represented by a, you know, quite a few people or,
Speaker 4 00:44:34 Yeah. Um, I've got the, uh, well, I'm a member of the Copley Society of Art, so they always have a small work show. Yeah. Which I usually have something in. I try to anyway. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and sometimes I'm in a jury show there. And actually that was just in a group show there, um, in May, I think it was. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> or March maybe, or, I don't know. I'm again, horrible time. Was March, like a year ago? No, no. Yeah. Wasn't even, no, actually it's
Speaker 3 00:44:57 Rough. It's 10 months right now.
Speaker 4 00:44:58 Like September. I have no idea. I can't remember when it was <laugh>.
Speaker 3 00:45:02 They were coming upon six months at that point now. So
Speaker 4 00:45:04 That's, I'm really bad with, with
Speaker 2 00:45:06 Time, with time and days.
Speaker 4 00:45:07 I have no idea. But it was this year. It was within a year. Yeah. And, um, that's
Speaker 2 00:45:11 Recent
Speaker 4 00:45:12 <laugh>. Yeah. That's pretty recent. And, um, and then the Woodman Chiko Gallery and P-Town. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> represents me. And it, they are kind of seasonal, like they're open all summer. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And then they stay open until, uh, the end of October. And then they kind of do weekends until Christmas time. And then they kind of do when they feel like it
Speaker 3 00:45:32 Yeah. Kicks back in Roma. Right. I think
Speaker 4 00:45:34 What I saw Yeah. Kicking around. Yeah. Yeah. So I've got there and then I've got, um, Elizabeth Moss Gallery in Maine in Falmouth, Maine. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, um, I feel like I'm
Speaker 2 00:45:43 Missing some. That's a nice stretch though, right? Like, so you get to do you get Yeah. To get to go out there and Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:45:49 It's nice. It's, I right now I've been having a hard time, honestly, keeping up with the gallery, uh, just because of the commission mode right now.
Speaker 3 00:45:58 Um, you got the one in, in Nantucket here,
Speaker 4 00:46:01 So the, oh, yeah. And that one actually, that is a great gallery, but they really want me to do some landscapes. Oh, okay. So right now I don't have anything. And, um, and I, and I like, I just, I You need more time.
Speaker 3 00:46:14 You'll have your cereal and you'll like it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:46:16 And people can see your, they can see a lot of your stuff on Instagram, Facebook is, you, you kind of, do you use that pretty,
Speaker 4 00:46:23 Um, Instagram more than Facebook? Cuz I feel like Instagram is sort of lends itself that way a little bit. Oh,
Speaker 2 00:46:29 Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:46:29 More. Absolutely. I always feel it's, I, it's hard for me to do. Like, it feels just so promotional, doing the Facebook and Instagram stuff.
Speaker 3 00:46:36 Well, heck, you've got your own website. You don't even need
Speaker 4 00:46:38 That. So website is a good
Speaker 3 00:46:39 Place to look. Yeah. That's how, that's how I learned everything today about you there. So,
Speaker 4 00:46:43 But Instagram is more like businessy kind of, and, and
Speaker 3 00:46:46 Then I have like what you're currently working on, things along those lines. This is a good catalog though, of your
Speaker 4 00:46:51 Pieces that you, you know, I mean, I
Speaker 3 00:46:52 Representations of your work.
Speaker 2 00:46:54 So do you photograph, do you photograph most of the stuff? I mean, do you have a formula for it or like on, on Instagram? I mean, if you're, most of the work that you do, you, you post or you just, if you're feel, if you're just feeling it that day
Speaker 4 00:47:07 Or, um, I try to post something at least two or three times a week. Yeah. Um, keep it active. It, yeah. So it's sometimes it's, you know, more interesting than other times I think. Yeah. But
Speaker 3 00:47:18 <laugh>, hey, just this picture of a simple blank canvas. You getting ready to start another, you know, something along those lines. And then, you know, but you don't do like time lapses. Like,
Speaker 4 00:47:26 No, I've done some of those. Have you done some? Yeah, I've done done a few of those.
Speaker 3 00:47:29 Um, it's gonna be interesting and just an interesting way to see like, your start to like a mid-section or
Speaker 4 00:47:35 Like Yeah, I'll do some process picture, basic
Speaker 3 00:47:36 Pictures and layouts of, you know, building up everything. So that's cool. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:47:40 We've done some time left. Heres framing and see
Speaker 4 00:47:43 You. Yeah, I see them. You can
Speaker 2 00:47:44 Actually, they're great. You can actually walk away and come back,
Speaker 4 00:47:47 But
Speaker 2 00:47:47 It doesn't really
Speaker 3 00:47:48 Last, it only takes half a second on the screen, which is great. But you may have been gone for 10 minutes. Yeah. Um, yeah. But when you do a work, do you focus on one piece or are you a jumper? Do you jump between multiple projects at the same time? Or do you have to finish one before you can move on to something else?
Speaker 4 00:48:01 Yes. Good question is because
Speaker 3 00:48:04 I have to finish something before I can move on.
Speaker 4 00:48:05 That's my preference. That is my preference. But it's not always,
Speaker 3 00:48:09 I lose my train of thought where I was and what I was dealing and where my mind was at when
Speaker 4 00:48:12 I was doing it. Exactly. And I just love like that. I don't know how to explain that bubble that comes over you <laugh>. Um, so
Speaker 3 00:48:19 Your inspiration Yeah. <laugh>.
