Podcasts about florence academy

Riley Holloway Riley Holloway studied Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Dallas, during which time he completed a Portrait Workshop at The Florence Academy of Art in Italy. Following his studies, Holloway was awarded a 3-month artist residency at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, which culminated in his first solo exhibition in the hotel's gallery. The artist is a Hunting Prize finalist. Holloway has exhibited internationally, with recent notable solo exhibitions including those at backs/ash in Paris, Erin Cluley Gallery in Dallas, Bloom Galerie in Geneva, Bode Projects at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, The African American Museum of Dallas, and First Amendment Gallery in San Francisco. Love Galore at Massey Klein Gallery is the artist's first solo exhibition in New York City. In 2023, Holloway's Records on Repeat was one of twelve works selected for acquisition by The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) through the Dallas Art Fair Foundation. The artist's work is held in other prominent collections including The University of Oregon, Stanford University, The Dean Collection, and The Fairmont Dallas. The artist lives and works in Dallas, TX. Riley Holloway, Love Galore, 2024 Oil and oil pastel on canvas 48 x 48 x 1.25 inches Riley Holloway, Flowers for You, 2024 Oil and oil pastel on canvas 27.5 x 41.5 x 1.25 inches Riley Holloway Love on Display, I, II, III, 2024 Oil and oil pastel on canvas 10 x 20 x 1.5 each

In this episode, Marisa interviews visual artist Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer. Growing up in both America and Europe, Emma took ballet and drawing classes. She refined her painting technique at the Florence Academy of Art, and found her creative voice in an MFA program at Central Saint Martins. Now living in Italy, Emma's surroundings of nature, religion, and hunting culture inspired her first solo exhibition, “The Scapegoat.” Originating from a biblical myth, Emma's retelling begs the question, “what is the scapegoat of our society?” Like her grandmother, Audrey Hepburn, Emma approaches art as service and works to capture empathy.Follow Emma @ekhferrerCheck out her website at https://www.emmaferrer.com

Jason is moved by the beauty of nature and our modern world and is interested in narrative and metaphor. His work searches for a way to express an emotion, experience, a moment or an event. By seeking out the truth in nature, he explores his most authentic self. As it turns out, that results in being a rather silly person. Jason's work is timeless at first glance because he uses traditional techniques. However, the work's subject matter ultimately interjects the technique's seriousness with humor, dissolving any lingering tension from such a controlled and skilled hand. Jason is continuously discovering new meaning in his work. The work is not meant to be static; it takes time to get into it and peel back the layers to get to the truth.Jason Polins lives and works in the Boston area. He has a BFA from Boston University and Graduate degree from the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. He returned stateside to pursue direct studies with notable painters Nelson Shanks and Gary Hoffmann. His genres include portraiture, figure, still life, and landscape/cityscape. Polins works in pen, graphite, charcoal, and oil paint.In addition to painting, Jason Polins also teaches art classes in oil painting, drawing in his atelier and several local art centers.Find out more about Jason here

Order your exclusive da Vinci BoldBrush paintbrush set!https://brushoffer.com/collections/boldbrushLearn the magic of marketing  with us here at BoldBrush!https://www.boldbrushshow.com/Get over 50% off your first year on your artist website with FASO:https://www.FASO.com/podcast/---In this episode we sat down with Samuel Hoskins, a realist artist based in the pacific northwest whose goal is to use his art as a bridge between dreams and material reality. Sam tells us all about his journey before and after graduating from the Florence Academy as well as experimenting with different mediums and exploring spiritual and philosophical themes in his art. He reminds us that as creatives we are vessels for ideas and images that we share with the world around us to connect with others. We also discuss the importance of overcoming blocks by having a dedicated studio space and also the value of self-care, balance, and continually learning through different environments and experiences. Samuel also tells us all about his YouTube channel where he shares tutorials on making medium and even lead white paint from scratch as well as time lapses of his work. He also shares advice for aspiring artists on having the right mentality when attending art school and figuring out one's personal artistic goals. He also recommends gaining experience through small local shows before pursuing larger opportunities. Finally, Sam tells us about his booth at the upcoming Bellevue Arts Museum Art Fair and his upcoming show in his hometown of Salem, Oregon at Salem Art Association.Samuel's FASO site:https://www.samuelhoskins.com/Samuel's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/samuelshoskins/Samuel's YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@samuel.s.hoskins

EPISODE 107 | Traces of Reality: Abstract Art and the CIA (World Is Weird 13) Guest: Mandy Theis, founder and director of the School of Atelier Arts, academic director and professor at the Florence Academy of Art Maybe you've walked into a museum or gallery and seen a big white, blank canvas, or a huge circle, and thought, "So, this is art, eh?". But why is there so much of this abstract stuff around? The answer might be surprising - because the CIA promoted it as part of the Cold War. And then it rather got away from them. Today, the art market is the most unregulated in the world, and aesthetics and skill take a back seat to branding.  Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #support #buymeacoffee You can also SUBSCRIBE to this podcast. Review us here or on IMDb! SECTIONS 02:31 - Atelier training, the CIA begins, the cultural Cold War was run by elitists, Julia Child, Realism gets rebranded as Communist, the Springville Museum of Art in Utah, cadmium red as protest, dry brushing technique, techniques follow money, skill list art, technical skills are being lost 12:30 - Social Realism, Czech Functionalism and German Bauhaus, Cubist architecture, art is always in motion, Russians tweaked French Realism, Abstract art eclipses realism, a war of aesthetics and marketing, the French discount the Americans, America pushes Abstract Expressionism, Marshall Plan money becomes a black bag, the Congress of Cultural Freedom, Clement Greenberg, Art criticism as marketing 23:18 - the NCL (Non-Communist Left), Jackson Pollack was a CIA tool, American racial attitudes work against them 28:24 - Abstract Expressionism promoted as ultimate American style because it has no inherent meaning, it's safe; Picasso had atelier training, Truman hated abstract art ("ham and egg men"), George Dondero goes nuts about abstract art on the House floor, Realism is not retrograde, we are losing the artistic skills to make beautiful things 36:06 - the CIA's efforts were very successful, the modern art market is the most unregulated in the world, technique gets separated from art so it all becomes about money, everything is branded,  Warhol critiques all this, fine art feels remote from most of us, the art world is a closed circuit, Thomas Kinkade was successful because at least his work meant something to some people, scribbles are scribbles but branding makes them art 47:51 - Don't know if it's art, but I like it; Realism is still villainized  Music by Fanette Ronjat More Info:  The School of Atelier Arts website Bodyguard of Lies: The Ghost Army & Wartime Deception (World Is Weird 11) The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders Springville Museum of Art -  largest public collection of 20th century Russian and Soviet art in the western United States 15 things to know about Norman Rockwell Why Norman Rockwell Matters Ralph McQuarrie: Star Wars' Concept Artist A Visit to the CIA's “Secret” Abstract Art Collection Was Modern Art Really a CIA Psy-Op? Class 8. The CIA and the Cultural Cold War Origins of the Congress of Cultural Freedom, 1949-50 Cultural Cold War on CIA.gov WHEN FREEDOM TOOK THE OFFENSIVE: The Congress for Cultural Freedom and the Power of Ideas Congress for Cultural Freedom on Spartacus Educational  Cold Warrior: The Clement Greenberg Phenomenon CIA Weaponizing Abstract Art and Its Fallout The use of American art in the Cold War How MoMA and the CIA Conspired to Use Unwitting Artists to Promote American Propaganda During the Cold War Ford Foundation - Funding transatlantic exchange between the arts and politics The Ford Foundation and the CIA: A documented case of philanthropic collaboration with the Secret Police Modern art was CIA 'weapon' How the CIA Secretly Used Jackson Pollock & Other Abstract Expressionists to Fight the Cold War Was modern art a weapon of the CIA? Jackson Pollock & the CIA on The Conspiracy of Art website Why did the CIA sponsor Jackson Pollock? Pollock is Bollocks Pollock: genius or charlatan? Jackson Pollock: Separating Man from Myth Viewpoint: Why racism in US is worse than in Europe - BBC Viewpoint “They treated us royally”? Black Americans in Britain during WW2 Why abstract art is not valid Abstract Art Is Not Art and Definitely Not Abstract The Tyranny of Abstract Art in The Atlantic Communist conspiracy in art threatens American museums, Congressional Record, March, 17, 1952 Anticommunism and Modern Art - selection from the George Dondero Papers THE SUPPRESSION OF ART IN THE MCCARTHY DECADE The Shame of the Mural Censors — Why Art and History Matter Between Avant-Garde and Kitsch: Deconstructing Art And/As Ideology on Project MUSE Modern American Art and the Politics of Cultural Diplomacy Abstract Expressionism and the Cold War 'The art trade is the last major unregulated market' A Fascinating, Sexy, Intellectually Compelling, Unregulated Global Market. - Freakonomics ep. 484 The Art Market: Unregulated Unscrupulous And Worth Billions High-end art is one of the most manipulated markets in the world THE ART MARKET: AFFLUENCE AND DEGRADATION on Art Forum Billion Dollar Painter: The Triumph and Tragedy of Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light book Thomas Kinkade: A Success - 60 Minutes Thomas Kinkade: The Painter Art Critics Hated but America Loved Much to the Chagrin of the Art Establishment, the Numbers Indicate that Thomas Kinkade Is the Most Successful and Relevant Artist in Human History Thomas Kinkade Was the World's Biggest Selling Painter. Art for Everybody Asks Why Follow us on social: Facebook Twitter Other Podcasts by Derek DeWitt DIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of a 2022 Gold Quill Award, 2022 Gold MarCom Award, 2021 AVA Digital Award Gold, 2021 Silver Davey Award, 2020 Communicator Award of Excellence, and on numerous top 10 podcast lists.  PRAGUE TIMES - A city is more than just a location - it's a kaleidoscope of history, places, people and trends. This podcast looks at Prague, in the center of Europe, from a number of perspectives, including what it is now, what is has been and where it's going. It's Prague THEN, Prague NOW, Prague LATER

English portrait artist and sculptor, Eleanor Cardozo, is known for her bronze sculptures and the dynamic movement in her work. Eleanor was born in London in 1965, the second of 10 children to Colonel Benedict Cardozo, a Military Attaché in the British Army, and Caroline Cardozo, an artist and musician. Her childhood was subjected to the typical adventures of a military family when her father was posted overseas to Aden, Malaysia, Germany, Malawi, Ghana, Cyprus and Gibraltar. Eleanor's education began at a French school in Ghana, followed by boarding school from ages 8 -18 at St Mary's Convent in Dorset. Her interest in art began as a small child so it was with a degree of inevitability that she chose the City & Guilds School of Art London for Fine Art in Sculpture, followed by the Florence Academy and Cecil Graves School in Italy for portraiture. She says: ”I think because I respected my parents so much and they had very high expectations, pretty much everything we did, whether it was piano or art or academics, they wanted it to be at the highest level.” This episode is more than an interview; it's an intimate portrait of an artist's life, filled with anecdotes that make you laugh, moments that inspire, and revelations that make you ponder the nature of creativity. Eleanor's reflections on her boarding school days, her family's musical legacy, and her spiritual journey add layers to her persona, revealing a woman who is as multifaceted as the sculptures she creates. We hear how being a gymnast and dancer through her teens informed her appreciation for athletic movement. Her love of beauty is evident in her work, which has adorned venues such as the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel in Lausanne, Cirque du Soleil, Harrods in London, Terminal 5 at Heathrow, Westminster Abbey, the Palais Wilson in Geneva to name a few. Her work is primarily commission based but, as she explains, she is also keen to explore other art forms. Eleanor and her husband Rupert live in Geneva and have three children, Cosima, Daniel and Harry. Eleanor's wedsite: https://www.eleanorcardozo.com/Instagram: @eleanorcardozo Playlist: Ennio Morricone - Cinema ParadisoCamille Saint-Saëns - The SwanStan Getz & Gilberto - Girl from Ipanema ( my phone ring!)Diana Krall - Why Should I CareAmy MacDonald - This Is The LifePharrell Williams - HappyPietro Mascagni - Cavalleria RusticanaThe Godfather Love Theme Favorite women artists:Camille ClaudeElizabeth FrinkLuo Li Rong... and so many more painters.Host: Chris StaffordProduced by Hollowell StudiosFollow @theaartpodcast on InstagramAART on FacebookEmail: hollowellstudios@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wisp--4769409/support.

English portrait artist and sculptor, Eleanor Cardozo, is known for her bronze sculptures and the dynamic movement in her work. Eleanor was born in London in 1965, the second of 10 children to Colonel Benedict Cardozo, a Military Attaché in the British Army, and Caroline Cardozo, an artist and musician. Her childhood was subjected to the typical adventures of a military family when her father was posted overseas to Aden, Malaysia, Germany, Malawi, Ghana, Cyprus and Gibraltar. Eleanor's education began at a French school in Ghana, followed by boarding school from ages 8 -18 at St Mary's Convent in Dorset. Her interest in art began as a small child so it was with a degree of inevitability that she chose the City & Guilds School of Art London for Fine Art in Sculpture, followed by the Florence Academy and Cecil Graves School in Italy for portraiture. She says: ”I think because I respected my parents so much and they had very high expectations, pretty much everything we did, whether it was piano or art or academics, they wanted it to be at the highest level.” This episode is more than an interview; it's an intimate portrait of an artist's life, filled with anecdotes that make you laugh, moments that inspire, and revelations that make you ponder the nature of creativity. Eleanor's reflections on her boarding school days, her family's musical legacy, and her spiritual journey add layers to her persona, revealing a woman who is as multifaceted as the sculptures she creates. We hear how being a gymnast and dancer through her teens informed her appreciation for athletic movement. Her love of beauty is evident in her work, which has adorned venues such as the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel in Lausanne, Cirque du Soleil, Harrods in London, Terminal 5 at Heathrow, Westminster Abbey, the Palais Wilson in Geneva to name a few. Her work is primarily commission based but, as she explains, she is also keen to explore other art forms. Eleanor and her husband Rupert live in Geneva and have three children, Cosima, Daniel and Harry. Eleanor's wedsite: https://www.eleanorcardozo.com/ Instagram: @eleanorcardozo Playlist:Ennio Morricone - Cinema ParadisoCamille Saint-Saëns - The SwanStan Getz & Gilberto - Girl from Ipanema ( my phone ring!)Diana Krall - Why Should I CareAmy MacDonald - This Is The LifePharrell Williams - HappyPietro Mascagni - Cavalleria RusticanaThe Godfather Love Theme Favorite women artists:Camille ClaudeElizabeth FrinkLuo Li Rong So many more paintersHost: Chris StaffordProduced by Hollowell StudiosFollow @theaartpodcast on InstagramAART on FacebookEmail: hollowellstudios@gmail.com

On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Tom Richards about the Florence Academy of Art, what serious art instruction looks like, how K–12 art education can be improved, the differences between music and art instruction, whether artistic talent is innate or can be taught, how art instruction has changed over the […]

On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Tom Richards about the Florence Academy of Art, what serious art instruction looks like, how K–12 art education can be improved, the differences between music and art instruction, whether artistic talent is innate or can be taught, how art instruction has changed over the last 200 years, Velazquez, showing children art documentaries, why it's important to teach fundamentals before higher order skills, drawing with pencil and paper, the Zorn palette, the importance of coherence and consistency in an educational program, the management of Italian art museums, the proper age at which to start rigorous art training, and more.Tom Richards is a painter and the director of the Florence Academy of Art.Show Notes:The Florence Academy of Art: Instagram, Website, Drawing and Painting Program, Student Gallery, Alumni GalleryTom Richards: Instagram, Website

Jana Büttner is a figurative sculptor who focuses on sculpting from life from her studios in Salzburg and Florence. Jana was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1997 and has what she describes as three half siblings. Her mother Petra, an art teacher is from Prague and her father Uwe is from Dortmund. She grew up in an artistic and musical family, learning violin and piano, and visiting museums and galleries around Europe. From 2008-2012 Jana studied at he Musisches Gymnasium Salzburg where she was exposed to music, dancing, literature and fine art. After graduating she decided to spend a year in New Zealand which helped her clarify her career goals. When she was 19 she was accepted at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art where she spent three years studying under multiple instructors including the founder of the sculpting program Robert Boden. Jana has won numerous awards and shown in exhibitions and permanent collections around Europe and the US, including “Face 2021,“ Society of Portrait Sculptors, La Galleria Pall Mall London, the Espaco Exhibitionista Gallery, Lisbon Portugal, and the Figurativas in Barcelona. She says her goal is it to provoke emotions and encourage empathy in the viewer. The viewer should be engaged by the work, so they can identify themselves within it.Jana's website: https://www.janabuettner.com/Instagram @janabuettner.art Jana's favorite women artists:Colleen Barry Hannah SuttonMirjam JahnHannah BrictsonKäthe Kollwitz (d) Camille Claudel (d) Playlist Cerca De Ti - Hermanos GutiérrezMariella - Khruangbin, Leon BridgesJungle - Jimi HendrixShine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts 1-5 - Pink FloydHost: Chris StaffordProduced by Hollowell StudiosFollow @theaartpodcast on InstagramAART on FacebookEmail: hollowellstudios@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/wisp/support.

