On today's episode we sat down with Scott Tallman Powers, a fine artist specializing in western scenes who is always looking to capture the connection between humans and their environment. Scott discusses his artistic journey, from studying at the American Academy of Art to transitioning from illustration to becoming a professional painter. He emphasizes the importance of painting from life, understanding abstract foundations, and the balance between realism and narrative storytelling. Scott highlights the challenges of meeting deadlines while maintaining quality, the benefits of plein air painting, and the necessity of diversifying income streams through workshops, commissions, and selling smaller studies, while also maintaining strong relationships with collectors through genuine communication. He also reminds artists to get yourself out there and find a good artist community to motivate and inspire you to continue on your journey. Finally, Scott tells us about his upcoming workshop and exhibitions, including a collaborative landscape and figure workshop with Scott Christensen and his participation in The Briscoe Museum Night of the Artists Show and The Prix de West!

Mary Aslin - Process Over Outcome

In this episode, we sat down with Mary Aslin a full-time professional artist who creates representational paintings inspired by the beauty of nature and light. Mary shares her journey of becoming a professional artist, including overcoming self-doubt, building technical skills, and finding her voice. She tells us about the tips she likes to give her students including the fact that there are no mistakes and to focus on the process over the outcome. She also emphasizes the importance of treating art as a business, using tools like a website and newsletter to connect with collectors. Mary advises aspiring full-time artists to focus on creating their best work, participate in art shows, and consider teaching. Finally, Mary tells us about her mentorship on Mastrius and her upcoming workshop in Crete!

Hilarie Couture - Continuous Growth & Learning

In this episode, we sat down with Hilarie Couture, a figurative artist who has had an extensive and varied career path, including stints as a street portrait artist, hairdresser, auctioneer, and historic preservationist. She rediscovered her passion for painting later in life and has since become a full-time artist, working primarily in pastel and oil. Hilary emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, remembering to always focus on the fundamentals, experimentation, and building connections within the art community. She also offers advice to aspiring artists about balancing financial stability and artistic ambitions, as well as the value of thinking creatively about marketing one's work and seeking out opportunities in even the most common places. Finally Hilarie tells us about her studio sale!

Michael Orwick - Embrace Fun and Experimentation

In this episode, we sat down with Michael Orwick, a contagiously cheerful artist with a deep passion for capturing the atmospheric beauty of the Pacific Northwest through his unique "illuminated tones" style. Michael emphasizes the importance of embracing experimentation and fun in the artistic process, advising aspiring artists to focus on what they love and not be afraid to make mistakes. He shares his journey from studying illustration, to working in restaurants and bars, to full-time painting and traveling while pursuing humanitarian efforts. He also highlights the value of having diverse income streams as an artist to help one have more freedom to create on one's own terms and reminds us of the importance of having a work-life balance based on your personal needs. Finally, Michael tells us about his online classes and upcoming workshops!

Russell Gordon - Persistence, Passion, and Patience

In this episode, we sat down with Russell Gordon, an artist living in upstate New York who is deeply inspired by nature and seeks to express the beauty of nature through his paintings of fauna and flora. Russell discusses his experience at the Schuler School of Art in Baltimore and emphasizes the importance of training and persistence, sharing that it took six years after art school for him to begin to find success in his artistic career. He highlights the challenges of self-doubt and the necessity of a supportive environment. He advises aspiring artists to train rigorously, seek out the right gallery fit, and to have persistence, passion, and patience. Russell then tells us about the new direction he is taking in his work, which involves anthropomorphizing animals and placing them in human roles, inspired by childhood memories and illustrators like Beatrix Potter. Finally, Russell tells us about his upcoming shows where we can see his beautiful new work!