Speaker 4 00:48:21 Yeah. But it is not always, uh, feasible to do. True. And also sometimes, you know, I don't know, for lots of reasons you're waiting for something to drive or your
Speaker 2 00:48:29 Oils, you gotta be patient, right? Uhhuh
Speaker 4 00:48:31 <affirmative>, yeah. Sometimes. And then, you know, I don't know, you just, you can work with different material, meet different mediums that can dry a little bit more quickly and mm-hmm. <affirmative>,
Speaker 3 00:48:40 Um, yeah. Depending on what you have, like, you know, the different blends that you can put into your oil or whether working pure pigment or if you're working with, you know, things like the thin out, the
Speaker 4 00:48:48 Mixes, things all different. And sometimes they have to put something aside cuz you're, you know, whatever the commission comes into play or the galleries waiting for something or you need to get, I don't know, whatever.
Speaker 3 00:49:00 My longest thing is waiting for resin to dry, you know, having to, oh my goodness. Even in a place where nothing can touch it, nothing can get at it. Nothing even looks at it cross eye or something's gonna go wrong with it, you know? And temperature has to be right. You have to have a vent. You have to have, listen, there's all so many different things with art that you have to like Yeah. Rules that you have to follow. It's like watching gremlins, you have to, you know, no painting after midnight. No. You know, you'll be too tired. You won't remember what you were doing. Things like that. It's just, uh, it, it, it's funny. God unknown what you have to do to get something to, to turn out. Yeah. Yeah. The same way every time for your consistency. So mm-hmm. <affirmative> mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> the process.
Speaker 4 00:49:38 <laugh> the process. But that's the
Speaker 2 00:49:40 Fun part, I'm sure. Well, Scott will throw up all the, uh, things, uh, you know, where, where you can find, see your work in person. But we got the, uh, you know, laura jennings.com is that,
Speaker 4 00:49:50 Uh, Tryon is a big piece of that. So it's large Tryon. Yeah. Like Tryon clothes. Tryon. Yeah. So it looks like large Tryon Jennings. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:49:57 Place l tryon jennings.com. That's what I got here. Yeah. So, yeah. But, uh, it's a very well organized website.
Speaker 4 00:50:05 Well, thank you. Um, yeah, actually, uh, Lois Wood did that. She was, she was great. She just put that together for me. And she was very encouraging. She's like, you need big pictures, you need big pictures as you're a painter.
Speaker 2 00:50:18 Yep. So, and you keep it, you keep it up to date pretty,
Speaker 4 00:50:21 Or? I do, I do. Pretty good job. Keeping it up
Speaker 3 00:50:23 To your men tab is really
Speaker 2 00:50:24 Push it off to her
Speaker 3 00:50:25 Noise.
Speaker 4 00:50:26 No, I, I like, I actually, the whole point of her designing it, because I've had a lot of, um, well, I, I've had a couple of different websites and people that have done it, and I wanted to be able to maintain most of it. Yep. Because, you know, and so basically it's pretty stagnant and turn like you're not changing a ton of stuff. You just, like the events page, I changed. Yeah. That's why I refer everything to the events page, because I only wanna deal with one page that I'm
Speaker 3 00:50:50 Well, it's true. I mean, how often you have to update the other stuff, you know? Right. It's just like, like I said, a catalog of your work, but
Speaker 4 00:50:55 Your events page is gonna be, there's new images of work that you've done, and then the events page is pretty much it. And then, you know, update new
Speaker 2 00:51:03 Painting right there. Yeah. Yep.
Speaker 4 00:51:05 Um, and then you get update, um, what was something else? Uh, you Yeah. You got
Speaker 3 00:51:10 Times. Things like that. Yeah. So for, so,
Speaker 4 00:51:14 But I, I, I think it, it, um, functions well, it's easily navigated.
Speaker 3 00:51:19 Yeah. You've got all your links on this page too, while you're on this stuff, so that's nice. Easiest way to
Speaker 2 00:51:23 TikTok.
Speaker 4 00:51:24 Yeah. But she does do, I'll add
Speaker 3 00:51:27 Twitter.
Speaker 2 00:51:27 She's
Speaker 4 00:51:28 Good. Like,
Speaker 3 00:51:28 She'll do a LinkedIn maintenance. Pinterest.
Speaker 2 00:51:30 No TikTok.
Speaker 3 00:51:31 No TikTok. Oh,
Speaker 4 00:51:32 I, no, <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:51:33 I don't, I
Speaker 4 00:51:34 Have no, I like, I think it's so amazing, but I have no idea how to do that. And it's, it seems like foreign to me.
Speaker 3 00:51:41 Yeah. See, when I first started, I thought like, oh, it's gonna be another vine that's gonna be common, and that's gonna be gone. There's no point in learning how to doing. It's still been sticking around at this point. Frame
Speaker 4 00:51:48 TikTok, I see you doing so many very cool things.
Speaker 2 00:51:51 We do everything. You know, we're, we're trying to, we're trying to cover all our bases.
Speaker 3 00:51:56 You never know who's gonna be watching. So we're listening.
Speaker 2 00:51:59 Well, you know, we're probably, you know, we need to influence the youth too. You know, get, get people framing young you.