Jana Büttner is a figurative sculptor who focuses on sculpting from life from her studios in Salzburg and Florence. Jana was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1997 and has what she describes as three half siblings. Her mother Petra, an art teacher is from Prague and her father Uwe is from Dortmund. She grew up in an artistic and musical family, learning violin and piano, and visiting museums and galleries around Europe. From 2008-2012 Jana studied at he Musisches Gymnasium Salzburg where she was exposed to music, dancing, literature and fine art. After graduating she decided to spend a year in New Zealand which helped her clarify her career goals. When she was 19 she was accepted at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art where she spent three years studying under multiple instructors including the founder of the sculpting program Robert Boden. Jana has won numerous awards and shown in exhibitions and permanent collections around Europe and the US, including “Face 2021,“ Society of Portrait Sculptors, La Galleria Pall Mall London, the Espaco Exhibitionista Gallery, Lisbon Portugal, and the Figurativas in Barcelona. She says her goal is it to provoke emotions and encourage empathy in the viewer. The viewer should be engaged by the work, so they can identify themselves within it.Jana's website: https://www.janabuettner.com/Instagram @janabuettner.art Jana's favorite women artists:Colleen Barry Hannah SuttonMirjam JahnHannah BrictsonKäthe Kollwitz (d) Camille Claudel (d) Playlist Cerca De Ti - Hermanos GutiérrezMariella - Khruangbin, Leon BridgesJungle - Jimi HendrixShine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts 1-5 - Pink FloydHost: Chris StaffordProduced by Hollowell StudiosFollow @theaartpodcast on InstagramAART on FacebookEmail: hollowellstudios@gmail.com

"Reviving classical art is the most rebellious thing an artist can do today." Host: Michael Dargie, THEREBELREBELPODCAST.COM Guest: Mandy Theis, SCHOOLofATLELIERARTS.COM In this enlightening episode of "The RebelRebel Podcast," host Michael Dargie welcomes Mandy Theis, a passionate advocate for atelier-style art education. This conversation takes us on a journey through Mandy's life, her discovery of Atelier training, and her dedication to bringing these classical art techniques back into the mainstream. The episode begins with Mandy sharing her experiences in the New York City area and her involvement with the School of Atelier Arts. She enlightens listeners on the history and significance of atelier training, drawing connections to legendary artists like Da Vinci and Rembrandt. Mandy explains how this form of education, once the cornerstone of artistic training, fell out of favour and was nearly lost to modernity. Mandy's personal story is both inspiring and revealing. She recounts her childhood visit to the Dayton Art Institute, where she first encountered realistic paintings, igniting her passion for art. Despite years of art education, she felt a disconnect between her skills and her aspirations, which changed upon discovering atelier training. Mandy then embarked on a journey to learn and subsequently share this nearly lost art form, striving to make it accessible to people worldwide. Throughout the conversation, Mandy highlights the relevance of atelier training in various fields, including animation and digital arts. She emphasizes the importance of visual literacy, comparing it to reading literacy, and advocates for the inclusion of realistic drawing and painting skills in modern education. This episode is packed with insights into Mandy's philosophy on art, her teaching methods, and her future endeavours, including potential book projects. This episode is not just a discussion about art; it's a revelation of how traditional techniques can profoundly impact modern artistic expression and education. GREAT THINGS MANDY SAYS "Art is not just a skill; it's a way of seeing the world." "Every great artist was once a learner in an atelier." "Visual literacy is as crucial as reading literacy." "Rediscovering atelier training was like being told I could go to Hogwarts." "Reviving classical art is the most rebellious thing an artist can do today." EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Mandy Theis's background and the mission of the School of Atelier Arts. The history and near extinction of atelier training in art. Personal anecdotes from Mandy's life that led her to pursue and teach atelier-style art. The impact of atelier training on modern art forms like animation and digital art. Discussion on the relevance of visual literacy in today's world. Mandy's future plans, including writing books and expanding her teaching platform. LINKS FROM EPISODE School of Atelier Arts (https://schoolofatelierarts.com) The Florence Academy of Art (https://florenceacademyofart.com) Dayton Art Institute (https://www.daytonartinstitute.org) Mandy Fine Artists on Instagram *When you buy a product using a link on this page, The RebelRebel Podcast receives a portion of the revenue from your qualifying purchases as part of the Amazon Associates Program. Thank you for your support.

WEBSITE: https://www.patrickokrasinski.com   INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/patrickokra/   Patrick Okrasinski was born in New York City in 1996. Even as a young boy, he was consumed by drawing. The time he spent with his grandparents in the idyllic Polish countryside helped fuel his love of the natural world.  In the Fall of 2016 he found his way to the US branch of the Florence Academy of Art in Jersey City. There he was able to study at the highest levels of figurative painting, under the tutelage of Jordan Sokol, Amaya Gurpide, Stephen Bauman, Cornelia Hernes, and Edmond Rochat. As a student he won numerous prizes, including the ARC Scholarship Competition. After graduating, he spent three months as Artist in Residence with the Claude Monet Foundation in Giverny, painting in Monet's garden and the surrounding French countryside.  In 2020 he was awarded the prestigious Donald Jurney Travelling Fellowship Grant for the purpose of travelling and painting the great historic and cultural centers of Europe. In light of the pandemic, this adventure was postponed, and he instead turned to painting the local landscape of the North East, and winning multiple awards in National Juried Shows. In 2021, he was awarded the Hudson River Fellowship at Wethersfield, a collaborative fellowship that brings together classically trained artists to study and paint nature for three weeks. Later that summer, he painted and traveled Europe, thanks to the Donald Jurney Travelling Fellowship.   _________________________________________________________________________   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:   ROSEMARY BRUSHES  https://www.rosemaryandco.com     HEIN ATELIER  https://heinatelier.com/   _________________________________________________________________________   THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY GENEROUS PATRONS! PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING TO KEEP THIS PODCAST GOING BY BECOMING A MONTHLY PATRON. JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW.   https://patron.podbean.com/theundrapedartist  _________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE:   https://www.instagram.com/THEUNDRAPEDARTIST/   https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Undraped-Artist-Podcast/100083157287362/   https://www.youtube.com/@theundrapedartist __________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE HOST, JEFF HEIN:   Jeffhein.com    https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.hein.16/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_art/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_studio/   

WEBSITE: https://www.patrickokrasinski.com   INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/patrickokra/   Patrick Okrasinski was born in New York City in 1996. Even as a young boy, he was consumed by drawing. The time he spent with his grandparents in the idyllic Polish countryside helped fuel his love of the natural world.  In the Fall of 2016 he found his way to the US branch of the Florence Academy of Art in Jersey City. There he was able to study at the highest levels of figurative painting, under the tutelage of Jordan Sokol, Amaya Gurpide, Stephen Bauman, Cornelia Hernes, and Edmond Rochat. As a student he won numerous prizes, including the ARC Scholarship Competition. After graduating, he spent three months as Artist in Residence with the Claude Monet Foundation in Giverny, painting in Monet's garden and the surrounding French countryside.  In 2020 he was awarded the prestigious Donald Jurney Travelling Fellowship Grant for the purpose of travelling and painting the great historic and cultural centers of Europe. In light of the pandemic, this adventure was postponed, and he instead turned to painting the local landscape of the North East, and winning multiple awards in National Juried Shows. In 2021, he was awarded the Hudson River Fellowship at Wethersfield, a collaborative fellowship that brings together classically trained artists to study and paint nature for three weeks. Later that summer, he painted and traveled Europe, thanks to the Donald Jurney Travelling Fellowship.   _________________________________________________________________________   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:   ROSEMARY BRUSHES  https://www.rosemaryandco.com     HEIN ATELIER  https://heinatelier.com/   _________________________________________________________________________   THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY GENEROUS PATRONS! PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING TO KEEP THIS PODCAST GOING BY BECOMING A MONTHLY PATRON. JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW.   https://patron.podbean.com/theundrapedartist  _________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE:   https://www.instagram.com/THEUNDRAPEDARTIST/   https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Undraped-Artist-Podcast/100083157287362/   https://www.youtube.com/@theundrapedartist __________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE HOST, JEFF HEIN:   Jeffhein.com    https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.hein.16/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_art/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_studio/   

This episode follows painter Stephen Bauman's journey from graffiti artist to fine art professional. He discusses his beginnings tagging buildings in Miami, training at the prestigious Florence Academy, and developing his artistic skills and philosophy. Bauman provides insights into mastering figure drawing, finding inspiration, judging good art, and creating work that is beautifully crafted. Stephen Bauman - www.stephenbaumanartwork.com/ Learn to Draw - www.proko.com Stan Prokopenko - instagram.com/stanprokopenko Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WEBSITE: https://www.daniela-astone.com   INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/daniela_astone/   Daniela Astone ( b.1980 Pisa )grew upon in the sea-town of PortoSanto Stefano ,Italy, formally began studying art at the age of 14 in the High School of Arts in Grosseto.  After graduating in 1998 she moved to Florence to study Illustration at the international school of comix, in her second year she started to work indipendently for several editors and in the studio of illustration Inklink. At the age of 21 Daniela decided to change direction and to re-start studing drawing and paint from life at The Florence Academy of Art under the direction of Daniel Graves. She began to teach to the younger students in the Academy when she was in her second year , she graduated in 2004 with the end of the year award , but she continued to work as a principal teacher for the Florence Academy of art . In 2005 she had her first and very successful Solo show at the Ann Long Fine Art Gallery in Charleston so she decided to build up a studio in the Tuscany countryside. In 2013 Daniela became the director of the intermediate program at The Florence Academy of Art , entered in the BP award in London and recived a honorable mention from the Mod Portrait award,Spain  . Her work has exhibited internationally and in 2016 it became part of the permanent collection of  MACS ,the Contemporary Art Museum in Sicily. She also collaborated with Tiac ,China  with Liveandlearn ,Thailand ,with Streamline , East Oaks Studio and teaches workshops of landscape painting in her studio-house in Chianti Tuscany and around the world. In 2019 together with Gaia Grazioli she curated the Show “Corpo a Corpo” in the Museum of Villa Bardini in Florence thanks to Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze and Carlo Sisi.   _________________________________________________________________________   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:   ROSEMARY BRUSHES  https://www.rosemaryandco.com     HEIN ATELIER  https://heinatelier.com/   _________________________________________________________________________   THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY GENEROUS PATRONS! PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING TO KEEP THIS PODCAST GOING BY BECOMING A MONTHLY PATRON. JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW.   https://patron.podbean.com/theundrapedartist  _________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE:   https://www.instagram.com/THEUNDRAPEDARTIST/   https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Undraped-Artist-Podcast/100083157287362/   https://www.youtube.com/@theundrapedartist __________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE HOST, JEFF HEIN:   Jeffhein.com    https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.hein.16/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_art/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_studio/ 

WEBSITE: https://www.daniela-astone.com   INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/daniela_astone/   Daniela Astone ( b.1980 Pisa )grew upon in the sea-town of PortoSanto Stefano ,Italy, formally began studying art at the age of 14 in the High School of Arts in Grosseto.  After graduating in 1998 she moved to Florence to study Illustration at the international school of comix, in her second year she started to work indipendently for several editors and in the studio of illustration Inklink. At the age of 21 Daniela decided to change direction and to re-start studing drawing and paint from life at The Florence Academy of Art under the direction of Daniel Graves. She began to teach to the younger students in the Academy when she was in her second year , she graduated in 2004 with the end of the year award , but she continued to work as a principal teacher for the Florence Academy of art . In 2005 she had her first and very successful Solo show at the Ann Long Fine Art Gallery in Charleston so she decided to build up a studio in the Tuscany countryside. In 2013 Daniela became the director of the intermediate program at The Florence Academy of Art , entered in the BP award in London and recived a honorable mention from the Mod Portrait award,Spain  . Her work has exhibited internationally and in 2016 it became part of the permanent collection of  MACS ,the Contemporary Art Museum in Sicily. She also collaborated with Tiac ,China  with Liveandlearn ,Thailand ,with Streamline , East Oaks Studio and teaches workshops of landscape painting in her studio-house in Chianti Tuscany and around the world. In 2019 together with Gaia Grazioli she curated the Show “Corpo a Corpo” in the Museum of Villa Bardini in Florence thanks to Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze and Carlo Sisi.   _________________________________________________________________________   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:   ROSEMARY BRUSHES  https://www.rosemaryandco.com     HEIN ATELIER  https://heinatelier.com/   _________________________________________________________________________   THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY GENEROUS PATRONS! PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING TO KEEP THIS PODCAST GOING BY BECOMING A MONTHLY PATRON. JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW.   https://patron.podbean.com/theundrapedartist  _________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE:   https://www.instagram.com/THEUNDRAPEDARTIST/   https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Undraped-Artist-Podcast/100083157287362/   https://www.youtube.com/@theundrapedartist __________________________________________________________________________   FOLLOW THE HOST, JEFF HEIN:   Jeffhein.com    https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.hein.16/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_art/   https://www.instagram.com/jeff_hein_studio/   

In this episode of the Art Grind Podcast host Dina Brodsky and Marshall Jones interviews Leo Mancini-Hresko. Leo shares his journey as a passionate juvenile graffiti artist to becoming a serious artist after serendipitously discovering the Florence Academy on his trip to Italy. Leo's scholarly enthusiasm for the traditional painting practices will inspire you. Only here, on the Art Grind Podcast.Leo's website: Link Leo's IG: https: Link Dina's IG course: Link  Support the show

