This week, painter and installation artist, Jesse Bransford, joins me to discuss his magic and occult-inspired work.  We discussed the meanings behind the sigils and circles he embeds in his work, his fascination with the magician Surrealist, Kurt Seligmann, and his thoughts on the role of the artist as a practitioner of vision, generosity and belief. Find Jesse Bransford online at: web: https://www.jessebransford.com/ ig: @jessebransford get his book: UK: https://fulgur.co.uk/books/fourthandfifthpyramids/?v=7516fd43adaa / US: https://namepublications.org/item/2023/jesse-bransford-the-f ..read more

We're back with Part 2 of our review of "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron! In this half of our deep dive into the book, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen and I finish recounting our experiences following the program of this famous creativity self-help juggernaut. Today in Part 2, we discuss: 1. Sychronicity & Carl Jung 2. Our personal artist dates 3. What writing the Morning Pages felt like 4. Things in The Artist's Way that we disliked 5. “Clusters” & those who charge to run AW groups 6. Amy's "The Artist's Way Cringe Corner™" 7. And more insights from Julia Cameron's autobiography: "Floor Samp ..read more

Book Talks is back! And so is artist, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen, to help me tackle the OG creativity self help book: "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. We gave ourselves over body and soul to The Way for 12 weeks and lived to tell the tale...in two parts. Please join us as we share our experiences with the book (and some sprinkled-in context gleaned from Cameron's autobiography "Floor Sample"). Today in Part 1, we discuss: 1. Each of our favorite sections/quotes 2. The most challenging parts of doing the book (morning pages, tasks, artist's dates, the chapter readings 3. How “good” were we at d ..read more

Mandy is back to help me dissect this beloved classic book "Ways of Seeing" 1972 (and BBC TV show) by John Berger. Welcome back, Mandy! And, as always on Book Talks, much art-nerdery was indulged. Come along with us as we consider Berger's thoughts on Art: aka How it was changed by the age of reproduction, How the Nude functions as a tool for the Male Gaze, and How art is used as a status symbol for the wealthy, and in advertising to create Glamour. "Ways of Seeing" was created mainly by John Berger (writer/host), Michael Dibb (filmmaker), Delia Derbyshire (composer), and Richard Hollis (book ..read more

This episode is all about a fascinating British TV art reality show that I once gleefully watched completely pirated, through the kindness of Cherzo, a modern day Robin Reddit-Hood. You can check out the show: "Portrait Artist of the Year" on Amazon, if you are so intrigued! Artists mentioned: Alice Neel, Frederick Hayes, and Tai Shan Schierenberg (Judge for the show). Thank you, Listeners! Thank you, Pep Talks Patrons! All music by Soundstripe ---------------------------- Peps has a Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/PepTalksforArtists⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Join the Peps fam on Patreon and become a pa ..read more

Artist, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen, is back with me for another Book Talks episode! In this episode, we are reading Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Artists," published 1550/1568 which profiles famous High Renaissance, mostly Florentine artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Boticcelli, and a few lesser-knowns. We were so excited about the book that we ran deliciously long and decided to cut it up and make it a two-parter. In Part 1, we cover Vasari's takes on Giotto, Masaccio, Piero Della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Fra Filippo Lippi, and Madonna Properzia de Rossi (the only woman in the book, and wh ..read more

We're baaacckk! Mandolyn Wilson Rosen and I have returned for Part 2 to finish our report on Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Artists," a combo-bio of Florentine High Renaissance artists from the 1580's. Pull up a carved high-backed chair, grab yourself a goblet of watered-down wine and join us for the continuation of our journey back to this fabled time in Italian art. In Part 2, we cover Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Jacopo da Pontormo, Michelangelo, and Titian (with some discussion of Albrecht Durer as well). In the Boticelli section, Mandy references this article by Alexxa ..read more

Mandy Wilson Rosen is back to co-host another Book Talks for Artists! Welcome back, Mandy! This week we are discussing "How to Work a Room" by Susan RoAne to see if it jusssttt might have some helpful tips inside for artists. Spoiler alert: It does. It's chock full of helpful tips for surviving an opening and we can't wait to talk about it. I even found some cocktail party lounge music for the ep. Join us! Link to the book: Amazon or Thriftbooks Hoban Press business cards: https://hobanpress.com/ (PS: Amy uses "the Stoic" calling card-so thicc!) Mandy's website: https://mandolynwilsonrosen.c ..read more

Friend of the show, Mandy Wilson Rosen is back to co-host with me this week! Welcome back, Mandy! At a recent artist meet up on Clubhouse, we learned that many many artists cite "The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985" ed. Maurice Tuchman/LACMA as their most prized book on their studio bookshelf. Neither of us had heard of the book before, so we set about to find out what all the fuss was about.  The book is a TOME (heavy as a brick, dense as a neutron star and 430 pages) and out of print, but available used on Ebay and Amazon...and at other used book sellers. Mandy and I colle ..read more

In this episode, artist, Mandy Wilson Rosen and I did a deep dive into Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art." We criticized where criticism was due, but we also highlighted many of the helpful and brilliant insights about the phenomenon of creative "Resistance" that the author outlines in the book. After much deliberation, we decided it is a worthy addition to any artist's bookshelf.  And P.S., Tolstoy very much had a wife, as suspected! Her name was Sophia and, in addition to caring for their 8 surviving children by day, she also copied & edited the War & Peace manuscript after th ..read more