Speaker 3 00:52:05 Well, like you said with Elizabeth, she hasn't bought an in, bought any pieces of her original artwork yet. And this is time to start. She's getting there. You know,
Speaker 2 00:52:11 She's on the fence. She, she's still got her eyes on a couple of the pieces from
Speaker 3 00:52:15 Mandy's. Andy's,
Speaker 2 00:52:16 Yeah. <laugh>. Yeah. His show. Yeah. His show has been very successful.
Speaker 3 00:52:20 Maybe she'll have a connection to cereal. We'll show her some, you know, <laugh>
Speaker 2 00:52:23 <laugh>. Maybe we'll come, maybe we'll bring the social media team by to the gallery or studio station, little Walk.
Speaker 4 00:52:29 Oh yeah. I'd love that. That'd be great to
Speaker 2 00:52:32 Do. All right. We're gonna add you to the field trip list.
Speaker 3 00:52:34 There we go. All
Speaker 4 00:52:34 Right. Oh, I love field trips. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:52:36 Yeah. I'm try, I'm trying. This is, this is one of my resolutions for 2023 is to get out of the store and get on location to Yep. To, to, you know, you know, visit places, visit stores, you know, of people that come in here just to kind of get the different perspective, you know? Yeah. And bring the social media to you
Speaker 4 00:52:53 Around. I love, love, love what you're doing with everything that you are just so involved in the community and promoting the arts and
Speaker 2 00:53:00 Well, they are. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:53:01 It's just, it's really,
Speaker 2 00:53:03 It's, it's kind of fun, you know? Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:53:05 Well it is. But you have been amazing in all of those ways.
Speaker 3 00:53:08 It just, he's so many different varieties of things come through our door. It's the great thing. But again, without you guys coming through our door, we wouldn't be here. So, yeah.
Speaker 2 00:53:14 It's a
Speaker 3 00:53:15 Lot of thriving. It's important to have you guys, you know?
Speaker 2 00:53:17 Yeah. Thriving. Our thrive art market on the South Shore is
Speaker 3 00:53:20 Yeah. You know, very, that is the good thing. We do have a very, you know, um, a, a very large pool of artists to, to see a variety of pieces come through, which, which yeah. May not be present everywhere, but here we, you know, from, you know, we got what, three or four Art society within a Stones throw here that we can Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:53:42 And then every town, I, you feel like everyone, there's the time. Speaking of the, the South Shore art community, you got some favorite artists on the south shore of the Oh
Speaker 3 00:53:51 Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:53:51 Oh, that I love. Yeah. God, there's so, I love living here cuz there's so many. I love everything. Like, I just think this community is so great with the art. Yeah. Um, and so many, like, you know, the North Upper Art Society is Yep. Is so great. And, uh, the Duxbury Arts Society is so yeah. Just everything. I mean, it's just really, really good. I haven't, um, done anything with South Shore you talking to, or I haven't done anything with them. I think during Covid I was, I started looking into them. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> like, and then, um, they weren't seeing any, they weren't doing anything. And then I kind of got really busy. And so I haven't have
Speaker 2 00:54:26 Up Have you entered any of
Speaker 4 00:54:27 Their shows? I haven't, no. I haven't done anything over there. It's,
Speaker 2 00:54:31 It's a long ride. Yeah. Well,
Speaker 4 00:54:33 Yeah. <laugh> a few.
Speaker 2 00:54:34 Well, if
Speaker 4 00:54:35 You're too much. Too much. But they're, but I know that they're great. I mean, I've gone to some of their great, it's beautiful over there and I've been to some of the openings and stuff, but Yeah. I mean, I love, I I, if I start naming them, I'm gonna forget all your people. I know, but like, you know, like there's Sally Dean and there's um, oh yeah. Um, there's, uh, Jodi Regan and there's
Speaker 3 00:54:55 Jodi's fantastic.
Speaker 4 00:54:56 Jerry O'Donnell,
Speaker 3 00:54:57 Jerry Yep.
Speaker 4 00:54:58 On here. And, um,
Speaker 2 00:55:00 Jodi's, we did the show with Jodi. Oh, I love was awesome. She
Speaker 3 00:55:03 She's our hardest rated episode. She's such
Speaker 4 00:55:05 A, is it really?
Speaker 3 00:55:06 Yeah. Yeah. She let, like a handful of people know on Facebook and the word went out and all of a sudden there was 150 views on YouTube for her, uh, for her interview. So it was great. You know,
Speaker 2 00:55:16 We tried something new with her too. And I went to her show and we kind of, I walked that one. I mean, I ended up buying two pieces of, from like, that, the greatest part for me was like, I, I mean, I was there before the show started and she'd already sold some of the pieces, but there was some like, uh, you know, I get to, you know, walk through and talk with the talk. You know, I mean, how great is that? Like Yeah. To talk with her and then like, I, you know, I knew I was gonna buy something when
Speaker 3 00:55:41 I
Speaker 4 00:55:43 Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:55:44 I mean, I'm like, oh, this is
Speaker 3 00:55:45 Great going
Speaker 2 00:55:46 Down to see Jody's show with Jodi before the show even, you know. Yeah. Before it opened. So like, we went, you know, earlier in the day. I'm like, I'm gonna get a, a chance to buy before anybody else. Kind of like what I used to hang North River. I'd hang the show and <laugh>. Yeah. Tell, so, yeah. Like, I'm gonna take that one. Um, but yeah, so I ended up, uh, I ended up buying one of, uh, it was actually up North River. It was like the, oh, the, the, it's Did you, have you seen that show of
Speaker 4 00:56:13 Hers? Um, I, I, it's uh, I was so glad it was extended. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:56:17 It's up February now. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:56:18 I was going down there the day that it was closing and I'm, cause I wasn't sure of the date. And I'm like, oh my God. And then like the very next day it said that it was gonna be extended. So I was like,
Speaker 3 00:56:27 Phew. Yeah. She looked out there. Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:56:29 So I, so I've seen a lot of the, the, um, the clips and everything from it. Yeah. And I've, you know, so I'm very excited
Speaker 2 00:56:36 To see it. Yeah. It's a, it's a, it was a really well put together show. I mean, well thought out by her. It's, yeah. Hopefully we'll push out some more stuff afterwards.