Tetia Lee has impacted the cultural landscape of Indiana for greater than 20 years. She has worked across the state in a variety of roles including outreach director and professor. Lee has degrees from the School of the Art Institute, the American Academy of Art, the Florence Academy of Art, Indiana State University, and Texas Tech, respectively. Tetia has built a beautiful program in the Wabash Wall Murals, and many others, which provides beautiful artwork on buildings throughout our community. Enjoy the conversation and consider donating to this beautiful organization through the link provided here: https://theartsfederation.org/donate/

You can also check out this episode on Spotify!Family dynamics are complicated—but what happens when you learn that you have dozens (and possibly hundreds) of siblings? When writer Chrysta Bilton's mom decided to build a family as a gay woman in the early 80s, she employed a sperm donor. This man also played a role in Chrysta and her sister's life as “dad.” But he continued to donate to other women—in secret—for almost 10 years. Chrysta learned this shocking truth from an article in the New York Times. On this episode, Chrysta joins Dr. McBride to discuss family secrets, shame, her unconventional coming-of-age story, and how all of this affected her mental and physical health. Chrysta's critically acclaimed memoir “Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings,” is available now.Join Dr. McBride every Monday for a new episode of Beyond the Prescription. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at lucymcbride.com/podcast.Get full access to her free weekly Are You Okay? newsletter at https://lucymcbride.substack.com/welcomePlease be sure to like, rate, review — and enjoy — the show!The transcript of our conversation is here!Dr. McBride: My family is everything to me. I think a lot about how they're like me and they're not like me. And there are many ways they're not like me, that they're so lucky not to be like me. And there are things that I've inherited from my parents that I'm grateful for, and there are things that I would maybe tweak a little bit. But I think all of us need to recognize how much we have in our genetic profile that we take for granted sometimes, and then [00:00:30] how much we're capable of change even though we may think we're just genetically programmed to be, you know, forgetful or not ask for directions when we're lost. I guess my point is it's good to reflect on where we came from, it's good to reflect on where we're going, and it's good to kind of sketch out in our minds where we fit in our family dynamic because that informs a lot of our daily health habits, the way we think, the way we feel. And today's guest is [00:01:00] such an important example of someone who's reflected deeply on what it means to be part of a family that became a lot bigger than she ever knew. Hello, and welcome to my office. I'm Dr. Lucy McBride, and this is "Beyond the Prescription," the show where I talk with my guests like I do my patients, pulling the curtain back on what it means to be healthy, redefining health as more than the absence of disease. [00:01:30] As a primary care doctor for over 20 years, I've realized that patients are much more than their cholesterol and their weight, that we are the integrated sum of complex parts. Our stories live in our bodies. I'm here to help people tell their story, to find out are they okay, and for you to imagine and potentially get healthier from the inside out. You can subscribe to my weekly newsletter at lucymcbride.substack.com [00:02:00] and to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. So, let's get into it and go beyond the prescription. What defines a family? What are the ingredients for healthy family relationships? What happens to us mentally and physically when family secrets are kept, and then when they are revealed? These are some of the important questions Chrysta Bilton explores in her critically acclaimed memoir, "Normal Family: [00:02:30] On Truth, Love, and How I met My 35 Siblings." In it, Chrysta describes how she learned that she has dozens, if not hundreds of siblings, the offspring of sperm donor Number 150 from the California Cryobank, and how she has reckoned with her past to better understand herself, what is nature, what is nurture, and how she cares for her mental and physical health. Chrysta, thank you so much for joining me today. Chrysta: Thank you so much for having me. I really admire [00:03:00] what you're doing with this podcast. I'm so grateful to be here. Dr. McBride: I appreciate that. And I wanna start with your mother who sounds like a real character. I mean, I kind of loved her from the minute I learned about who she was. She was a lesbian in the early '80s, desperate to have a family when a lot of sperm banks wouldn't even let gay women participate. So, tell me what she did. Chrysta: Yeah. They wouldn't allow gay women or single women for that matter. So, it was a different time. I think we forget how [00:03:30] far we've come, at least in certain parts of the country, in terms of homophobia. But in the '70s and '80s, even '50s and '60s, when my mom was growing up, everyone was closeted at that time. When she decided she wanted to have a family in her 30s after getting sober from drug addiction and, you know, dealing with a whole host of other stuff from her chaotic upbringing, what she wanted more than anything was to have this family. But she didn't know a single gay person who had had kids. You know, she knew women who were in marriages who were maybe on the side exploring their sexuality, [00:04:00] but she didn't know a single person who had set out to do this out in the open. And, you know, I describe a comical journey that she has to trying to find a father or, you know, a sperm donor for her kid. She starts with this place called the Repository of Germaninal Choice, which in the early '80s was this...basically this traveling salesman type man with a briefcase who she'd read about in the "LA Times" or "The New York Times" who'd come to your home with a binder filled with what he called, like, Nobel laureate sperm donors. And you'd flip through these [00:04:30] anonymous men with no pictures and she picked a mathematics prodigy. And that was gonna be my sperm donor. And she tried to get pregnant and she didn't. And then she got spooked and hired a PI to get a photo of this would-be mathematics prodigy. And this very unattractive professor photo came back and she was like, "You know what? I need to know the father of my kids and I want him to be good-looking." These were her criteria for what she wanted. So, she went on this manhunt and my very handsome model, musician, actor, [00:05:00] man who would become my father walked into a hair salon in Beverly Hills and she was like, "That's it. That's the one." And she took this man to lunch and paid him $2,000 to give her sperm. And I refer to him as my dad, not a sperm donor because after that initial transaction, my mother realized that, you know, she was filled with shame about going about having a family in this different way. And she felt like maybe she was depriving me of something by not giving me a dad. So, she then paid this [00:05:30] man to play a role in my life and I knew him as dad. Dr. McBride: And he promised her at that time that he wouldn't donate sperm to anybody else, that you and your sister Kaitlyn would be the only offspring, yet he was making a living off of donating his sperm. Tell me about the moment that your mom learned about him not keeping that promise. Chrysta: Shortly after the hair salon transaction, she made him swear he would never do this for anyone else. And at the the time, he was just like, "Of course," because it's not like [00:06:00] women were coming up to him at hair salons on a daily basis and, you know, lesbian women asking him to father a child. But then it became more apparent why she was so adamant about this because shortly after that she took him to the California Cryobank, which was just starting at this time, to be tested for STDs and to test his sperm count. And he saw a bunch of men walking in and out of donation rooms and he was like, "Oh, now I understand. It's because she was gonna bring me here and she knew I'd get ideas." And he did. So, while he was [00:06:30] playing dad to us, he then donated to the California Cryobank for almost 10 years, 3 times a week. I think he was one of their most prolific sperm donors. And we did not learn about this until I was in my 20s. And through a wild series of events that I document in the book, my mother discovered it from a front-page story in "The New York Times" featuring my dad with his arm around one of these half-biological siblings. And it was a big story at the time because he was [00:07:00] one of the first anonymous sperm donors to "come out" and welcome all of his biological children to come meet him. So, yeah, that started a real nervous breakdown for my mother who, I think, already had a lot of shame around our family that was so different to the other families around us. But this was too different, I think, in her mind. Dr. McBride: And how long was it between that 2005 New York Times article where his story was revealed and you finding out that this man who is your father and not really always present in your [00:07:30] life but part of your life had fathered these other children? Chrysta: So, my mother decided that she would never tell us this story. And by the way, after "The New York Times" story, like, this was a huge story. Suddenly, you know, "60 Minutes" was calling to have my dad come on, and lots of newspapers were coming to interview him. There was a documentary film crew from Canada who were gonna document the story. So, I don't know how my mom thought she could keep this from us forever, but she did. And the only reason she finally sat down with me and my little sister to tell [00:08:00] us was because, again, through just a bizarre series of events, it turned out that I was most likely dating my half-brother, which I guess is, you know, what happens when sperm donation is that unregulated. That's the fear. It just happened to happen in my actual life. Dr. McBride: And so, that brought the conversation to a head. You had to know and she told you. Chrysta: That's right. Yeah. And that was a lot to unpack because she had never told me that she'd paid my father to have me. I was told that they were best friends who had had a kid [00:08:30] together, and she'd also never told me that he'd been financially incentivized to play the role of dad. So, even though she didn't say all that in that initial conversation about the siblings, it just alerted me to the fact, which I already in my gut knew that there was just so much more to the story of my conception and upbringing than my mother had told me. So, yeah, the book is a bit of a mystery because it's tracking me as I unpack what the real story was, if that makes sense. Dr. McBride: And so, what do you think holding [00:09:00] that secret in your mom's body and mind did to her? I mean, how did that affect her everyday life? Chrysta: You know, my mother was someone who had a lot of secrets, which of course stemmed from having a lot of shame. And beyond just the secret of my conception and the true nature of my mother and father's relationship, it turned out that there were quite a few really big life events that I didn't know about my mother. Like, I didn't know about her traumatic childhood, I didn't know about a couple really [00:09:30] heavy things that she had gone through. Shame is just such a powerful emotion. I think that's a big theme in my book, shame, because I inherited a lot of shame from my mom. You know, she was ashamed of being gay. I was ashamed of having a mother who was gay. She was ashamed of...you know, there was some suicide and some other really heavy stuff in her family history and alcoholism, and she was ashamed of all that. So, you know, the problem with keeping secrets is then you can't really be close to people because you're presenting a false self and you're not really your whole self. Yeah, [00:10:00] the book is sort of me mirroring that journey to being false. And then ultimately I wrote a book about it, so I guess it's all out in the open now. But yeah, I don't know, shame and secrets, it's a topic that I'm very interested in. Dr. McBride: Yeah. And I think shame is an almost universal experience that we all have and it does so much damage. And I think it propagates this notion that we need to keep things under the vest and we need to keep secrets. But the secrets perpetuate the shame and the shame perpetuates the secrets. And so, the treatment, if you will, is coming [00:10:30] clean and being honest about who we really are and showing up as ourselves and daring to be vulnerable, which isn't easy if you've experienced trauma in your life as it sounds like your mom did as a youngster. Chrysta: Yeah, that's absolutely right. You know, there's another piece of it too. So, the shame perpetuates the secrets and the secrets perpetuate the shame, but then also close you off to other people that you can only heal through those relationships, and I think through revealing those parts of yourself and then being loved in return, which, of course, you have to then have [00:11:00] healthy relationships to find that. I feel like people who have a lot of secrets and shame also sometimes seek out more unhealthy connection. Dr. McBride: So, you're a parent, Chrysta. I think sometimes as parents we struggle about what we should reveal to our kids about our past, our own struggles. I mean, I think some parents think that we should just cover that up and not talk about how hard things were because we don't wanna give our kids ideas, like telling your child that you smoked as an adolescent might give them an idea that they could smoke. When actually I think being honest and open with our [00:11:30] kids helps them feel less alone and helps them feel less shame because they too have ups and downs and struggles. And I wonder how the secret keeping in your family when you were being raised, how that affected your mom's parenting. Like, if you look back on how you were parented, can you see the traces of the secrets being held? Chrysta: Absolutely. I mean, there was so much going on beyond just the shame and the secrets. My mom also struggled with probably a mood disorder [00:12:00] and also severe drug and alcohol addiction. And so, even if I didn't know what was going on, it was clear that I was a parent to my mother from a very early age. And even if she said she wasn't drinking, it was still clear that things were insane. I just didn't understand the cause. So, I guess that's out of the bubble of just speaking about the shame and the secrets. But I definitely think that it was only as an adult and understanding both of my parents, like, their full story and biography, that I was able to [00:12:30] get over a lot of the resentment I had about some of the more dysfunctional ways that I was raised, and also find it's not as much forgiveness but just, like, so much compassion for both of them. Because I think when you understand people's stories, you just can't help but have compassion because everyone's been through things that shape them in some way. Dr. McBride: When your mom told you about the sperm bank donor at 150, what was your initial reaction? Anger, resentment, confusion? I mean, what went through your mind? Chrysta: You said earlier, you had said... What [00:13:00] I loved about the book is that, you know, I cried, I laughed and I was like, I think those were my two emotions. I didn't know if I should be completely overwhelmed and start hysterically crying or if I should burst into tears of laughter because it felt like growing up me and my little sister had been through so much. You know, my mom was involved in many pyramid schemes, so life was very boom or bust. We were on the verge of homelessness multiple times. She had her drug addiction up and down. She also had all these relationships with women who would come in for a few years and then leave. So, family was [00:13:30] so complicated to us already. It was just like, if this was going to happen to anyone we knew, of course, it would be us that potentially had hundreds of brothers and sisters because the universe has a great sense of humor and they just wanna throw one more thing at us, I guess. But yeah, I think at the time I was at a very fragile and vulnerable state because I had just gotten over an eating disorder. I was quitting drinking because I realized that I think I just had a biological propensity towards alcoholism and so I wanted to cut that as a possibility [00:14:00] early on. So, I was just doing a lot of healing work and this was just one thing too many to deal with at that time. So, I just shut the door on it and sort of pretended that it wasn't a thing for almost 10 years. You know, also, my father had become homeless at that point and that was a whole other thing emotionally to deal with for me. So, yeah, it was just too much at that time. But then once it was a different time in my life and I was in a better place, then it came back in a really interesting and powerful way. Dr. McBride: So, what allowed you to go [00:14:30] from kind of compartmentalizing it and sort of walling it off in your mind, this whole other life you potentially had, to inviting your siblings, the ones who were known, to, like, a family reunion? I mean, that's a big leap. Chrysta: That's a big leap. Yeah. I think just a lot of emotional maturity and also being in such a different place. You know, I'd had kids at that point, I had a loving partnership, I had really healed things with my mother [00:15:00] in many ways. So, I think that I was just like, you know, you can grow in stages, I think, and take on different challenges at different times. And I think it was just, "Okay, all the other areas of my life were pretty settled. Maybe I can look at this now." But also it was the way that one of the siblings came into my life. No one in my family was interested in art, but I really was. And I'd wound up after college where I'd studied writing, I'd wound up going to this tiny little art school in Italy called the Florence Academy of Art. I only [00:15:30] discovered that school through a random set of events. And it's like Renaissance painting. It's not exactly, you know, oil painting, it's just not really something that a lot of people you've encountered in life go to study. And one of my half-sisters studied there right after me as a coincidence. And that was just such an incredible coincidence. And, you know, we had all the same friends and we were so alike, but it was one of those sliding doors. Genetics is more powerful than nurture. It [00:16:00] was so much, it was so much to think about that I was... And she had grown up, you know, across the country in a very different family and we dressed the same, we had the same gardening books. So, when she reached out to me as opposed to other times when I'd been contacted by siblings and just sort of ignored it, I was like, "Wow, this is pretty crazy. Okay. I'll have one sister, one extra sister. I can get to know this one woman because we have so much in common and the universe has put us in this interesting situation." And then [00:16:30] what was fascinating to me is she had grown up thinking that the father who had raised her was her biological parent. And it was only through taking a DNA test on ancestry.com that she learned that she had a sperm donor. And I document some of her psychological experience with that in the book. But what was fascinating was that her attitude towards this larger biological family was so profoundly different from the attitude I had taken. Like, I thought, "Oh, this is one more thing to feel ashamed of and this is [00:17:00] so weird and strange." And for her she was like, "I have always been an only sibling, I always wanted a sister. And, oh my god, now I have dozens of sisters, maybe hundreds of sisters. And my life was so boring and this is just the most exciting thing that's ever happened. It's like a lifetime movie. This doesn't happen in real life," you know? So, she was excitedly getting to know all of the siblings that she could track down. And I was just confronted with such a different attitude towards the whole thing that [00:17:30] it occurred to me, "Oh, I could have that attitude. At any point, I could just choose to see this completely differently." And that was really powerful. So, I did. So, I sort of just took her lead and, you know, she suggested, she's like, "Why don't we do a family reunion?" And I was like, "Okay. I'll host it. I'm big sister, it's appropriate." Dr. McBride: That's amazing. I mean, when you were gathered around with all of your different half-siblings, what were the similarities among you? What were the threads that were, like, undoubtedly [00:18:00] genetic and biological? Can you think of any? Chrysta: Yeah. Well, to start with the physical similarities are uncanny. Physically, I take more after my mother, but my little sister Kaitlyn looks exactly like our dad. And I would say that maybe 80% to 90% of the siblings look exactly like my dad. So, you know, anyone who came over that weekend, it was like an episode of "The Twilight Zone" because when we were just all standing next to each other, we just all looked like siblings. But there are a lot of us. You know, beyond the physical, we all have a different [00:18:30] mother and we all shared completely different upbringings. But still just as a scientific case study of all these people who come from the same sperm donor, it's fascinating. The great majority of us have ADD, which, you know, I know is proven to be already a very biological thing. So, that manifested in, you know, the first night we went out to a restaurant, all of our phones are always at 1%. We're very spacey, we lose things all the time. I'm sure somewhere in this conversation I'll trail off. So, as we're leaving the restaurant, the waiter comes running after [00:19:00] us with, like, four sets of keys, three phones, two purses. And it's this hilarious moment of, "Oh my god, this is just bizarre." Dr. McBride: And this is family. Chrysta: And this is family. Yes, absolutely. And it's been pretty cool. Since coming out with the book, I realized that there's also this whole community, it's called the NPE community, which is the Not Parent Expected. I didn't even know that was a community, but it is. And it's people, you know, who were adopted and never told, or who had a sperm donor and [00:19:30] were never told. Again, I think the origin of never telling is often rooted in shame. But those kids gain a lot from knowing about their biological origins. And even just seeing in my sibling group, the kids who were never told, they described things about themselves that they could never relate to their biological family that confused them or made them feel out of place, and then just knowing the information, looking in the mirror, and seeing a different person. So, that wasn't my experience. I knew [00:20:00] my father, but that's such fascinating psychological material to work with. Dr. McBride: Yeah. I mean, in medicine, you know, we talk about nature and nurture, right? We talk about what is inherited, what is fixed, and then what is environmental, situational. And, you know, when you're trying to help someone become healthier in some way, you always try to kind of tease apart what is something you can't control and what is something you can. And what's so interesting in hearing you talk right now is, you know, you had these, like, [00:20:30] fixed commonalities, like, these facial features, maybe hair color, maybe even ADD, which I think is nature and nurture, but it's a lot of nature, and then there are these experiences that you had that were completely different. Some of you were told from the beginning that you had a sperm donor and some were not. And the psychological impact of that on people's health is huge. And that's really where I would as a doctor, if someone was struggling with, like, addiction or disordered eating and having had that background, I would [00:21:00] suggest they lean into that sort of nurture part because that's where you can reclaim some sense of agency and control over your story, or what you tell yourself about where you came from. Because I think the...as you outline in your book, for you and for your siblings, the dishonesty, which I don't think was intentional, but the withholding of the truth really does so much harm to people, when I think in your mom's case, she was just trying to protect you. Chrysta: Yeah. I think in a lot of these parents' [00:21:30] cases. You know, I think at the time, we talked about we've come so far, you know, now there are books, you know, whether it's a gay family raising a kid or a single parent. Like, there are specific books where you can start introducing those ideas in sweet age-appropriate ways from very early on. But none of that material existed back then. And often these sperm banks were advising parents not to tell their kids. And, you know, there's all kinds of fear like where it's the case of a heterosexual couple and the man is infertile, I think there's shame in that. And so, [00:22:00] you know, "Will this child not love me the same if they think that I'm not biologically connected to them?" And so, I have so much compassion for the reasons why the parents didn't tell the truth. That's not shared by all of the siblings. Sometimes there's a lot of anger around it. Dr. McBride: I'm sure. But to me, that's sort of the varsity head space if you can get there, is like I'm sure you've experienced some anger and frustration towards your mom. I mean, that would be kind of weird if you didn't. I think we all have that and I think my kids are probably stewing at me right this minute as we speak for some reason. But anger then can [00:22:30] become curiosity which can become understanding, and that can lead to empathy and compassion. And that's where I hope I am with my parents, and I hope we can all get because I think, you know, as parents we're doing the best we can and we sometimes think that withholding information is the right thing to do when actually kids are more perceptive and intuitive than we sometimes give them credit. Chrysta: Yeah, absolutely. But I also think it's, like, of course, everything's age appropriate. Like, if you're [00:23:00] really stressed about something that you don't want them to take on, it's not necessarily something you wanna share with them at, you know, a certain age, of course. But yeah, these bigger things and especially as they are ready to deal with them or understand them, I think it's helpful to connect with your kids in that way. But, you know, I don't know, I have a seven-year-old and a five-year-old. I'm sure once I have teenagers, it'll be a whole other... Dr. McBride: Yeah. I mean, I think you're right, it has to be age-appropriate. You don't wanna share all of your dirty laundry with a five-year-old because that becomes a burden, and they can't handle emotionally a lot of information that [00:23:30] they can't relate to or understand. But I also think that kids have a sixth sense and know when we're not being authentic or honest. My kids are teenagers now and I actually love this phase of parenting because they're so able to understand things in meaningful ways, and so you can really be honest with them, it's great. But you also don't wanna be, you know...I never wanna be the person who is, like, the kid's best friend because I feel like they need the knowledge that we have, like, some guardrails and boundaries, and that we are still the authority even if we don't act like one every day. [00:24:00] What does your life look like now vis-a-vis these half-siblings? Are they part of your life? Do you connect with them? What is that like? Chrysta: Yeah. Some of the siblings call it more like a cousin relationship. I always had a very small family with the exception of my mom's girlfriends who would come in and out. But when you have so many, it's impossible to have deep relationships with all of them. There are now siblings whose names I don't know. You know, it starts with trying to keep track of their pets or their birthdays, and then it's just information overload and you sort of remember one key [00:24:30] detail that separates one person from another, like where they're from or what they're interested in. But what I have is close relationships with some of them, whether that's through common interest, or you know, location, being close by because they're all over the U.S. We're still waiting for our first international sibling. I'm sure it exists but... You know, my core family is me, my husband, my kids, and my mom, and my sister that I grew up with. But there are now this rich extended family that I see, you know, a few times [00:25:00] a year. And, you know, also all the siblings, you know, originally they were on Facebook and then they moved to WhatsApp, and then WhatsApp became incredibly overwhelming because you'd go on and after a few days of not being on, and there'd be, like, 500 new messages, and all on one thread and you just couldn't keep up. So, then we moved to this app called Discord, which is sort of like Slack if you're familiar with that, where you can organize by topic. So, genealogy is a topic, politics is a topic. You know, everyone's very passionate about their views even though their views [00:25:30] can be on either side of the spectrum. So, that's also hilarious. Dr. McBride: Can you talk to me a little bit about...? It sounds like you had an eating disorder, you had a wobbly relationship with alcohol. I mean, how much do you think that was genetic and how much do you think was environmental? Chrysta: You know what? There was some point at which my husband was getting to know me, which he was really the first person I ever really opened up to about the truth. You know, around adolescence, I had started lying about what was happening at home. I was ashamed that we had financial struggles, I [00:26:00] was ashamed of my mom being gay, I was ashamed of her alcohol...like, so many things. So, I was very much a fake person for a lot of my life. And I think that contributed to the eating disorder and the substance abuse because alcohol, I think, made me feel comfortable in social settings where I had this horrible anxiety otherwise. Dr. McBride: How did the eating disorder serve you in the time you kind of "needed it?" Chrysta: I think it gave me a sense of control when my family situation was so out of control. You know, my father was [00:26:30] living in the streets and my mom was at one point in a halfway house or in rehab for coke addiction, and I was taking care of my little sister like I was the mom and it was just a tremendous amount of responsibility, I think, early on. And I think that the eating disorder gave me a sense of control. And there was also this strange element of wanting to be childlike. And so, my physicality suddenly became, like, almost prepubescent, if that makes... It's very bizarre. [00:27:00] I wanted to be taken care of and there was some sort of reaction people would give me like, "Oh you're so delicate." I could just... I don't know, it played into something.  