warning: sometimes swear words come out of our mouths.

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Enjoy!

Friday, December 28, 2018

Artist Interview: Brigid Watson

Words of the day: drawing. color. cement. time. view-finder.

Boston based painter Brigid Watson is ahtcast's guest this time around. You may remember Brigid from The Mixed-Media Tapes recordings where she spoke in depth about color, and metaphysics. I have invited her back for a full length interview here on the podcast. 
Brigid answers my questions about drawing, how long it takes to finish her thick impasto paintings, and where her titles may or may not come from. She also returns to the topic of color, and composition, plus more about her process. Listen below for more...



Drawing
Pastel on paper
26 x 20 inches
2014




Untitled drawing
Chalk pastel on Twin Rocker paper
10 x 14 inches
2018




Cement 1
9 x 9 inches
Oil on canvas
2013





24 x 24 inches
Oil on canvas
2018





Petite Mr. Pink
6 x 6 inches
Oil on canvas
2018


Audio interview with the artist:
 




The artist's website: Brigid Watson






Atists etc. mentioned in the interview:

Joan Mitchell
Elizabeth Murray
Titian
Monet
Philip Guston
Mark Bradford
 Joe Bradley
Howard Hodgkin
Cecily Brown
Per Kirkeby
Judith Farr
Jamey Hart
Joseph Campbell
Rachel Eastman
Bob Siegelman
and David Bowie 


Brigid Watson has a solo show titled: "mountain, thunder" opening: January 4th 2019
Hidell Brooks Gallery
Charlotte, NC
The opening reception is January 4th 6 - 8 pm. 
For more info, please visit the gallery's website: Hidell Brooks Gallery

Congratulations Brigid! 

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I invite you to listen to a few outtakes from the interview, please visit this link on this blog: Brigid Watson Interview outtakes


Thank you for listening! 



(Original intro song by David T Miller and Phillip J. Mellen) 



 
 

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Artist Interview: Brigid Watson Interview. The outtakes/teaser

Words of the day: mentality. color. scrape. discipline. galloping.

On the audio player below is a 5 minute collection of snippets and outtakes from my interview conversation with Boston based painter Brigid Watson. You'll find short accounts on Brigid's pacing during her painting process and how she handles the "best part of the painting" when that occurs prematurely, so to speak. Listen in for more...




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Field Philosopher
9 x 9 inches
Oil on canvas
2016




 The artist's website: Brigid Watson 

Thanks for listening! And please stay tuned for the full-length interview here on the blog soon!

*UPDATE* I just released the full-length interview, you can find it on this blog here: Full Interview with Brigid Watson



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Tuesday, July 10, 2018

The aht [EP]: Peter Shear meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

A little about the inspiration behind the aht [EP]: 

While preparing for artist interviews I'll often hear a song, now where I don't necessarily consider myself a synaesthete but my brain goes there from time to time while looking at the art of others. The aht [EP] is where you'll find musical comparisons to the work of a previous interview guest. So please keep an ear out for the occasional appearance of these musical posts on this blog.

Here is the second installment of the series: Peter Shear meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

For this post I chose two of the three paintings that Peter sent along for the post. Mr. Shear's work has a certain spirit throughout. It's hard to describe but I'll attempt in a song comparison....

The song I chose is "Little Moments" by CYHSY. Based in both Philly and Brooklyn, I heard that Alec Ounsworth, the band's singer, writes mostly while commuting to and from Brooklyn, most likely to meet up with his band-mates. Anyway, the song is off the Only Run album that came out in 2014. 

Back to what I hear in Peter's work, and the song: 

Right from the track's opening we have somewhat of a drive...then the muffled, yet gentle beat moves in, almost motionless to a contrast with other instrumentation. Perhaps we could dance? Perhaps we just watch? And maybe we are taken into an 8-bit environment? Peter's paintings seem to move in a similar fashion(s). They could very well act as a soundtrack to a certain kind of video game. Fun, simple, yet sophisticated. Hypnotic, and charging no tokens in order to operate them.

Some people describe the space between notes in songs. I feel/see space in Peter's paintings in the right measure. The space vibrates, yet allows the viewer in enough to interact. One could feasibly take this invitation to move elements around, even though they are fine without us, the painted surface (if only in dreams). Perhaps what I am getting at is that the work tends to be kinetic, with a humorous delivery and destination. And let's not forget the space in-between elements. Did I mention that yet?

Also, something about the title of the song also strikes me being placed along side of the paintings. The works tend to be still shots of things that move so fast. The moments in-between what makes sense and the things that cant be defined. 

Let's be present. Let's not waste time...

Thank you for coming to check out the post. Both CYHSY's music, and Peter Shear's work have stuck with me as pals since I first interviewed Peter some time ago. I hope you enjoy this pairing. Take a look and listen below...   




Two paintings by Peter Shear:








Little Moments by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:







For more of Peter Shear's work, please visit his website here: Peter Shear


The previously released audio interview with Peter can be found on this blog here: Peter Shear interview  



Clap Your Hands Say Yeah website: CYHSY 




Thank you for looking and listening! 


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Wednesday, April 4, 2018

The aht [EP]: Martina Nehrling meets The Sea and Cake

A little about the inspiration behind the aht [EP]: 

While preparing for interviews I'll often hear a song, now where I don't necessarily consider myself a synaesthete but my brain goes there from time to time while looking at the art of others. The aht [EP] is where you'll find musical comparisons to the work of a previous interview guest. So please keep an ear out for the occasional appearance of these musical posts on this blog.

Here is the first of the series: Martina Nehrling meets The Sea and Cake. 

Below we have a piece by previous guest, Martina Nehrling based in Chicago. Several works by Martina appear to be related to almost anything aquatic for me, so naturally my brain pulled up the instrumentation side of a song called "The Leaf" by The Sea and Cake (also based in Chicago). I couldn't have planned that better myself. Could this whole thing reflect a certain pulse of the creative community found there? Not sure but it makes for a good reason to point that out. 

"The Leaf" opens, with what sounds like, the bubbling up of marimbas being played together, and with a bit of a phaser effect perhaps? This speaks to the overlapping/layering and kinetic weaving of the strokes in Martina's painting below...both the song and the paint create the form and structure of what I see and hear. Also, a good part of the song features similar sounds, along with the drums holding things up just a bit ever so complimentary, even the breathy vocals echo that fashion. Then a transition to light electric guitar(s) skillfully loosen up the song's framework to close...all while the drums get a bit more familiar to the ears. 

Below you'll find Martina's painting and the audio for "The Leaf." I hope you'll enjoy these two artforms side by side. 







The Man Operating the Tilt-a-whirl was in Love With Rose, 28H x 36L in., acrylic on canvas, 2012 by Martina Nehrling






The Leaf by The Sea and Cake:







For more work by Martina Nehrling, please visit her website: Martina Nehrling 



And the previously released audio interview on the blog can be found here: Martina Nehrling interview.





The Sea and Cake website: The Sea and Cake







 Thanks for looking and listening.


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