Speaker 3 00:56:45 Yeah. We've heard a lot of people come back in and actually talk about Sping at that one and, and really love,
Speaker 4 00:56:49 I was so bummed to miss the opening. I forget why I couldn't go. But
Speaker 2 00:56:52 She, she had the whole show, like on like a life size, I mean a to scale
Speaker 3 00:56:57 Grid paper.
Speaker 2 00:56:58 Grid paper of the entire space. She like really, you know, she was like a math teacher. So she, it was like very well
Speaker 3 00:57:04 Thought out. She's got it all planned out. Yeah. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:57:06 It was, you know, she did a great job. I, I ended up with one, the, the North River piece cuz like, you know, I mean, I hung, you know, I hang that show like everywhere. So it's just like, and the date it was for it was definitely a show that I had hung. So I'm like, oh, you're gonna buy that. And then I'd kind of in my head go, go on there. Cause I really like her, um, her city, her drawings, her drawing a day series mm-hmm. <affirmative> stuff. And I thought I'd end up with one thing. But I talked with her, you know, I was like talking about a couple other pieces and I went in a different direction. Bought something else. Yeah. But yeah.
Speaker 4 00:57:40 Yeah. Her
Speaker 2 00:57:41 Stuff's great.
Speaker 4 00:57:41 She's the love too.
Speaker 3 00:57:42 Gotta find out what her count is at now. For last time I remember she was around 1800 or something for 1800 pieces, <laugh> because she was doing one a day. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so she was like, it's, she's been doing it for like six years. I was like, oh my God.
Speaker 4 00:57:54 It's remarkable. It's so remarkable. Yeah. I know.
Speaker 2 00:57:57 You're not doing that <laugh>.
Speaker 4 00:58:03 I, yeah. I, I'm a slower painter, I think on the whole, compared to like, certainly compared to Jody and,
Speaker 2 00:58:09 Yeah. Well I think some of 'em are drawings too. Yeah. But not that, that's not, you know, not that that's, you know,
Speaker 3 00:58:15 She likes to do a lot of 'em on location when she's at a place and like Yeah. Pala. And then she may fill 'em in later with some coloring and not, but, you know, she, she likes to be in the space that she's drawing versus trying to like, you know, work from photographs and things like that. So it's, it's always a little, little different, which is nice. Yeah. You know, the perspective is always from where she was. So it's
Speaker 4 00:58:34 Just, which is pretty cool. I know. It's so cool. I it's so cool. I just, like, when I go somewhere, I'm just looking around and I'm trying to soak it all in and my memory mm-hmm. <affirmative> and just, you know, keep it there. And then sometimes I'll leave someplace and I just, I can't get it outta my head. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So then I know, that's when I know, especially that I have to go paint that. Yeah. Cause it just doesn't leave. And so,
Speaker 2 00:58:54 So you said you had some other, I, you know, some other ideas too. You got a lot of idea. Anything you want to share or are these gonna be surprising?
Speaker 4 00:59:01 <laugh>?
Speaker 2 00:59:01 Are you working on anything?
Speaker 4 00:59:03 Uh, well, it's more about technique than Oh, okay. Subject matter, I would say. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. It's more about just, uh, trying out some new stuff, I think. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's more, but I still, you know, my interiors, I just, they're, I don't know. I love doing them. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And then I love my bedroom. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I love doing beds. I rumple sheets. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like I, yeah. That's sort of, of the interiors. That's sort of my favorite part to do too. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:59:28 Just feel so much more real to me. Like I said, it's
Speaker 4 00:59:31 Just, well, the beds are like, you know, to me I, you know, I like getting very psychological with all this stuff.
Speaker 3 00:59:36 Yeah. But, oh, like a simple book. Open a chair, aew, like the light in the shadow. Like, that's all.
Speaker 4 00:59:41 But, you know, beds are like, that's where we start our day. We end our day. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, we have angst, we daydream, we, um, have passion.
Speaker 3 00:59:50 A third of our life is spent
Speaker 4 00:59:51 There. So <laugh> like, you know. Yeah. It's so many things are, you know, and in the old days there were the birthing beds, the die, you know, you'll die there. I mean all these. So there's a lot of, um, it can be very provocative and there's a lot of psychology. Oh God. Yeah. I think that goes on with that. And, and you're, you know, like in your, your most vulnerable self, I think there mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you're sort of about being vulnerable and you know that that's okay. And yeah.