Dr. McBride: Yeah. I think we make the mistake in assuming that girls or boys who are suffering from anorexia are just vain or they wanna fit into their jeans. I think it's so much more complicated. I had a patient recently who was starving herself consciously and then sort of unconsciously because she was experiencing gender dysphoria and didn't wanna menstruate. [00:27:30] I mean, I think we can't assume that the path to these disorders, whether it's a relationship with food or alcohol are kind of one size fits all. Chrysta: Yeah. I mean, I'm sure there was a vanity to it as well. I had had a really abusive boyfriend in high school that continued for many years and, you know, he had started calling me pudgy. And so, there was an element of wanting to, like, be loved. But I think it played into I wasn't getting my needs met and it was like I had just somehow indulged [00:28:00] in something nurturing. I was, like, gonna deprive myself of that rather than allow others to be depriving me of it because I couldn't control...I don't know, it's complicated. I don't pretend to be a psychologist. Dr. McBride: I think what you're hitting on is what so many people with disordered eating struggle with. I mean, it's a physical, psychological, and mental health manifestation of not having your emotional needs met. And instead of identifying that and then trying to problem solve for it, which you may have not been capable of at that age, you're sort of [00:28:30] channeling all of this distress into the attempt to control your body. Chrysta: Yeah, totally. So, recovering from some of that stuff definitely happened in stages. Like, the first thing I worked on was my eating disorder because it got pretty bad. You know, I'm 5'6 and I got down to, like, 95 pounds. I went into a school doctor when I was in college just because I felt ill and they could notice. They noticed how much I weighed and they started asking me questions about my eating. And for whatever reason, I don't know if it was this [00:29:00] overriding desire to be healthy because I was both anorexic and bulimic. And so, I admitted that I sometimes threw up, enough to give this woman who I was speaking to plenty of red siren warning signs. And so, for whatever reason she just made me sign away that I would go into treatment for that. And so, I started seeing a therapist once a week. And luckily, I think when you catch that disorder pretty early, I had only been in it for two years, two or three years, I think there's a lot more success rate than people who have been struggling with it for a long time. So, I started seeing this [00:29:30] wonderful therapist. And she was working on some of the psychological piece, but she also just wanted me to gain weight. And so, even though I wasn't necessarily figuring out all the reasons why I was anorexic, I would just sit at the plate and, like, force myself to eat. So, I'm really grateful that I'm fully recovered. I don't struggle with it at all. Dr. McBride: It's incredible that you must have had very good treatment because a lot of people don't fully recover and never do. It's so interesting that you say the thing about the...just eating. You know, my patients who have anorexia get [00:30:00] so mad at me or the nutritionist, or the psychologist that they're being forced to eat when they're like, "I'd rather just talk about what's going on and what the roots of this are." Or, they just don't wanna do it at all, but... Chrysta: They just don't wanna get to it yet. So, they're like, "Let's stall." Dr. McBride: Well, they wanna be the one anorexic in the history of treatment who can stay underweight and underfed. They think that there's, like, a workaround. But the reason you have to eat before you talk about the feelings is because until you're fed, you can't really get to the root causes. I mean, if you're underfed, your brain just isn't [00:30:30] working properly. So, vitamin F is the most important ingredient, food, for then uncovering what the root causes are and connecting the dots between what's happened in your life and what's happening in your mind to then be healthy. Chrysta: Definitely. Yeah. And there's this concept that I was introduced to, which in general I think with getting healthy over things is, like, contrary action. So, it's like even while you're maybe sitting with a therapist and talking about all the reasons why you do something that you know to be dysfunctional, you can do that but [00:31:00] you can also just behave in the way that you know is the functional way. Dr. McBride: Yes. Chrysta: Even if it's against your instincts. And then sometimes the behavior can lead to the health too. Like, it can be a reverse. Dr. McBride: Yes, you're exactly right. You can stop drinking even though you may have convinced yourself, you know, "This is just temporary and I probably am fine drinking," which will then reinforce your recovery and you can talk in AA or with a therapist about the reasons behind why you drink too [00:31:30] much and kind of hit it from both angles. So, there's the practical, the psychological way of getting ourselves out of behaviors that are self-sabotaging. So, it sounds like, for you, the disordered eating and the alcohol served a purpose. Chrysta: And relationships as well. I would say that my biggest addiction was to toxic relationships, both female friendships and men that I was attracted to. With the nurture side, you can understand why I had loved my mother who was a drug addict, and [00:32:00] that there are patterns to that type of relationship that you get into. So, I was very attracted to men who just could not show up for me emotionally, or who I had to say because ultimately they couldn't meet my needs. So, it took a lot of work to get over that one too. Dr. McBride: Yeah, that's a big one and one we commonly see, you know, in the world and I see and my patients and in friends. I think the saying is that we're comfortably uncomfortable, right? It's like you know your discomfort, and so then you gravitate to repeat history. It's like a repetition [00:32:30] compulsion that we have until the light bulb goes on and you're like, "Wait a minute. This relationship is not serving me. It's actually unhealthy." So, when did that happen for you vis-a-vis relationships? Chrysta: That one happened later. So, I'd say I, like, hit the eating disorder then the addiction, then even though I had recovered from those things, I was in this, I would say I was addicted to this guy that I had been on and off for 10 years. And I tell a little bit of that crazy story in the book, but that's just a sliver. And he was physically abusive and psychologically, and I think [00:33:00] just mentally unwell. I actually don't think he was a bad person. I just think he had a real mental illness but I could just not stay away from this person. And I think it was only when we started talking about kids and I was like, "Oh." There was this instinct where I was, like, for whatever reason, I could allow someone to treat me that way. But when I suddenly imagine little kids in the picture, that was the thing that allowed me to finally end that relationship. Thank goodness. I think just because I had had, you know, my parents, who I do have [00:33:30] so much compassion for, I think they had been really hurt in their childhood and then they had not fully healed enough that they could parent in a healthy way. And I think just not wanting to do that to a kid was really the thing. Dr. McBride: Well, you had clearly suffered so much in your childhood and you'd already worked so hard to get through the disordered eating and the alcohol issue. I don't wanna put words in your mouth, but it sounds like you just didn't wanna pass on any of that chaos to the extent you have control over that as a parent. Chrysta: Yeah. No, that's exactly right. Which of course doesn't mean that [00:34:00] like, "Oh, now there are no challenges and it's..." you know, life continues to throw challenges in your way. But to the extent that there's stuff I can do that I can work on, yeah, you know, trying. There's progress, not perfection. Dr. McBride: That's right. So, what's your relationship with your mother like now? Chrysta: Oh, it's a great relationship. I'm so happy to say she's sober for more than a decade. And I'm still very much her parent and there's some codependency there on her side. So, it's not like, oh, we completely went to a [00:34:30] normal relationship. Like, she sometimes accidentally calls me mom. You know, I take full financial care of her, which at one point was a real stress but is now okay. Thank goodness. But she is an extraordinary grandparent and she's just a really beautiful person.  Dr. McBride: That's incredible. It's really a testament to your sort of inner strength and also just the work you've done that you have so much compassion and forgiveness for her. Because like I said in the beginning, it's really the book is kind of, like, a love letter to her, which you [00:35:00] wouldn't expect because, you know, things started out pretty chaotically. Chrysta: Yeah. You know, the big thing that stopped me from writing this book, you know, even before I knew about the siblings, I was compelled to write the story of me and my mother. And I would do various drafts throughout the years. And I think there was one time when I'd accidentally left a draft on my computer and she'd found it and she went to hysterics, and she was so upset and she couldn't believe I was writing this thing. And so, I think I put the project down for, like, 10 years because I was like I didn't wanna hurt my mom because there was a lot of challenging [00:35:30] material in that book. And I think that I was also worried that beyond getting over the hump of her feelings about it, which was a long process, it was also not wanting readers to judge her. And, you know, everyone's like, "I have all these problems with my mom," but as soon as you hear other people telling you, "Oh, she was a terrible mother," you take offense to that even if you hold sometimes those views. But I've been pleasantly surprised that for the most part, of course, you know, once you get [00:36:00] a lot of readers, people have divergent views. But for the most part, people have loved the character of my mother. And she is a character. I would say that there's never been anyone like her. Dr. McBride: If you're listening to this, you have to read this book not only because of the story of the sperm donor and your myriad siblings but because of your mom. And you paint her in a very empathetic, protective, and beautiful light. Chrysta: Oh, thanks. Yeah, I tried to bridge the gap I think between being honest because it got hard, you know, when she was doing lines in the carpool [00:36:30] for our high school, things got dark. But I think sometimes it's also good to see stories of that, and then see that you can get through it and out of it. Of course, that's not everyone's. My dad is still on the streets. So, it's not like it's a perfect Hollywood ending, although he's happy in his way with that. Dr. McBride: So, what would you say, what is a family? What defines a family? Is it the people that we are genetically connected to, or is it people that you cultivate a relationship with? Chrysta: I think it's different for [00:37:00] every single person and there's, like, a journey to figuring out what that is for you. But I'd say that whatever you define family as, it's such an important component of mental health to feel that you have a family, and even if you're building that. You know, I know some people that grew up in situations where they couldn't find peace with their parent because it wasn't...you know, maybe it was someone who had more ill intentions or had really done serious damage. So, I would never say, like, go find peace with that person. My conception of family is ever-changing. [00:37:30] But you've definitely built family through shared experiences. So, even if biology brings people into my life, it doesn't become family until you've spent time together. Dr. McBride: And I think, to me, family is also about shared vulnerability. It's about feeling safe to kind of show up as our true authentic selves, and it's about being seen and being heard. And it's also, to me at least, about people celebrating your [00:38:00] wins with you, and then mourning your losses with you, and being there for the highs and the lows. Chrysta: Yeah, the people that you share your deepest life with, I would say. Dr. McBride: That's right. So, Chrysta, what do you do now in your everyday life to maintain your health? Let's start with mental health first. Not that mental and physical health are separate. In fact, that's the whole point of this podcast. But what do you do to maintain your mental health? Chrysta: I would say spending time with loved ones, trying to be a good person, you know, trying to be a present [00:38:30] parent. I'm still sober, I participate in some groups through that. Speaking of the biological component, like, I am on an SSRI, and that helped me a lot. And whether that's nature or nurture, a lot of the siblings are also on meds. So, I don't know that's important to mention as well, I think. Because, like, I could never meditate until I was on that and people would be like, "If you just meditated, it would go away." And I was like, "Well." Dr. McBride: I'm really glad you mentioned the SSRI part because it is always a question, "Is my anxiety disorder, is [00:39:00] my depression genetic or is it environmental? Should I be doing therapy or meds? Should I be doing both?" And I think we can't really measure in blood or with testing, like, how much someone's emotional health or emotional challenges are genetic and how much are environmental. But there's a role for medication. I completely agree with the people who say that we have, in many ways, medicalized the human condition and that we're over-prescribing Prozac. But [00:39:30] I only believe that when we're talking about not understanding the person in their deepest truest sense and simply prescribing a pill and assuming that the pill will do the work. But for so many of my patients, and it sounds like for you, the medication is just another tool in the toolkit in addition to the work you do in sober groups, the work you do in therapy, and then just showing up as you are. And so, I think it's really important to destigmatize medication. It's [00:40:00] not a crutch, it's a tool like all the other things you do. Chrysta: Totally. Also, like, I don't know that it would've worked had I not been able to do all the work to get over some of the things. I don't know if I'd medicate and then suddenly my eating disorder would've gone. I had to do a lot of work on that and I had to do a tremendous amount of therapy to get out of my abusive relationship cycle, and I had to do a ton of work to be sober. But after I had done all that work, and I would say I did a ton of it, I still had this crippling anxiety. I did [00:40:30] have a block against medication in my brain and it took a lot...you know, and I don't know what exactly that block was, but I remember seeing the psychologist and he is like, "Let's just say, I'm not saying there's any proof that this is the case, but let's say that taking this takes one year off your life, but the rest of those years that you live, you're a less anxious person, would you still take it?" I was like, "Yeah, that would be great." And so, I was like, "What is that thing?" And he is like, "Also you could just get right off, you know, in a responsible way with a..." And I had also seen because I came from a family of drug addiction, I was [00:41:00] very terrified of pills because I had worked so hard to be sober and, you know, that's why I have ADD and I don't medicate for it because I'm like, "There is some possibility of abuse there. I don't wanna go anywhere near it." Not saying that people shouldn't. But finally, I was like, "Look, I've done all this work and for some reason, this is still happening. Maybe I don't need it forever, but I'll try it." And it really helped me. Dr. McBride: Yeah. I think some of the reasons that people get hung up on these medications and not taking them when they're appropriate is exactly what you said. They're afraid of kind of losing control. Maybe this wasn't your situation, but they're afraid [00:41:30] of being, you know, labeled as, like, mentally ill officially if they're on medication or they think they can just do more work, which is, of course, noble and valiant and wonderful and needed. But, for example, Prozac is not gonna make an anorexic eat necessarily. Food is more important than serotonin at that moment, right? All the work you did kind of laid the groundwork for, I would imagine, the SSRI helping with that, whatever, 5%, 10% of anxiety that needed to be turned down on [00:42:00] the volume knob. And by the way, you're not gonna probably have a year lopped off of your life because of the SSRI. I would argue that you'll probably live longer because you won't have all this unnecessary cortisol and adrenaline coursing through your veins, like, raising your blood pressure and heart rate. And again, it's not a panacea. And that's the mistake we make, I think, is that you know it's gonna do the work then it's gonna fix all of our problems when actually, you know, just, like, going for a brisk walk or you know, connecting with an old friend. Like, that's just part of the [00:42:30] puzzle. Chrysta: A hundred percent. Yeah. Dr. McBride: And then what do you do for your physical health now? I mean, do you exercise? Do you eat healthy? Chrysta: I do eat healthy. I indulge as well, but I eat very healthy. I don't cook. That was not part of our family tradition, but my husband thankfully does. So, I'm cooked five-star meals for most of my meals, which I'm very grateful for. I eat healthy and I need to start exercising, but that's maybe on this year's bucket list. I do have two small children. So, I would say that that is a very [00:43:00] physically active role, but I need to throw exercise into there for sure. Dr. McBride: I mean, it sounds like you're like most people. You do a lot of things well, you have aspirations, and then you're giving yourself a little break for not doing things perfectly. Tell me as a final question, if you could, what the process of writing this book and getting it out there in the world did for you in terms of kind of, I don't wanna say the word closure because that's too cliche or cute, but, like, what did it do psychologically to get this book out there in the [00:43:30] public? Chrysta: I think closure, yeah, it is cute, but I do think that there was an element of closure. I think there was also, like...talk about contrary action. Like, I had been so ashamed of the story for so long and it's sort of been eating inside me and now the story is fully out there. And I think that the deepest motivation for writing the book was that at different points in my life, memoirs specifically as a genre, but I guess literature as well in general, novels, contributed so much to me feeling less alone. You know, I read "Glass Castle." Dr. McBride: [00:44:00] I was gonna say you must have read "Glass Castle." Chrysta: Yeah. My sister brought it to me actually because she had been assigned it in school and she brought it to me, you know, in secret like it was, you know, the secret gift and she said, "You've gotta read this. It's our story." Even though it's not our story, our story is so different, but we just couldn't believe that a woman had been through this thing that she was so ashamed of and then she'd written a book and put it all out there and wasn't ashamed anymore. So, I think in that way, the stories are similar. But what I got so much from it was just feeling less [00:44:30] alone and feeling like, "Oh, I'm not in a place yet where I'm ready to share this story." You know, I think part of me thought in my own case, I was like, "No man is ever gonna marry me if he knows that I have this history of mental health, I have this crazy family. You know, no one's gonna ever sign up for this." I'm so glad that that didn't turn out to be true. But I think that memoirs specifically, I think when people vulnerably share their truth, it just helps you to frame your own truth. And so, I think that I had already gotten to a place where [00:45:00] I was more open. I just love memoir. And for whatever reason, I also just have this deep urge to tell this story from a really young age. And I don't know exactly, I can't fully understand why I had that deep urge, but it ate at me that I hadn't done it. And so, now I just feel a deep sense of relief that it's completed. I listened to another one of your podcast episodes, which was so wonderful with that amazing author "Corrections in Ink." And she said something about, like, she had [00:45:30] not had compassion for herself until she was rereading her book and could see herself as a character on the page. And I would say there was a really interesting psychological experience. I narrated the audiobook and rereading it through in one sitting, narrating it. I was just like, "Ooh, this little girl went through a lot." Dr. McBride: It sounds like you just followed your gut and your instinct to put this on paper, and it sounds like also you're now getting a flood of readers reaching out to you. You're also getting new [00:46:00] siblings, even last night. Chrysta: I don't know if that's the book. I think that's just coincidence. I don't think... You know, I mean, hey listen, maybe you're one of my siblings listening to this podcast... Dr. McBride: Maybe so. Chrysta: ...right now and you should go take an ancestry.com test. Dr. McBride: I'm going to, for sure. I think you've helped other people feel seen just like you did when you read "The Glass Castle." Chrysta: I have had such a diverse spread of readers reach out, people who discovered they had also biological siblings because they were the product [00:46:30] of a sperm donor, you know, young women who had a parent with substance abuse issues, mothers who had substance abuse issues, who read the book and were like, "I wanna get help." There have been so many different people that had a gay parent in the '70s and '80s and have never met another person. A few months ago I was at a fancy dinner and I was sat next to someone who just this incredibly fancy person and they were like, "Oh, what do you do?" And I was gonna mention the book, you know, and [00:47:00] of course, I mentioned the book and it was before it came out and he's like, "What's it about?" And I said, "Well, you know, my father who's now, you know, homeless and struggles with schizophrenia was secretly one of the most prolific sperm donors in history. It turned out I had all these siblings and..." but I just decided to like put it out there. Dr. McBride: Love it. Chrysta: And I was absolutely sure that this person next to me was gonna be like, "Oh, I gotta scoot further away from this person." He's like, "Oh, I had a really bad drug problem for a really long time." And then the guy across to me is like, "My mother's schizophrenic." And I'm just like, "Oh, this is [00:47:30] such a better conversation than whatever small talk we possibly would've..." You know, it's like, at any level of society, everyone's got...every family has its complexity. And I think that if we were all just more open, of course, I'm not promoting oversharing, like, you know, you don't need to tell your boss your life story. Dr. McBride: I could not agree with you more. First of all, that's much more interesting than talking about the weather or sports at a dinner table where you don't know everybody. And then [00:48:00] secondly, when you are a leader like you have been, it gives other people permission to be honest about their own stories. And who knows, maybe that helps them in a small way at being more authentic in their regular lives. Chrysta: Yeah. I think that's the power of vulnerability and getting over shame, is, yeah, maybe you can, in that tiny way, help other people to do that as well. Dr. McBride: Chrysta, I'm so grateful that you joined me today. You have an incredible way of writing and relating to not only your family [00:48:30] but to your reader. And I just can't thank you enough for writing this book and for spending time with me today. Chrysta: Thank you so much for having me, really. It's lovely. Dr. McBride: Thank you all for listening to "Beyond the Prescription." Please don't forget to subscribe, like, download, and share the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you catch your podcasts. I'd be thrilled, if you like this episode, to rate and review it. And if you have a comment or [00:49:00] question, please drop us a line at info@lucymcbride.com. The views expressed on this show are entirely my own and do not constitute medical advice for individuals. That should be obtained from your personal physician. "Beyond the Prescription" is produced at Podville Media in Washington, D.C.  Get full access to Are You Okay? at lucymcbride.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lloyd Greif. After a decade-long investment banking career at Sutro & Co. Incorporated, Lloyd left to start his own boutique investment bank, Greif & Co. Some people would be skittish to make this leap. Not Lloyd. As he tells us, he was a top producer firm wide, and as the leading rainmaker within the organization, he was routinely generating 40% to 60% of the total revenue for their division. Lloyd had the relationships, contacts and chutzpah to know that that success he had at Sutro would carry over, even if he was starting Greif & Co. during a recession. Lloyd's extreme work ethic is legendary, and he had no doubts that he would pull off the new venture.Lloyd is a highly accomplished investment banker of four decades' standing. The fact that he routinely lectures on negotiations at all three of his alma maters – UCLA, USC and Loyola – speaks to his knowledge and expertise. He exclusively represents entrepreneurially owned and operated middle market companies, hence Greif & Co.'s reputation as “The Entrepreneur's Investment Bank.” Lloyd is a zealot for his clients, always putting their interests first, religiously avoiding conflicts of interest, and going to the mat for them. He is also renowned for getting tough, extremely complex deals done no matter the obstacles. A proven successful economic cycle rider, Lloyd founded his eponymous firm during the recession of the early 1990s and has persevered through three other economic downturns.The son of Holocaust survivors, Lloyd grew up in a one-bedroom apartment that he shared with his mother and older brother. Lloyd worked full-time to pay his way through school, earning three degrees—in Economics (BA―UCLA), Entrepreneurship (MBA―USC, Beta Gamma Sigma), and Law (JD―Loyola Law School, Order of the Coif). Running the midnight-to-9am store stocking crew at Ralphs Grocery Co. before going to school was not an infrequent occurrence for him. Lloyd founded Greif & Co. in 1992 following a successful, decade-long investment banking career as Vice Chairman of Sutro & Co., the oldest investment banking firm in the West, where he was head of the investment banking division and a member of the five-person Management Committee that ran the firm. Previously, Lloyd was a business operations and strategy consultant with Touche, Ross & Co. (Deloitte Consulting LLC).In 1997, Lloyd founded the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC's Marshall School of Business. The Greif Entrepreneurship Center is consistently ranked among the top 10 entrepreneurial studies centers in the world. Lloyd is past chair of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and the Los Angeles Police Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the California Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Board of Leaders of the USC Marshall School of Business, a member of both the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and World Presidents' Organization (WPO), a member of the Board of Overseers of Loyola Law School, past member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer of the Florence Academy of Art, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the National Museum of American Illustration.In 2002, Lloyd received the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award from the Boy Scouts of America, in 2000 received the Corporate Excellence Award from Loyola Law School, in 1999 and 2012 received commendations from the City of Los Angeles for his “dedication and outstanding contributions to the Los Angeles community,” and in 2019 received the Alumni Service Award from the University of Southern California. A frequent public speaker, he is an internationally recognized authority in the field of mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance and has been featured in such books as The Entrepreneurial Journey, Strategies for Small Business Success, The Entrepreneurship Movement and the University, Loyola Law School: A Sense of Purpose and A Sense of Mission,

