Artist Interview: Mark Phelan

Words of the day: landscape. grief. color. curiosity. and music. Welcome to the Mark Phelan interview.

Mark Phelan has a solo show up at the Co-Creative Center in New Bedford, Massachusetts...

The exhibition runs from April 1st through May 31st, 2025. With an opening reception on Saturday April 5th from 6-9pm.

And additional receptions on Aha! night in both April and May. The Co-Creative Center is located at 137 Union Street in New Bedford, MA. Don't miss it!

A little about the interview,... I caught word about this show and thought it was a great time to dust off the ole podcast and talk with Mark about his work. I've been to his studio in the past and saw his last solo show back in 2022, which was titled Thresholding... so I'm really looking forward to this new show of paintings.

In this interview Mark and I open the conversation talking music in the studio, in depth about the exhibition title, so look out for that... ...places where certain sentiments and expressions land or don't land. Family also becomes part of the conversation. And Mark shares 2 great nature-based poems by esteemed poets you're sure to recognize...

Listen in for more via the audio player below on this post...thanks!

Studio view

Studio view

Audio interview with the artist:

Ahtcast · Mark Phelan Interview

(this player collects cookies for Soundcloud, just a heads up!)

The artist's website: Mark Phelan

Instagram: @generalgow and @_markmaking_

Artists mentioned in the interview: 

Tori Mulhern

Kim Barry

Tony Miraglia

Becky Yazdan (previous Ahtcast guest who submitted an interview question for Mark. Thanks Becky!)

Poets mentioned in this interview:

Mary Oliver

Wendell Berry

Bands mentioned in the interview:

Dirty Three

Dinosaur Jr

Explosions in the Sky

Saxon Shore

Godspeed You Black Emperor

Fontaines DC

Idles

Wolf Alice

and last but not least:

The Cure

The Smiths

Congratulations on your show, Mark! And thanks for the conversation.

And thanks to our listeners out there!

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

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Artist Interview: Debbi Kenote

Hey welcome to Ahtcast!

This episode’s guest is Brooklyn based painter Debbi Kenote.

Words of the day: butterfly. symmetry. sharp. bright. and aquatic.

In the conversation Debbi shares some of her experiences from growing up in the Pacific-Northwest as well as being home schooled until high school where her artistic life was encouraged at a whole other level.

Now living in Brooklyn we talk about how her experiences prior to that makes its way into her work as well as the city’s influence. And more.

Also part of the interview are two questions submitted by previous guest Connie Goldman so be sure to listen for those. Check out the player below to listen in...

Rook  

2022  

Acrylic on dyed canvas over shaped stretcher bar 

28 x 28 inches    

 
Leafwing 2022  Acrylic, dye and hinges on canvas 48 x 56 inches 

Leafwing(closed view)

Glider 2022 Acrylic on dyed canvas 47 x 47 inches    

  Hands All Around 2022 Acrylic on dyed canvas over shaped stretcher bar 28 x 28 inches    

  Anemone 2022 Acrylic on dyed canvas over shaped stretcher bar 26 x 26 inches   Audio interview with the artist: 

Ahtcast · Debbi Kenote Interview

(just a heads up! the above audio player uses cookies for soundcloud)

Debbi Kenote in her studio

 

 

 

 

The artist's website: Debbi Kenote

instagram: @debbikenote

 

 

 

Mentioned in the interview:

Elizabeth Murray

Cob x PLOP Residency

Kate Werble Gallery @kate_werble_gallery

Bob's in Bushwick @bobs_gallery1r

5-50 Gallery @550gallery

 

 

Big thanks goes out to Debbi for the fun conversation! and also to Connie Goldman for submitting interview questions! 

 

 

Thanks to the listeners out there as well...

 

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

Artist Interview: Guest Host Lauren Levine interviews Paul Behnke

Words of the day: figuration. abstraction. sketchbook. practice. driven.

Guest host Lauren G. Levine takes over the interview mic to talk with fellow painter Paul Behnke about his work and practice, as well as his move to Taos, NM with his wife.

Paul also shares his thoughts about ways of working on his paintings, his sketchbook practice, and how his current living conditions and location influence, or don’t influence, his current body of work. And more…listen below...

2 paintings by guest host Lauren Levine:

In The Grasses, Underfoot

Oil on canvas

2020

72 x 60 inches

What's the Sky's Name Again?

Oil on canvas

2020

72 x 60 inches

 

 Guest host, painter Lauren G. Levine

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2 paintings by featured interview guest Paul Behnke:

 

 Spirit Double

Acrylic and spray paint on canvas

2022

44 x 42 inches

 

 

3-6-22

Acrylic on canvas

2022

44 x 42 inches

 

 

Featured interview guest, painter Paul Behnke in his studio Taos, NM, photo by Robin Stout

 

 

Audio conversation between Levine and Behnke:

Ahtcast · Guest Host Lauren Levine interviews Paul Behnke

The above player uses cookies, just a heads up. 

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More from Lauren Levine and Paul Behnke:

Levine's website: Lauren Levine

instagram: @laurenglevineart

 

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Paul's website: Paul Behnke 

 

instagram: @paulbehnkepaintings 

 

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Mentioned in the conversation:

 

Jack Kirby

John Hoyland

Rorschach test

Debra Ramsay

James Kalm

Wassily Kandinsky

Patrick Graham

Lawrence Durrell

Nicole Eisenman

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 

Emil Nolde

Henry Miller

Graham Dane

 

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Many thanks to guest host Lauren G. Levine. And also to Paul Behnke for being a great guest! I'm grateful for their conversation.