Speaker 3 01:00:14 So that's supposed to be your safe space at home. That's
Speaker 4 01:00:16 Your Yeah, exactly. So that's where you
Speaker 3 01:00:18 The most, you <laugh>.
Speaker 4 01:00:20 Yeah. And I think that's, well, I love nature too, so it's sort of interesting. But I, I think that's part of what the interiors are about for me too. That that's like your, you know, I think when I was younger I moved around a lot mm-hmm. <affirmative> too. And, and I did as an adult. Mm-hmm. So that the furniture stayed the same. Yeah. And you know, you
Speaker 3 01:00:37 Got, but the space changed or like,
Speaker 4 01:00:39 You
Speaker 3 01:00:40 Know, so it's like you said, from different angles, different perspectives. Lighting
Speaker 4 01:00:43 And lighting. And even that too. Cuz when I was little, I still remember it is probably a lot of people do, but I remember like following the light around the rooms and watching the dust particles fall. Oh yeah. And just being there. And, and I love to read always. And so I would like read a book, but a lot of times I'd just sit there and watch the sun and like watch, watch the light come in the room and, you know, just daydream and just sit there
Speaker 3 01:01:05 <laugh>. I, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandmother's house, um, after my father passed and I was there staying with her. Mm-hmm. Certain time of day she had these, like, you know, older woman, she had these crystal everything. Oh yeah. So the light would hit it the right way and the whole room would light up like a rainbow. And that's always what I remember. So that's why I've always liked color and probably why I'm park crow attract, attracted to shiny things, <laugh>. So, you know, but it, it really does change how you, you know, see things as you, you know. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> as, like I said, the one picture I liked was the one with the Ames glass with the light coming
Speaker 4 01:01:34 Through. So <laugh>, it's like,
Speaker 3 01:01:36 It's, it's those things that draw you in that you know, you can make a connection to. So Yeah. It's very true. They know. But like you said, knowing who has it, knowing why they like the piece is probably something
Speaker 4 01:01:46 That would be nice. I love that is
Speaker 3 01:01:48 A great tie in. That's, that's something that let you remember who has it. Cuz you can remember why they told
Speaker 4 01:01:53 You to take. I do. I think I remember. I think I do. Anyway, remember everyone that's I've met that has had my work,
Speaker 3 01:02:00 If not in memory, at least a feeling of how they thought when they were taking it,
Speaker 4 01:02:03 You know? Yeah, yeah. Exactly. It's always cool. They're all a little different. You know, sometimes people come by for studio visits, sometimes people buy it and when they buy it in the galleries, they don't always get to Sure. Meet them unless they come to an opening, which is always really cool. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, so that part is, you know, you kind of miss that. Yeah. Um, but also galleries are great because they sell your card.
Speaker 3 01:02:24 So <laugh> people go there for a reason. Exactly. <laugh>. So,
Speaker 4 01:02:28 So, so
Speaker 2 01:02:29 Do people get come by the studio often? Or is it,
Speaker 4 01:02:32 Um, I wouldn't say like often, but you know, here and there I get poked at to, you know, the studio visit or someone's interested in the work and they want, like, they,
Speaker 3 01:02:41 They don't chain the doors and you don't, uh, lock people up.
Speaker 4 01:02:44 Yeah. I mean, you know, they'll, um, you know, if they aren't, I don't know, they just found me through whatever, or maybe I through word of mouth or something, I don't know. Um, but, you know, if it is related to a gallery, I'm gonna like give, I'm not gonna like, you know, not Oh
Speaker 3 01:03:00 No. Give you credit. Yeah. They're part of the process, so. Yeah.
Speaker 2 01:03:03 Yeah. You know, if galleries are important Right. You know. Yeah. I think that there is probably certain people, just some people out there that maybe it's greed or Yeah. Kind of feel like they're, you know,
Speaker 4 01:03:14 I think sometimes, but it
Speaker 2 01:03:15 Is kind of
Speaker 4 01:03:16 A Yeah. I, yeah. So I can understand like why they're careful mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, it's, it's a great, you know, I've had good, mostly good experiences
Speaker 2 01:03:25 Yep.
Speaker 4 01:03:26 In galleries, so. Cool. Yeah.
Speaker 3 01:03:28 Well, well there's only one more question you gotta ask Dave.
Speaker 2 01:03:32 What? Oh, what the, oh, about Chronicle?
Speaker 3 01:03:34 No, well, there's, well, there's two things we gotta talk about. Uhuh. Let's get the Chronicle one outta the way. So, so you were featured on Chronicle, uh,
Speaker 2 01:03:43 <laugh>. Are you talking to me or are you talking to Lauren? No,
Speaker 3 01:03:45 No, no. Both of us.
Speaker 4 01:03:46 You tell your story, then I'll
Speaker 3 01:03:48 Tell mine. We'll see which people identify with you. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 01:03:51 Oh, no. I mean I think you were more recently on Chronicle, but Yeah. You've been on once or twice or,
Speaker 4 01:03:58 I was just, I mean, there's only one story, one episode, but they did, they re they had a couple of repeats a few times. Yeah. Which was really nice.