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Lloyd Greif. After a decade-long investment banking career at Sutro & Co. Incorporated, Lloyd left to start his own boutique investment bank, Greif & Co. Some people would be skittish to make this leap. Not Lloyd. As he tells us, he was a top producer firm wide, and as the leading rainmaker within the organization, he was routinely generating 40% to 60% of the total revenue for their division. Lloyd had the relationships, contacts and chutzpah to know that that success he had at Sutro would carry over, even if he was starting Greif & Co. during a recession. Lloyd's extreme work ethic is legendary, and he had no doubts that he would pull off the new venture. Lloyd is a highly accomplished investment banker of four decades' standing. The fact that he routinely lectures on negotiations at all three of his alma maters – UCLA, USC and Loyola – speaks to his knowledge and expertise. He exclusively represents entrepreneurially owned and operated middle market companies, hence Greif & Co.'s reputation as “The Entrepreneur's Investment Bank.” Lloyd is a zealot for his clients, always putting their interests first, religiously avoiding conflicts of interest, and going to the mat for them. He is also renowned for getting tough, extremely complex deals done no matter the obstacles. A proven successful economic cycle rider, Lloyd founded his eponymous firm during the recession of the early 1990s and has persevered through three other economic downturns. The son of Holocaust survivors, Lloyd grew up in a one-bedroom apartment that he shared with his mother and older brother. Lloyd worked full-time to pay his way through school, earning three degrees—in Economics (BA―UCLA), Entrepreneurship (MBA―USC, Beta Gamma Sigma), and Law (JD―Loyola Law School, Order of the Coif). Running the midnight-to-9am store stocking crew at Ralphs Grocery Co. before going to school was not an infrequent occurrence for him. Lloyd founded Greif & Co. in 1992 following a successful, decade-long investment banking career as Vice Chairman of Sutro & Co., the oldest investment banking firm in the West, where he was head of the investment banking division and a member of the five-person Management Committee that ran the firm. Previously, Lloyd was a business operations and strategy consultant with Touche, Ross & Co. (Deloitte Consulting LLC). In 1997, Lloyd founded the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC's Marshall School of Business. The Greif Entrepreneurship Center is consistently ranked among the top 10 entrepreneurial studies centers in the world. Lloyd is past chair of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and the Los Angeles Police Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the California Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Board of Leaders of the USC Marshall School of Business, a member of both the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and World Presidents' Organization (WPO), a member of the Board of Overseers of Loyola Law School, past member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer of the Florence Academy of Art, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the National Museum of American Illustration. In 2002, Lloyd received the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award from the Boy Scouts of America, in 2000 received the Corporate Excellence Award from Loyola Law School, in 1999 and 2012 received commendations from the City of Los Angeles for his “dedication and outstanding contributions to the Los Angeles community,” and in 2019 received the Alumni Service Award from the University of Southern California. A frequent public speaker, he is an internationally recognized authority in the field of mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance and has been featured in such books as The Entrepreneurial Journey, Strategies for Small Business Success, The Entrepreneurship Movement and the University, Loyola Law School: A Sense of Purpose and A Sense of Mission,