 

 

 Thanks for listening!

 

 

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

 

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Artist Interview: Susan Carr Revisited

Words of the day: material. zombies. directly. from. life. awareness.

Welcome! In this episode Cape Cod based artist Susan Carr returns to the ahtcast studio for a walk back into her work. Susan shares the personal stories behind her new visual work as well as her written pieces that can be found in her book "Tensions" published by Raw Meat Collective. 
Truly an important experience hearing Susan raise awareness on very real parts of life such as death, addiction, mental-illness, and how most importantly that all we have is today and right now...so make some art! Not to mention that Susan reads two of her written pieces for the episode!
Check out the work, and listen on the player below! 

The eyes traveled

enamel on rag 

Making friends with Zombies

oil on wood 

 

Big Momma

mixed with acrylic, plaster, and wood

.

More works by Susan:

Susan Carr on instagram: susancarr88

Audio interview:

Ahtcast · Revisited: Susan Carr and Phillip J. Mellen in Conversation

Mentioned in the interview:

LABspace @labspace_art on instagram

Julie Torres

Ellen Letcher

LABspace will be hosting Susan's solo show "In My Room" late summer/early fall. Stay tuned to the gallery's instagram for updates!

*UPDATE: 

Susan Carr's solo show In MY Room opens at LABspace 

Sat. and Sun. September 12th and 13th 2020 1-5pm! 

LABspace  

2642 NY Route 23

Hillsdale, NY 12529

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Brian Edmonds

Curating Contemporary

Eraser Vol. 1 

featuring:

Susan Carr

Melanie Parke

Valerie Brennan

Sabine Tress

Mandy Lyn Ford

Ellen Siebers

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Susan Carr's book "Tensions"

published by Raw Meat Collective with an introduction by Kyle Quinn.

More info by clicking the word "Tensions" in the line above! 

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Thanks for listening! 

and Big Thanks to Susan Carr for sharing!

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

Artist Interview: Cat Balco

Words of the day: joy. newness. magic. manual. looking.

In this episode I have a conversation with Hamden, Connecticut painter Cat Balco. Cat shares how she manages time and how having lots of time doesn't necessarily make good paintings. We also talk about the series of paintings in her current show My Exploding Stars. Cat fills us in on where these paintings came from in process, and how a studio visit can really be valuable to ones own progression. Listen below for more...

Blue Diamond

60 x 60 inches

Acrylic on canvas

2019

Large Red Reach

72 x 72 inches

Acrylic on canvas

2019

Wide Open Angles

72 x 72 inches

Acrylic on canvas

2019

The artist's website: Cat Balco

Audio interview: 

Mentioned in the conversation:

Robert Reed

Jonathan Gregg

Joanna Newsom - the song: Sawdust and Diamonds

Saxon Shore
Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel

St. Augustine

My Exploding Stars

Rick Wester Fine Art

526 West 26th Street

Suite 417

New York, NY

Through Saturday February 1st 2020

Thank you for listening!

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

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Artist Interview: Kate Frazer Rego

Words of the day: inspiration. threshold. aging. narrative. nuance.

New Bedford, MA based artist Kate Frazer Rego is this episode's guest. Kate shares how it was important to receive support in her younger years as an artist. As a result, she knew early on that 3-dimensional work was where she was headed. Though Kate does also make text based paintings to extend her subject matter (see below).
Plenty of good art name-drops in this one, and one great quote from Langston Hughes. Listen below for more!  (some strong language, just a heads-up!)

 Mourning

 My Old Lady, My Old Man

A-Okay! 

Dick Garden

Alien

Kate Frazer Rego

The artist's website: Kate Frazer Rego

Instagram: @katefrazerrego

Audio interview with the artist:

Mentioned in the interview:

 

Joseph Cornell

Margaret Sanger

Nancy Spero

Sheela na gig carvings

Doris Salcedo

Stephen Mueller

Frida Kahlo

Diego Rivera

Lee Krasner

Jackson Pollock

Langston Hughes

Christian Boltanski

Kat Cope

Kelly Savage

Louise Bourgeois

Ishtar

Marie Antoinette

Westbeth Gallery

Cher

Stevie Nicks

Gogol Bordello

Tracey Emin

Podcasts mentioned:

Last Podcast on the Left 

Spooked 

I Like Your Work 

ahtcast (You are here) 

Quote shared by Kate during the interview:

“Folks, I'm telling you,
birthing is hard
and dying is mean-
so get yourself
a little loving
in between.”

-Langston Hughes

Thank you for listening! 

 

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

Artist Interview: Kevin Callaghan

Words of the day: bank. relevant. trust. time. forever.

Kevin Callaghan, artist based in Glasgow, joins ahtcast for this interview. Kevin shares a bit about color and how it might just need to be dynamic in order to be released from his studio. He also talks scale as a result of my bringing up the word "artifact" when reacting to an aspect of his work. 

Kevin later humors me in offering to answer my "What is Utopian philosophy?" question. Somehow Rihanna's music follows us into that stream of conversation. Listen below for more! (some strong language).

 Ceramic

 Ceramic

 LA 2

C & C birch ply, auto spray

43cm x 40 cm x 2cm / 17 x 15 x 1 inches

 LA 5 

C & C birch ply, auto spray

65cm x 65cm x 2cm / 25 x 25 x 1 inches

The artist's website: Kevin Callaghan

Audio interview with the artist: 
 

Artists etc. brought up in the interview:

Bridget Riley

Donald Judd

Peter Voulkos

Peter Carroll

Thomas More

Rosanjin

Picasso

*Please pardon those I have missed. 

Thanks for listening! 

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