Speaker 3 01:04:05 What was the feature of that one? That was,
Speaker 4 01:04:06 What was that? Um, well it was interesting. I was sort of approached, um, by Nicole Este to do, it was sort of about expressive arts during Covid. Okay. Um, and then also when we were talking, you know, it was about my artwork mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, um, mostly just about my artwork and doing expressive arts. So I did a little, um, exercise with someone. I had, you know, one of my clients come in that was willing to, to be on film tell
Speaker 3 01:04:33 To be filmed being
Speaker 4 01:04:33 Done. Yeah. And, um, did that with her. And as we talked about that, and then we talked about my, my paintings and stuff and they couldn't have been nicer. Like nice, nice, nice, nice people and just lovely. And, um, yeah, it was, it was, you know, it was just a, it was really great experience. Yeah. It was a little nervy at the beginning.
Speaker 3 01:04:55 Oh, sure. <laugh>. Well, I saw the, I saw the photo of the setup, you know, with everything like <laugh>, you know, they, they look like when you're in the shots, like, oh, you're sitting back now. It's like, the camera's like right
Speaker 4 01:05:03 Here. I'm like, oh, he's
Speaker 3 01:05:04 Right there. Just don't look off to the side. It's like right ahead and Yeah. No, it's, it's, if you're not used to doing it, I'm sure it could be
Speaker 4 01:05:10 That. Yeah, it too. It's tricky. But it was really nice. I got a lot, I mean, like right away. Yeah. I had so much response to it and I got a lot of business from it. So, I mean, I'm really grateful to them. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 01:05:23 <affirmative>. Um, I think it is, it's a well-respected, you know, one that people go to for finding about things around the area, you know, that I've learned about so many different little restaurants, shops, um, yeah. I love that stuff. Things like, you know, it's just so many different little things that you can find out about
Speaker 4 01:05:37 Know, um, from that it's so I, you know, I, I miss my mother every day and that's one she used to love that show. Yeah. And she would've been like out of her mind.
Speaker 3 01:05:47 I, I wish
Speaker 4 01:05:48 The news. Yeah. I just like would've loved for her to see that <laugh>
Speaker 3 01:05:51 If only the everyday news could be more like that, you know, which is all stories of positivity and things like that. I think we'd be a far better off, you know,
Speaker 4 01:05:57 <laugh>. Yeah. Well when I was living far away, she used to call me all the time. <laugh>. Well, on Chronicle today I saw Laura, you would've loved this show, you know? And I'm like, oh my gosh. So yeah, she loved the
Speaker 3 01:06:08 Show so little. Would she know you'd be on it one day? I,
Speaker 4 01:06:10 Yeah, I know. That was funny. That's Ian. The funny thing is that I kind of thought about that. Like, it was something that was sort of ruminating in the back of my mind. Like, oh, I should like reach out to them or something. Yes. And I never did. And they found me like just by through Googling Yeah. Me. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Like I was just floored when I got that phone call. So yeah, that was pretty cool. That was
Speaker 2 01:06:30 Pretty cool. Yeah. Kind of like my experience. Yeah.
Speaker 3 01:06:32 Yeah. What
Speaker 4 01:06:32 Was yours? Well,
Speaker 2 01:06:35 You know, you know, there's, you know, like I said, I think it was about 10 years, you know, over 10 years cuz I, you know, was having a drink at the time. Yeah. Yes. I made a brief appearance cameo of my mine was, but you know, ed, or, and you know, with, with Michael and, uh, Jill came up behind us and there, there I was, you know, I think it was, she was the feature, but you know, I was kind of right there
Speaker 4 01:06:58 And you too. So you smiled
Speaker 2 01:07:00 <laugh>. I can't find footage of it though, you know, <laugh>, I wasn't able to really? No. Yeah, they were, they've been back on, you know, now, now that this latest since their move, you know? Yeah. You know, and any Google, sorry, just turned to that. But <laugh> Oh, there is, there is proof. I, I have seen it.
Speaker 3 01:07:16 Am I gonna get new homework to go, you know, browse every episode of Chronicle for to find the video, find the one spot. I'm
Speaker 2 01:07:22 Gonna have to get the date. I know from the, the, I know from the
Speaker 3 01:07:24 Final. Oh good. That'll help
Speaker 2 01:07:25 <laugh>. I know that I was, I know that I was drinking at the time, so it's, it's at least 10 and I've hit 10 years. So it's like it's uh, you know, it's gotta be least it's important thing too, 11 years ago. Yeah.
Speaker 4 01:07:36 Yeah. That's so crazy.
Speaker 2 01:07:37 Or Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 01:07:38 Yeah. No, yeah. That, that's something
Speaker 3 01:07:40 A lot.
Speaker 4 01:07:41 That's something to be proud of.
Speaker 2 01:07:42 Yeah. Well, yeah, I I'm some relatively proud of it. Yeah. Would
Speaker 3 01:07:47 We be here if you hadn't? Yeah, probably. No, probably wouldn't. Probably your, your mindset wouldn't have changed to the point of what we are now. So. Yeah. It's a big, it's a, it's a very important Yeah.
Speaker 2 01:07:55 That arrow would just be a lot messier.
Speaker 4 01:07:58 The painting would be a little skew
Speaker 3 01:08:00 Back there. Exactly. Yeah. Something wrong here. I can't quite put my hair <laugh>.