Suggested Donation is back with celebrated sculptor and Athens Sculpture Atelier Director Robert Bodem. We discuss Rob's approach, called “Drawing in Space” which he developed as the Director of Sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art and has continued to refine in Athens. He has a book coming soon that covers his approach for anyone unable to study in person with him. Rob discusses his journey from abstract to figurative sculptor and how this informed his process and perspective on working from life from the figure. Rob is a great friend and we hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

The young draughtsman and painter from Finland has proven his talent with narrative portraits from live model. Aiming for the Classical Greek ideal, Hjalmar Hagelstam is already well-equipped, having studied painting with Odd Nerdrum and sculpture at the Florence Academy Growing up in a country known for Sibelius and Gallen-Kallela, Hagelstam asks the following question: "Which lessons can we learn from the strange fate of 19th century Finnish painters?" As he sees it, they were rightfully concerned with Kalevala, the native, mythical epic. However their political desire to find something "national" in it, invariably led to failure. Making matters worse, influence from contemporary ideas of "progress" and styles like symbolism and impressionism only further removed their work from a truly timeless context. So what makes a universal story? And could you grip the essence of a myth by simply illustrating it?

ANNA ROSE BAIN https://www.artworkbyannarose.com   Anna Rose Bain (b. 1985) is a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist based in Colorado. Her paintings often depict people in peaceful settings or places that evoke happiness. She especially loves painting women and children, and seeks to convey all of her subjects with honesty and sensitivity. Anna was self taught until college. Inspired by her grandfather, who started painting at the age of 70, Anna spent her free time as a child sketching from nature and poring over art books. She studied fine art at Hillsdale College from 2003-2007, and in 2006 she took a figure painting course at the Florence Academy of Art. After graduating from Hillsdale with honors and distinguishing herself as the first student in the school's history to have a solo senior show, she continued her education by studying with several renowned artists including Judith Carducci, Clayton J. Beck, III, Nancy Guzik, and more. Anna now resides in Arvada, CO with her husband Steve and their two children. She works full-time as a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist. She also teaches workshops, and is actively involved in the local arts communities. Having had such inspiring teachers and role models in her own life, she firmly believes in sharing her passion and knowledge of classical art with other aspiring artists, as well as showing practical ways to stay up to date in today's changing art market. She is a Signature member of the Oil Painters of America and an Out of State Artist member of the California Art Club. She is also a member of Plein Air Artists of Colorado and the International Guild of Realism, and is a Signature faculty member of the Portrait Society of America. Her award-winning work can be found in numerous private and public collections around the world. Anna's style employs a direct painting method while drawing from classical roots. She gains inspiration from the joys and struggles in her life, seeking to make the world a better place through her art. Her paintings are an expression of gratitude and an exploration of the questions one faces at different stages of their life. For example, her award winning self portrait, "The Wait and the Reward," is a coming to terms with change and a joyous celebration of new life.

ANNA ROSE BAIN https://www.artworkbyannarose.com   Anna Rose Bain (b. 1985) is a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist based in Colorado. Her paintings often depict people in peaceful settings or places that evoke happiness. She especially loves painting women and children, and seeks to convey all of her subjects with honesty and sensitivity. Anna was self taught until college. Inspired by her grandfather, who started painting at the age of 70, Anna spent her free time as a child sketching from nature and poring over art books. She studied fine art at Hillsdale College from 2003-2007, and in 2006 she took a figure painting course at the Florence Academy of Art. After graduating from Hillsdale with honors and distinguishing herself as the first student in the school's history to have a solo senior show, she continued her education by studying with several renowned artists including Judith Carducci, Clayton J. Beck, III, Nancy Guzik, and more. Anna now resides in Arvada, CO with her husband Steve and their two children. She works full-time as a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist. She also teaches workshops, and is actively involved in the local arts communities. Having had such inspiring teachers and role models in her own life, she firmly believes in sharing her passion and knowledge of classical art with other aspiring artists, as well as showing practical ways to stay up to date in today's changing art market. She is a Signature member of the Oil Painters of America and an Out of State Artist member of the California Art Club. She is also a member of Plein Air Artists of Colorado and the International Guild of Realism, and is a Signature faculty member of the Portrait Society of America. Her award-winning work can be found in numerous private and public collections around the world. Anna's style employs a direct painting method while drawing from classical roots. She gains inspiration from the joys and struggles in her life, seeking to make the world a better place through her art. Her paintings are an expression of gratitude and an exploration of the questions one faces at different stages of their life. For example, her award winning self portrait, "The Wait and the Reward," is a coming to terms with change and a joyous celebration of new life.

https://www.teresaoaxaca.com Teresa Oaxaca is an American born artist based currently in Washington D.C. She is a full time painter whose works can be seen in collections and galleries throughout the US and internationally. Her talent has been recognized and rewarded by museums and institutions such as the American Museum of the Cowboy, The former Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Art Renewal Center, The Elisabeth Greenshields Foundation, the Posey Foundation, and The Portrait Society of America and the Museu Europeu D'Art Modern in Barcelona. Her training includes a four-year diploma at the Angel Academy of Art (Florence Italy, Graduate studies at the Florence Academy, an Apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum in Norway, and studies at the Art League of Alexandria VA where she trained with Robert Liberace, Paul Lucchesi, and took many other courses. Currently she teaches workshops around the United States and in Europe. In addition to her studio work she takes a variety of portrait commissions including Family Portraiture, Professional/Business, Custom and Informal arrangements. She exhibits widely and sells her work on a regular basis. She also recently founded a fashion company called “House Of Oaxaca”, selling wares online at www.houseofoaxaca.com Within Washington D.C. she has participated with local groups such as The Esperanza Education Fund, The Arts Club Of Washington, The Art League School in Alexandria, VA and the National Education Association. In 2014 she became a member of the Young Partners Circle of The National Museum of Women In The Arts. She is also a registered member of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and an Ambassador for the newly established Da Vinci Initiative, which designs and promotes skill-based learning and lesson plans for US K-12 public school educators. She is also a member of the Arts Club of Washington and the California Arts Club. "Since returning to the Washington D.C. area I have been focusing on creating a new and large body of work. My new series have taken me away from academic studies to more elaborate compositions which combine human and still life elements. In addition to this I now take on portrait commissions, and continue my studies in art by observing and copying the painting of the Old Masters in art galleries throughout the world. My work is about pleasing the eye. I paint light and the way it falls. Simple observation reveals beauty; often it is found in the unconventional. Because of this I have learned to take particular delight in unusual pairings of subject matter. Frequently my compositions are spontaneous. When a person comes to me, they occupy a space my mind. Arrangements form from there until with excitement I see and have the idea. The design is both planned and subconscious. For this reason I surround myself with Victorian and Baroque costume, bones, and other things which I find fascinating- I want subject matter to always be at hand. My paintings are created with oil paint on canvas. I am conscious of the traditional craftsmanship I have attained in Florence. While my interest in new pigments and tools may cause minor alterations in my materials, these really remain fundamentally the same. All my evolution is taking place on the canvas and in my head; in what I see in nature and interpret in two dimensions on the picture plan. I have the fundamentals of design to work with when planning a painting. I make preparatory studies. I use multiple layers to build an illusion of light and form. When this illusion is convincing and to my taste, the painting is done." -Teresa

https://www.teresaoaxaca.com Teresa Oaxaca is an American born artist based currently in Washington D.C. She is a full time painter whose works can be seen in collections and galleries throughout the US and internationally. Her talent has been recognized and rewarded by museums and institutions such as the American Museum of the Cowboy, The former Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Art Renewal Center, The Elisabeth Greenshields Foundation, the Posey Foundation, and The Portrait Society of America and the Museu Europeu D'Art Modern in Barcelona. Her training includes a four-year diploma at the Angel Academy of Art (Florence Italy, Graduate studies at the Florence Academy, an Apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum in Norway, and studies at the Art League of Alexandria VA where she trained with Robert Liberace, Paul Lucchesi, and took many other courses. Currently she teaches workshops around the United States and in Europe. In addition to her studio work she takes a variety of portrait commissions including Family Portraiture, Professional/Business, Custom and Informal arrangements. She exhibits widely and sells her work on a regular basis. She also recently founded a fashion company called “House Of Oaxaca”, selling wares online at www.houseofoaxaca.com Within Washington D.C. she has participated with local groups such as The Esperanza Education Fund, The Arts Club Of Washington, The Art League School in Alexandria, VA and the National Education Association. In 2014 she became a member of the Young Partners Circle of The National Museum of Women In The Arts. She is also a registered member of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and an Ambassador for the newly established Da Vinci Initiative, which designs and promotes skill-based learning and lesson plans for US K-12 public school educators. She is also a member of the Arts Club of Washington and the California Arts Club.

In today's episode, we are excited to invite Erika McCall to the mic! Erika is the founder and Executive Director of the Go For Yours Foundation. On a very cold day in December of 2010, Erika walked away from her full-time job to put handwritten quotes scribbled in her journal to life. At that moment, she never imagined her life taking a drastic turn. She was just yearning to discover something different and out of the ordinary. She grew up thinking success came from having a nice salary, benefits, and an office to match.​Her vision for success came crashing down while on the plane heading back to Chicago after bringing in 2010 in Atlanta. She was writing inspirational quotes in my journal, one of them being "go for yours."After earning a master's degree and working a full-time job, she discovered that her path was meant to go in a nonconventional direction. She is the former Executive Director of Hollywood Actor/author Hill Harper's Manifest Your Destiny Foundation and has helped multiple celebrities and leaders with their nonprofit endeavors.Erika's debut publication, Go For Yours, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has been implemented in youth empowerment programs across the country. Writing Go For Yours challenged her to be a living example of the messages in her book. After meeting a young lady with aspirations to compete in the Olympics for swimming but couldn't afford elite private swimming lessons, Erika knew she had to do more than encourage students to follow their dreams. She was determined to become a resource. Meeting so many talented youth lacking resources for success led to her creating the Go For Yours Foundation.Honored by the Urban League's Los Angeles Young Professionals in 2016, Erika was named one of the top nine people under 40 emerging in the field of business, academia, community enrichment, or creativity. She received the Michelle Obama Alumni Award at the Brown Girls Rock Awards from her alma mater, Northern Illinois University, where she received her master's degree in Adult and Higher Education. One of her most notable achievements was a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama complimenting Go For Yours noting, "people can draw inspiration from the stories of courage, strength, and perseverance."Through the organization, Erika and her team serve students between 13 to 21. It is their goal is to close the opportunity gap in the United States.One of the things Erika is most proud of is providing funding for a student who ended up being the first African-American who graduated from Florence Academy of Art in Italy. We transform the lives of young people through our Dream Experience, a one-week fellowship for the next generation of leaders.In this episode, we will discuss how Erika navigated prejudices and bias in the nonprofit space as a Black female nonprofit leader, the importance of establishing a brand for marketing your organization, and the vital part fundraising and donor engagement play in nonprofit organizations.You can learn more about the Go For Yours Foundation by visiting their website or visiting them on  Facebook or Instagram.If you are a woman of color who is interested in learning more about the Nonprofit Sistas community or you're looking for a community to support you throughout your journey as a nonprofit leader, please visit our site at www.nonprofitsistas.com.Find me on Instagram and LinkedIn, and don't forget to follow the Nonprofit Sistas podcast.

Figurative sculptor Amelia Rowcroft lives in the lovely Sussex town of Lewes on the South East Coast of England, which dates back to 961AD. She was kind enough to invite us into her studio in a building that once housed a brewery in the 1600s, and that's where we recorded this episode of BWBoR. Amelia has been sculpting practically, working in clay for over 20 years, creating primarily fine art portraits and figurative sculptures, though she has also worked within the film industry, and for the world's leading wax figure museums including Madame Tussaud's, and we talked about it all. She studied at Central St Martins, and the Florence Academy in Florence, Italy, and interestingly enough, was also a student at Wimbledon School of Art where Stuart attended, though a few years behind him. As fate would have it, another of our upcoming podcast guest artists, ZBrush Master Madeleine Scott Spencer, also studied at the Florence Academy and remembers Amelia, but we'll save that for later. We chatted for a good hour and a half and covered a variety of sculpture-related topics, such as why isn't there a Museum of Crap Renaissance Sculpture so we can see the failures of the Masters – because there had to be some - and creating a likeness sculpture vs. creating a caricature of a subject. We also chatted about sculpting digitally vs. pushing actual clay around. Amelia was kind enough – incredibly generous is more like it – to allow us to explore her online sculpture course, and it is jaw-dropping in content and ‘lightbulb' moments. We urge you to at least look at the sample video lessons on Amelia's website www.sculptingmasterclass.com/collections. We suspect you'll want to enrol to take advantage of the instruction offered by this incredible sculptor. Whether you sculpt practically or digitally, this information is invaluable and transferable between mediums. -------------------------------------- Many thanks as always for your time checking the stuff out. You can email us direct at stuartandtodd@gmail.com or leave us a voice message directly on our site. If you enjoy this podcast and got something out of it, would you do us a solid and tell just one more person about us? Send them a link and help us grow! -Stuart & Todd

Fr. Vladimir Kaydanov joins me to cover the little known history that connects Byzantium, the Renaissance and Russia in a fascinating providential tale that needs to be told. Fr Vladimir's focus is geometric analysis of Renaissance works, as well as the historical connection to fascinating planned cities like St. Petersburg, Russia. Fr Vladimir weaves a web of Byzantine intrigue, Russian wartime history, the secret techniques of the Renaissance masters and how their tradition is passed on in the Florence Academy linked below. If you are interested in attending the Florence Academy, be sure to follow the links at the site.

www.marcelopasqua.com @marcelopasqua Técnica acadêmica de desenho: sight-size method Academia de arte na Itália : Florence Academy of Art Curso de VFX Londres: ESCAPE ESTUDIOS Link para making-of Torre de 9 metros: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FgUgbpDaBg

About Tracy,Tracy Lee's Profile: linkedin.com/in/tracyleestumWebsite: tracyleestum.com  Email: info@tracyleestum.comTwitter: tracyleestumInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracyleestum/ Tracy's Bio:Tracy Lee Stumis an American artist best known for her 3D street paintings orchalkdrawings. She at one point held the Guinness World Record for the Largest Chalk Painting by an Individual.[1]Tracy Lee Stum began drawing as soon as she could clutch a crayon. She studied privately as a child and earned a bachelor's degree at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She continued her studies in naturalism at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.A gregarious graffiti lover, Tracy began street painting in 1998 and is considered by Madonnari peers, festival directors and viewers alike as one of the finest street painters today.  Known for splashing color in festivals and events in all corners and crevices of the globe, her paintings have won numerous awards & accolades – her only regret is that her masterpieces rarely fit on the fridge.In 2006 Tracy added the Guinness World Record to her collection of vinyl for the largest street painting by an individual.  In 2013 she was honored to be a contributor on the Cannes Gold Lion award-winning team for their work in the now iconic Honda CRV commercial.Experienced in multi-city campaigns for such clients as Cadillac, SoBe, and Dos Equis, Tracy is continually creating commissioned 3D and 4D works in chalk for advertising, public and private events, corporate PR and educational sectors. Her international team building skills have been utilized in developing street painting festivals in China, Mexico, India, Russia and throughout the United States.  Her art travels well and is always up to date on all of its shots.Tracy has been privileged and honored to serve as the US State Department's 2012 cultural ambassador.  She's toured Tajikistan and India creating 3D street paintings and teaching workshops at distinguished universities and art colleges to promote education, awareness and positive cross-cultural communication.In 2013 Tracy put on clean pants and stepped effortlessly into management as she curated the first annual DO/AC 3D Chalk Festival in Atlantic City, New Jersey, showcasing 14 renowned international 3D street art & chalk artists.Tracy's chalk conversations speak to her vast audience with imagination, beauty and playfulness – often with a thick Italian accent.Show Intro:When was a kid, I loved going to the mall when they had artists exhibitions. I could watch for hours as artist of all stripes created magic in front of passersby. I was mesmerized as the sweep of a had could create a deep forest with a shaft of light cutting through the green, a galloping horse, or a crowded street scene.When living in New York and the Philadelphia area I marveled at the graffiti artists whose mural paintings stretched the full height of buildings. Not only was I awestruck with the subject matter but the sheer size of these creations always left me wondering …How do they do that?I remember going to a Bougereau exhibit in Montreal where the paintings were huge and seeing the Night's Watch at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and being transfixed as people jostled for position all around me.A few years ago, I started tuning into street art where skilled painters would use chalk to create masterful illusions of 3 dimensions on the pavement. These works, when viewed from a specific place, seemed to magically transform the warped image into a 3D experience into which you could place yourself. I have spent years teaching perspective drawing where the size of the image fits on a drafting table. This took perspective to a whole new level for me.Tracy Lee Stum is an American artist best known for her 3D street paintings made with chalk. At one point, she held the Guinness World Record for the Largest Chalk Painting by an Individual.[1]She began drawing as soon as she could clutch a crayon. She studied privately as a child and earned a bachelor's degree at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She continued her studies in naturalism at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.A gregarious graffiti lover, Tracy began street painting in 1998 and is considered by festival directors and viewers alike as one of the finest street painters today.  In 2013 she was honored to be a contributor on the Cannes Gold Lion award-winning team for work on the iconic Honda CRV commercial and is she continually creating commissioned 3D and 4D works in chalk for advertising, public and private events, corporate PR and educational sectors. Tracy has travelled the world creating beautiful street art and been privileged and honored to serve as the US State Department's 2012 cultural ambassador teaching workshops at distinguished universities and art colleges to promote education, awareness and positive cross-cultural communication.We share a love of art and making paintings, though mine are still on canvas resting on an easel, and I am delighted to have Tracy share her passion and craft with us.About David Kepron:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com    (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why', ‘what's now' and ‘what's next'. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott's “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently brings his creativity and insight on brand experiences to an international audience as a member of VMSD magazine's Editorial Advisory Board, as a Board Member of the Interactive Customer Experience Association (ICXA) and Sign Research Foundation's (SRF) Program Committee.He has held teaching positions at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture & Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore.  In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. David also writes a popular blog called “Brain Food” which is published monthly on vmsd.com.  

Our guest for the evening is the Norwegian painter Kristine Onsrud. Many young, figurative painters can probably relate to her art school trauma, but there are probably few who have experienced that their painting got stabbed with a pair of scissors by their so-called colleagues. This is exactly what happened to Onsrud, who eventually left the London art school to get a proper education at the Florence Academy in Italy. But the "all you do is wrong"-mentality and lack of storytelling as an integrated part of the education at FAA, finally made her apply to the Nerdrum School where she has studied since. The conversation was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, with assistance from Cassander Straumsgaard, and Sebastian Salvo. The centerpiece was a self-portrait by Kristine Onsrud. On the shelf were works she made at FAA and as a pupil of Odd Nerdrum. SHOUTOUT to our TOP SPONSORS! Dean Anthony Anders Berge Christensen Jared Fountain Fergus Ryan Michael Irish Shaun Roberts Stacey Evangelista Alastair Blain Erik Lasky Jack Warner Hårek Jordal Andreassen Herman Borge Peter Asinger Would you like to get previews, bonus material and other benefits? Become a patron: https://patreon.com/caveofapelles/ Subscribe to our newsletter. It is the only way to make sure that you receive content from us on a regular basis: https://bit.ly/2L8qCNn Podcast available on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Spotify: https://soundcloud.com/caveofapelles https://spoti.fi/2AVDkcT https://apple.co/2QAcXD6 Visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/caveofapelles Make sure to subscribe to our channel over at BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cave... For inquiries — talk@caveofapelles.com

In this show, Thomas Moore joins me to discuss the Soul.  It's a subject he has devoted his life to, and in his first book THE PLANETS WITHIN he explores it through the eyes of Marsilio Ficino, the Renaissance genius who was one of the animating forces of the Florence Academy.  It is my hope you experience another dimension of Psyche by listening to us converse. See Thomas's work HERE: https://thomasmooresoul.com/ www.Patreon.com/adamsommer ....to support the creation of my writings/podcasts and be showered with gifts as well   www.Holestoheavens.com ...to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche

In episode three, Johanna Schwaiger will be interviewing Maudie Brady, an Australian figurative and visual effects sculptor. A few of her famous film projects include The Hobbit, Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Maudie will be sharing with you her inspiration, creative process, training, and teaching experience at the Florence Academy of Art. You will also learn about the importance of scale and poses, as well as the influences from the Old Masters in Maudie's sculptures.

Riley Holloway was born in Los Angeles, CA (1989). He currently lives and works in Dallas, TX. Growing up, Holloway developed an early interest in art, learning from his mother, an artist herself. He attended The Art Institute of Dallas and the Florence Academy of Art.He is best known for his dynamic work and fresh look at figurative art. His images are often accompanied by text and personal references embedded within the work. Holloway uses a traditional oil painting technique and bold lines to create depth within the portraits. There is a wonderful counterbalance of softness and masculinity seen in the works.We discuss his technique to painting during a pandemic, the concept of self publishing, and the individual as a catalyst.  Holloway’s aesthetics create familiar spaces rich in storytelling, free from constraints, and true to his subjects. His content is rich in drama, history, and intimacy.www.rileyholloway.comInstagram.com/hollowayfineartFacebook.com/hollowayfineart Run time: 29 minutesHost, Earlina Green Hamilton 

Originally from London, Tom Richards is the Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Fine Art and Principle Advanced Painting Instructor. In recent years Tom has exhibited his work in London and undertaken numerous commissions in Europe and beyond.   This episode was recorded exactly a year ago in January of 2020 when I had the pleasure of visiting with Tom in his painting studio in Florence Italy.  In this episode we talk about what drew him to painting and fine art.  We talk about The Florence Academy’s approach to teaching drawing and painting, the importance of keeping a sketchbook, and the painters that inspire him.  We also talk about the parallels of painting and photography and how to hone one’s approach to seeing and much more. I’ve admired Tom’s work for a long time and his paintings truly are masterful and must really be seen in person to be fully appreciated.  It was a real treat to spend some time with him in Florence surrounded by his beautiful paintings and I hope you enjoy this episode! Find Tom on Instagram @tominflorence and  The Florence Academy of Fine Art @florenceacademyofart

Join Michael Litten "The Last DJ" for an in-depth discussion.Featuring a variety of songs.Sponsored by DrinkmateTheme music provided by Peter PerkinsSpecial Thank You to Lucy Piller/ARN Entertainment for providing the talent“Others before self”, a simple concept, yet it is so often overlooked as we move about our everyday lives.  This idea is alive and well at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Florence Alabama! FAFA (the Academy) began 7 years ago and has grown to be a major proponent for the Arts in the State of Alabama.  They began small and have grown tremendously.  During his time as a board member of the Alabama Arts Alliance, the Director of FAFA realized that over 70% of the schools in the state offered no arts to their students. Examining the positive effects that the Academy had on attendance, grades and graduation rates, those involved with the Academy realized that there was a chance to have a positive influence in the schools without arts. https://www.florencek12.org/FAFA

In this episode, Bethany asks some interesting questions about Joshua's background with art. He will share some about growing up in Africa, meeting his beautiful wife at Harding University, and studying for 4 years at the Florence Academy of Art in both Sweden and Italy. Enjoy! Artwork First Charles Bargue drawing Resources Florence Academy of Art

Jenny Santi is the author of the acclaimed book “The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories & Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving” (Tarcher Penguin Random House, 2015). She founded Saint Partners, a philanthropy services firm that manages, represents, and advises high net worth individuals and public figures on their philanthropy. Previously she served as Head of UBS's award-winning Philanthropy Services department based in Southeast Asia. She holds an MBA from INSEAD, attended the Wharton School of Business and New York University's Center for Philanthropy & Fundraising, and is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy. In 2019, she conceptualized and led the inaugural Celebrity Philanthropy Symposium at the Bellagio Center of the Rockefeller Foundation, bringing together senior leaders of foundations in entertainment, sports, royalty and the arts. A prolific artist, she has trained at the Florence Academy of Art and the Art Students League of New York. Check out Jenny's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Way-Happiness-Stories-Life-Changing/dp/0399183965/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jenny+santi&qid=1603638656&sr=8-1 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gratitudespace/message

Hannah Sutton hails from country Victoria, Australia and is currently undergoing studies in the old 19th century tools and techniques of painting at the Florence Academy of Art. In this episode we discuss Hannah's pursuit of her dream, the art of patience, living in Italy during the Covid-19 pandemic and what it means to 'check your values'.

Jacaranda FM — It's tough to stay creative, even more so during a global crisis. Should we really be painting or filling profiteroles? Artist and baker Alice Toich thinks so. When COVID-19 forced people out of the streets and into their homes, Toich’s ingenuity kicked in. With her series of art challenges, she’s providing a way to reconnect with beauty, pain, and each other.When COVID-19 forced people out of the streets and into their homes, Toich’s ingenuity kicked in. With her series of art challenges, she’s providing a way to reconnect with beauty, pain, and each other. From a young age, Toich was blending vibrant hues into works that reflected the realities around her. She unfolded her easel in the classrooms of Michaelis School of Fine Art and the Florence Academy of Art, where she honed her skills in portraiture and oil painting. When Toich isn’t in the studio, she’s decorating sweet confectioneries in the kitchen. In her exhibition The Icing Pink Ether, Toich painted scrumptious portraits and decadent cakes, creating a sugar-coated world where unpalatable truths could be gulped down. Although she uses both art and baking as a platform to encourage debate around socio-political issues, it’s also a form of therapy. “Creating has always been a transformative tool to translate emotions,” Toich says. Following South Africa’s announcement of a national quarantine to curb the spread of COVID-19, Toich launched the #21DaysofArtSA challenge online. “The lockdown made me reflect on how I could contribute towards creating relief and unity,” she says. Each day, Toich announces a new theme, from ‘something growing’ to ‘the meaning of celebration’, encouraging the public to paint, sculpt, bake or sew a personal response. Drawing inspiration from the everyday, participants showcase artworks that have relieved emotional tensions and fostered a healthy frame of mind.