Speaker 2 01:08:05 No. So I've got one other, we got another question for you. Yeah. The one we've been wrap, wrapping up all the shows with and you know, you know, been kind of been an interesting one. One also, we like to always ask what, what do you have, you know, what's one of your favorite pieces that you have hanging in your house? Um, you know, is it some, you know, I'm sure that you have multiple favorites, you know, like myself, I got tons of, you know, and they turn over from time to time. But, uh, what's one of the pieces you have at home? Hanging on the walls?
Speaker 4 01:08:34 Oh, that's hanging on my
Speaker 3 01:08:35 Walls. Yeah. Just something that,
Speaker 4 01:08:36 Or that you guys framed?
Speaker 3 01:08:37 No, not necessarily that we did, but just something that you enjoy seeing we reframed
Speaker 2 01:08:41 Mean, but Exactly. You know, what are, you know, what's something you have hanging up that
Speaker 4 01:08:46 You Um Hmm. That's a really hard question. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 01:08:50 Cut it. We'll cut. We'll we'll cut that. Carry it all while you're thinking
Speaker 4 01:08:54 It over. Well, I think, you know, I it's always evolving. Yeah. Like, it's, because it's,
Speaker 2 01:09:00 Yeah. I mean, we're not gonna, we're not gonna hurt anyone's feelings. We just like to get a, an idea of something that's hanging up in somebody else that creates artworks
Speaker 3 01:09:09 Currently. Yeah.
Speaker 4 01:09:10 Yeah. Yeah. Well I actually have, um, I've bought some things from the, um, out of the box
Speaker 2 01:09:17 Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 01:09:18 Have that. And I have a Susan a Hern piece, which I really love.
Speaker 2 01:09:24 I have one of Susan's pieces that I, I I'm, I'm trying, I don't think I bought that one, but it was like, on that same type of scale. Yeah. Um, I might have bought one of hers from outside the box,
Speaker 4 01:09:33 So. Yeah. So I, I'm gonna say that one for Yeah. But there's so many. I mean, I, I just, you know,
Speaker 2 01:09:39 Her style's kind of evolved too. I bought the one of her, uh, you know, because I feel like I have, so I have a ton. And not none of yours yet, but I'm, you we're gonna change. We're going to, we will change that. But I have like a nice little flower of Susan's. Yeah.
Speaker 4 01:09:54 Yeah. She's really, she ha I mean I really love her work. Mm-hmm. She's, yeah.
Speaker 2 01:09:57 I like seeing And Outside the box is a great, that was a great
Speaker 3 01:10:00 Program. It's a great program.
Speaker 4 01:10:01 Yeah. It's a great, and actually I try to buy stuff for my kids. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, you know, so they are art collectors now. And so now my oldest is 35. Yep. And he collects like, I love it. He and his wife now are collecting artwork. Nice. So I, you know, I feel like I was a little,
Speaker 3 01:10:18 We have a lot of people that have, we've said that they've started that way. What's the other one? The uh, is it North River? That, that the barn too.
Speaker 2 01:10:23 Yeah, the barn.
Speaker 3 01:10:24 Yeah. That's the other one. That's another great way to start pieces, you know? Yeah. Because the prices are right for somebody who's just starting out and sizes are usually good. Yeah. But they don't have to worry about having something that, you know, have to have a dedicated space. Yeah, yeah. You know, things like that. So it's, it's a great starting point. Yes. Yeah.
Speaker 2 01:10:40 I thought And you participated outside the box too?
Speaker 4 01:10:42 Oh
Speaker 2 01:10:43 Yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, did you go outside the box with your style or <laugh>?
Speaker 4 01:10:46 It just, um, yeah, well sort of. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, like I would do like, I don't know, like more loose paintings for me mm-hmm. <affirmative> and I'm, and I don't do as many landscapes, so I've done like some pallet knife Yep. Landscaping kind of things.
Speaker 2 01:11:00 Um, yeah. I wonder now I wonder if they're gonna do that one again. I know they're doing like a, like a, uh, the festival, like con like a contest for that one. Cuz I got tapped to, you know, for a
Speaker 4 01:11:12 Sponsorship.
Speaker 3 01:11:12 Sponsorship,
Speaker 2 01:11:13 Yeah. Yeah. Outside the box. Good. Um, you know, Mary Carn was involved in that for a long time, you know, you
Speaker 4 01:11:19 Know Mary? Yes. Yeah. I think actually she bought one of mine. Did
Speaker 2 01:11:22 She? Yeah. Yeah. I'm, I've been, I've been twisting her on, I want to have her come on because I think she'd be a fantastic guest. She's,
Speaker 4 01:11:30 She's, she's a great person.
Speaker 2 01:11:31 She knows. Yeah. She's been so involved in like, the art community down here. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 4 01:11:36 <affirmative>. Yeah. She has Good
Speaker 3 01:11:37 To get her perspective on things too. Yeah.
Speaker 4 01:11:38 Yeah. Yeah. Well, um, and speaking of paintings or things that were framed by you guys too mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, actually, I, I had this little old booklet from Nantucket that I think it was, I wanna say it was like 1934 something was the year and the front of it was Nantucket and then inside there was, um, the chandelier. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> as the, as there's a restaurant there. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But anyway, my brother, um, very, very fortunately was able to buy a house there. Yeah. Which, and so he, he did. And, and I had, I found this, it was in my mother's trunk of things. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and she happened to have it. And this was years ago that she had had it in there. Yeah. So I got it framed and I think Scott, you were the
Speaker 3 01:12:19 One that I was just looking up. I'm like, that sounds very familiar.
Speaker 4 01:12:22 <laugh>. Yeah. I think you framed it and I loved it because computer, you framed it and then what I loved was on the back of it. Cause I didn't want to like, it was just a small, like maybe, I don't know, like four or five inches by seven inches or something. Little magazine. And is it that one? Um, I can't see. Yes. <laugh> wait
Speaker 3 01:12:42 This week in Nantucket.
Speaker 4 01:12:44 Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it. That's it. <laugh>. But what is so cool about it is the back of it, you guys made a little slit. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and then you so that I could put the, uh, the little magazine is Oh, okay. Yeah. So it would all stay together. I
Speaker 3 01:12:58 Together wasn't having to end up in a lockbox or a little drawer somewhere that get lost and it's not with the artwork anymore. Yeah. Wait,
Speaker 4 01:13:05 Can you bring that closer?
Speaker 3 01:13:06 Oh yeah. Hold on. I gotta just do this and let, what is we're gonna do this <laugh> the technical aspects. Huh? I wasn't prepared.
Speaker 4 01:13:14 I have my contacts on. I can zoom o e see as well. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it. That's it. Yeah. <laugh>. That was
Speaker 2 01:13:20 <laugh>. Yeah. That's our, our technology is getting much better too, even on the, not just on the social media and the podcast. Now we get talking.
Speaker 3 01:13:29 Yeah. Keep it digital record around. Oh that's
Speaker 4 01:13:31 Really helpful.
Speaker 3 01:13:31 Also helps. It really helps. Trying to,
Speaker 4 01:13:33 Plus I love the way you do these little ones for me. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I just, I think
Speaker 2 01:13:37 I Yeah. Like the full floater. The float.
Speaker 3 01:13:39 Yeah. Full floats are a great way to display the pieces without losing or any coverage of the
Speaker 4 01:13:42 Well there need, like you do. Cuz I was like, I don't know how to do this, but I don't wanna lose anything. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And you know, I think you came up with the idea of like, well we can do Matt and then just like do like an eighth of an inch around just
Speaker 3 01:13:54 To give a little bit of a border in space just to keep it Yeah. But it gives you that traditional width that you don't get with most floaters. They tend to be very minimalist and thin. Right. Um, without them being, you know, six inches deep and three inches wide. Exactly. You know, and, you know, weighing 500 hundred pounds, these are a nice, a nice way to get to, uh, display them without them being, uh, too large and mm-hmm. <affirmative> also not costing a small fortune, which is also
Speaker 4 01:14:20 Nice too. Well I know that's always the, because they're, these are pretty really, I think they're pretty affordable. So it's like you Yeah,
Speaker 3 01:14:26 It's, I do several of my pieces that way just cuz like you said, it's, it's, it's simple. They can be displayed. There's ways to do everything. It doesn't all have to be, you know, super high-end expensive. It's what a lot of people think, what custom framing is. It's not really what it is. It's, yeah. It's really just finding the best solution for how you wanna see your
Speaker 4 01:14:44 Piece displayed. I know you guys are just so great. You come up with such great ideas for everything.
Speaker 3 01:14:48 Problem solvers. That's what we're at. Yeah.
Speaker 2 01:14:50 You are appreciate
Speaker 3 01:14:51 That. Finishing the problem. Appreciate
Speaker 2 01:14:53 You, appreciate you coming in too. Laura. I feel like we've, he, we've held you captive for quite a while.
Speaker 3 01:14:58 Yeah. I remember you asking how long these usually go for and we're at an hour, hour and 15 minutes.
Speaker 4 01:15:03 Did I beat, beat record?
Speaker 3 01:15:05 You're in the, you're in the,
Speaker 4 01:15:06 You're in the running.
Speaker 3 01:15:07 You, you're up there. Well, its how much I gotta edit out. Yeah,
Speaker 4 01:15:10 Yeah, I know, I know. That's, yeah,
Speaker 2 01:15:12 Well it, I think it's been great, haven't you? Oh man, thank you. Actually I would love to come down to the studio sometime. I would and bring the, you know, make a little field trip out of it. That'd be great.
Speaker 3 01:15:21 Um, bring the mobile mic set up. Yeah. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 01:15:24 Get some more footage, get some, get some, uh, get some pictures of your, uh, of the studio. That'd be great. Well, I appreciate you coming in, Scott. You're gonna, Scott will let us know where we can find some more of your, uh,
Speaker 3 01:15:38 Stuff. Yeah. Once we get this all get on Instagram, get it on drop a few keywords, a few hashtags, and a few uh Okay. Pieces of information where people can get ahold of you and we'll Excellent. We'll go from there.
Speaker 4 01:15:47 Well, thank you so, so much. I really, really appreciate. Thank you for coming. You having me. I'm very honored to be here and I'm just so thankful for
Speaker 3 01:15:54 All that you guys, hopefully we can have you back for something else later on. Your next Chronicle appearance in Yeah,
Speaker 4 01:15:58 <laugh> <laugh>.
Speaker 2 01:16:00 I'll try to make a cameo. That
Speaker 4 01:16:02 Exactly. I'll be guys, come on. Let's see. Excellent. All right, all thank you.
Speaker 3 01:16:08 Well thanks everybody for joining us and we'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 01:16:11 See ya.