On today's episode I speak to Ted, an artist from Cape Town. With no prior background in art, Ted has made a name for himself as one of the best tattoo artists in Cape Town, all within a few years. Ted speaks about the strategy that he used to move from beginner to mastery and the important role a mentor can have in shortening the learning curve. Ted also shares some of the daily practices he uses to remain grounded and step away from the hype around his work, and how constantly seeking the next level has led him to pursue sculpting at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy. Stay tuned, this is an episode not to be missed. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coachedsuccess/message

Our guest is Luke Thompson: @lukethompson_art A dapper gent who is now involved in the world of live drawing, we'll be seeing how he goes about developing his craft and also choosing subjects to feature In this chat we cover: + Adapting to lockdown with a positive spin + His step into the art world + Connecting with his inner child to follow his passions + Heading out to Florence for study with the Florence Academy of Art and how it helped with his depth of knowledge and skills + The energy of Florence + Sourcing out the art community on these shores on his return + His venues he does his live drawing workshops + Developing the abilities and bestowing skills n knowledge to those in his workshops + Reasons why people join onto the workshops + Drawing his own inspirations from from classic painters and learning their styles m techniques + Sky Arts paint along sessions and its positive impact on him through lockdown + Studying history at Uni and how this aids his art + The forming of him being in a band and how they have reconnected to relieve the pressure from the music + Being in a band with his Brother + The importance of the band remaining friends first and how these was a factor in their hiatus + Preparing for the farewell gig and now set and eager for the future shows having evolved and all grown back closer together to one another + His latest project and how it will grow to fulfil his dream of having his own exhibition showcasing bis own work in the flesh Be sure to tune in and tap into the good vibes that are gonna be oozing throughout each chat Add @benrandm on Instagram to be able to join in for future live Loose Lips chats and @Pop.Cult.Chic to be in the know for the latest exclusive drops of essential content Live the Life You Love Love the Life You Live

Rafael Guerra conta no episódio #41 sua experiência como aluno na Florence Academy of Art, alguns detalhes do programa de desenho e pintura e também como se tornou professor. Conta também detalhes envolvendo as diferenças culturais entre Brasil, Italia e Finlândia, país onde vive atualmente. Rafael Guerra Website Rafael Guerra Instagram __________ ARTE ACADEMIA www.arteacademia.com.br […] O post 41. Rafael Guerra. Aluno e professor na Florence Academy of Art, e as diferenças culturais entre Brasil, Itália e a Finlândia. apareceu primeiro em Arte Academia Podcast.

Rafael Guerra conta no episódio #41 sua experiência como aluno na Florence Academy of Art, alguns detalhes do programa de desenho e pintura e também…

Rafael Guerra conta no episódio #41 sua experiência como aluno na Florence Academy of Art, alguns detalhes do programa de desenho e pintura e também como se tornou professor. Conta também detalhes envolvendo as diferenças culturais entre Brasil, Italia e Finlândia, país onde vive atualmente. Rafael Guerra Website Rafael Guerra Instagram __________ ARTE ACADEMIA www.arteacademia.com.br … 41. Rafael Guerra. Aluno e professor na Florence Academy of Art, e as diferenças culturais entre Brasil, Itália e a Finlândia. Leia mais » O post 41. Rafael Guerra. Aluno e professor na Florence Academy of Art, e as diferenças culturais entre Brasil, Itália e a Finlândia. apareceu primeiro em Arte Academia.

Here is a little about Ingrid Thortveit. - I remember the first time I won a prize. I was about 9 years old. Primary School. We where drawing our favorite fantasy house. My drawing ended up to win the prize of the best drawing in my class, and they hung it on the wall through the rest of the years. I was super proud and it felt good. A year later we had to paint our classmates, in pairs. I painted my best friend at that time. I remember the teacher was very pleased with my painting, as I managed to make the nose look three dimensional. It ended up hanging at the Headmaster's office the rest of my time at primary school. I realized how much I loved painting portraits. - High school I did not study art, it was something I did a bit on my free time. It studied maths, chemistry, physics and biology. My plan was to study maths at college. I got in but I had this feeling that this was not right. I didn't feel passionate about it. I loved doing art. Completely change of direction as I one day woke up and decided to pursue art instead. I moved to Paris in 2006, and got inspired. Buildings and portraits. Got super inspired in by all the portrait painters in Montmartre, the artist area of town. - In 2007, I loved to London to work like a nanny. On my free time I did portrait commissions. Lots of families saw these portraits and I did a few commissions of kids. I loved it. My passion for portraits where growing. - Up until now all I did was self-thought. But I wanted to learn how to paint professionally. In 2011 I enrolled to The Florence Academy of Art, Swedish branch, in Gothenburg. One of Europe's best academies for fine classical art. The traditional techniques and secrets of the old masters. I lived in Gothenburg for 3 years. I won a scholarship and lots of prizes for best paintings throughout the years I was there. - In 2014 I won a prize, Fourth year prize. I got another year for free at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence. Also with specialized studies with the founder and Director of the school, Daniel Graves. I was teaching there too. Such an inspiring year. - In 2015 I moved back to Norway where I had my very first exhibition. Did very well. Stayed in my home town for half a year, with atelier in nature. In 2016 I moved to London again, where I worked full-time with art. - Settled in Oslo in 2017 where I now do art fulltime. Lots of exhibitions, commissions and workshops all over Norway, in Provence and also in London. Would love to get to Usa as well at some point. I keep on climbing to reach out more places with my art. What does Ingrid Thortveit find yummy? I don't have lots of time to cook, but if I do, I love salmon(of course, Im Norwegian ;-)). I'll say that if I went to to an island where I had to survive with two foods the rest of my life, I'd bring salmon and avocado. The avocado is also inspiring to paint, it has a beautiful color and shape if cut. Or any fish with Omega 3(tuna, Marcella etc.) I feel omega 3 is important for my art brain. I will go to a workshop to make Thai food the beginning of March, I love Thai food. If i cook I would put weird things together. As a student at FAA I was called the ""bird girl"", as I managed to make strange meals out of seeds. I eat oat porridge for breakfast every morning. . Here is how to connect with Ingrid Thortveit. www.ingridthortveit.com Through my website: www.ingridthortveit.com, or e-mail: ingridthortveit@yahoo.no I would love to exhibit all over the world, USA in particular. Also I do all sorts of commissions, portrait commissions in particular. From life or from photo..

Patreon and Paypal link – I had a great chat with Daniela Astone in Florence. Daniela is an artist, curator, and Director of the Intermediate Program at the Florence Academy of Art. Daniela paints in a variety of ways, from landscapes, to still lives, to portraits. Always very personal, always powerful. Her paintings are in […]

Marc Dalessio is a classically trained naturalistic painter who has established himself as one of the foremost landscape painters working today. He was recently described as the world’s best living Plein air painter by Eric Rhoads of Plein Air magazine. Born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California, Marc’s artistic training began at the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Fine Art. He then moved to Florence, Italy and studied portraiture for four years with Charles Cecil at his atelier. After receiving a full scholarship at Cecil Studios, Marc taught portraiture and landscape painting at the school. He later taught landscape painting for the Florence Academy of Art. Marc currently resides in Estremoz, Portugal where he keeps a large studio with his wife and fellow artist, Tina Orsolic Dalessio. They travel to paint landscapes much of the year, and exhibit regularly in the US and in Europe.

No episódio #24-A do Arte Academia Podcast, Willian Neukomm conta um pouco sobre sua experiência de ter estudado na Florence Academy of Art na Itália,…

On the episode #24 of the Arte Academia Podcast, Bill Neukomm shares valuable information about his experience of taking the program at Florence Academy of…

No episódio #24-A do Arte Academia Podcast, Willian Neukomm conta um pouco sobre sua experiência de ter estudado na Florence Academy of Art na Itália, e conta também, hoje como professor de pintura e desenho, quais as principais dificuldades que alunos de arte encontram no estudo do desenho e pintura. Esse episódio é a versão … 24.A. William Neukomm. Florence Academy of Art e o retrato do Governador do Missouri. Leia mais » O post 24.A. William Neukomm. Florence Academy of Art e o retrato do Governador do Missouri. apareceu primeiro em Arte Academia.

On the episode #24 of the Arte Academia Podcast, Bill Neukomm shares valuable information about his experience of taking the program at Florence Academy of Art as well as how was the experience of painting the portrait of the governor of the Missouri, in the United States. Instagram: @wneukomm __________ ARTE ACADEMIA www.arteacademia.com.br Instagram: @arteacademia_podcast … 24.B. [english version]. William Neukomm. Florence Academy of Art and the portrait of the governor. Leia mais » O post 24.B. [english version]. William Neukomm. Florence Academy of Art and the portrait of the governor. apareceu primeiro em Arte Academia.

On the episode #24 of the Arte Academia Podcast, Bill Neukomm shares valuable information about his experience of taking the program at Florence Academy of Art as well as how was the experience of painting the portrait of the governor of the Missouri, in the United States. Instagram: @wneukomm __________ ARTE ACADEMIA www.arteacademia.com.br Instagram: @arteacademia_podcast […] O post 24.B. [english version]. William Neukomm. Florence Academy of Art and the portrait of the governor. apareceu primeiro em Arte Academia Podcast.

No episódio #24-A do Arte Academia Podcast, Willian Neukomm conta um pouco sobre sua experiência de ter estudado na Florence Academy of Art na Itália, e conta também, hoje como professor de pintura e desenho, quais as principais dificuldades que alunos de arte encontram no estudo do desenho e pintura. Esse episódio é a versão […] O post 24.A. William Neukomm. Florence Academy of Art e o retrato do Governador do Missouri. apareceu primeiro em Arte Academia Podcast.

Watch Jan-Ove Tuv's conversation with the former academic director at the Florence Academy of Sweden, Joakim Ericsson, who swapped painting for fantasy illustrations and the gaming industry. This episode was produced by Bork S. Nerdrum, assisted by Andrew Aviste and Seth Fite.

When was the last time that you found deep and abiding joy in your artwork? Have you explored the joy of painting animals and pets? Most of you know how excited I am about Trekell’s new Pet Portrait Competition. Guess what? I’ve got the judge for that competition joining me for this episode of the podcast!  Jennifer Gennari is a classically trained figurative artist. She graduated in 2005 from Ringling College of Art and Design and in 2008 left for Italy to study at the Florence Academy of Art where she spent three years abroad studying classical realism. In our conversation, Jennifer opens up about her time at the Florence Academy, how she trained herself to see colors differently, how she views commissioned paintings, and much more.  Florence Academy I don’t know about you, but for years I dreamt of attending the Florence Academy - so I jumped at the chance to get Jennifer’s insights from her time there. While she was overwhelmed by many aspects of her time at the Florence Academy - drawing was not one of them. Jennifer was able to pull from her rich childhood memory of obsessively drawing the same Disney characters over and over again. When the time came to drawing with charcoal - Jennifer was out of her element - but thankfully that didn’t last long. Looking at color differently  How did you develop your feel for using color? Did it come easy for you, or did you find the work challenging? I remember one torturous assignment I was given in school where I had to match the color of this massive collage that I had created - the result? I can now match just about any color I encounter! Jennifer’s story is a little bit different - but she also struggled with finding the right way to incorporate color into her artwork. Looking back - Jennifer notices that while the Florence Academy was great for many valuable lessons - color development wasn’t one of them. Painting animals  Some of you love painting animals and pets in particular - if that is you - you’ve got to check out Trekell’s new Pet Portrait Competition. Jennifer got started painting animals when she got tired of painting people. Still wanting to improve her skill at painting skin - Jennifer came up with a great solution - painting hairless cats! From there - Jennifer branched out and starting painting animals with fur and then she started dabbling in commissioned paintings of animals and pets. If you are interested in entering Trekell’s Pet Portrait Competition, make sure to check out the link in the resources section!  Are you a “Sell out” if you create commissioned paintings?  Speaking of commissioned paintings - what is your take? Have you created a commissioned painting? Do you feel like creating commissioned paintings is selling out? I know that many of you have strong feelings about commissioned paintings - but I’d love for you to hear Jennifer out. In her view - commissioned paintings are only as good as the joy and fulfilment you experience creating them. Creating a commissioned painting for someone who has a special connection to animal or pet is what makes the endeavour worth it. Jennifer only sees creating commissioned paintings as a “Sell out” when the artist is in it exclusively for the money.  Outline of This Episode [1:05] I introduce my guest, Jennifer Gennari.  [3:10] Jennifer shares her early artistic influences and her first career moves.  [9:20] What was it like at the Florence Academy?  [16:00] How did Jennifer train herself to see color differently?  [30:30] Jennifer talks about why she loves painting animals.  [38:00] What is Jennifer’s studio process like?  [44:40] Jennifer talks about her color pallet.  [51:20] Why does Jen always start off with warm colors?  [56:00] Commissioned paintings - is it “Selling out?” [1:04:00] What is Jennifer currently obsessed with? What is she working on?  Other artists mentioned on this episode Alicia Rius Photography Resources Mentioned on this episode Jen's website Jen on Instagram Trekell Pet Portrait Competition Bargue Drawings Florence Academy Connect With Antrese On Facebook On Pinterest On Instagram On Twitter

Mike and Paul discuss influence, routine, and the question: are we making art or trying too hard to share on social media? Grab a tasty beverage, and join them as they discuss the topics of the day. *** UPDATE *** On this episode, I Said Cesar Santos attended the Florence Academy of Art. I was thinking about Florence and he went to an atelier, and meant to say he went to the Angel Academy of Art in Florence.

This week, I am joined by painter Jenny Coker who talks about her work and how she works with different papers and paints from her studio in the North Island of New Zealand. This interview was recorded back in July 2018 just before everything went a bit nuts on the run-up to Blue Flower: The Antipodes so apologies for it taking so long to publish. Born in New Zealand Jenny is well known for her beautiful, sensual paintings of plants and flowers in watercolour and for her more traditional work in oils where she works using the time-consuming Flemish technique. The resurgence of classical realism appealed greatly and a high point of her art journey was a short course on oil portraiture at the Florence Academy of Art in 2016.Jenny's large scale irises took her over in 2018, culminating in her beautiful series called 'Eros'. Often asked which medium is her favourite, she moves with ease between both watercolour and oil. Jenny travels extensively all over the world and is looking to visit Europe again in 2020. She has a love of languages and is always enthusiastic about making new friends and sharing her skills. You can follow Jenny on Instagram.For the last few minutes of this podcast, we are taken to Auckland, New Zealand where I recorded a Tui bird singing in Sandra Morris' garden. Seemed apt with the New Zealand theme. IMAGE: Jenny Coker © Watercolour on paper.

Jason Polins graduated from Boston University’s Visual Arts Program then attended Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. After graduating, he returned to Boston area to pursue direct studies with notable painters such as Nelson Shanks, Thomas Dunlay and Gary Hoffmann. All of whom Jason remain closely connected to as mentors and friends. Moved by the beauty of nature and our modern world. His genre of expertise include portraiture, figure, still life and landscape/cityscape. Jason works in graphite, charcoal and oil paint. Outside of Polins Atelier, he also teaches art classes in oil painting, drawing at Northeastern University and several local art centers. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/jasonpollins In this episode, Jason discusses: -Studying in Florence using the sight-size method. -The “reset” that he got through working with Nelson Shanks. -The innate search for truth that art allows us to investigate. -His advice for people to stop stewing in their own angst and let go in order to get to their art. -His mantra of “Make a mark to adjust a mark.” -Just how much of an artist’s time is spent practicing. -The importance of separating yourself from your preconceptions of what you are painting (and how to do it). -How his mind works with straight lines and angles versus curves. -His attempt to keep his brain more engaged than the moment that just passed. -Looking at the world scientifically, through a series of theories and proofs. -Gathering, organizing and presenting. -Being mentally present in your decision-making. -The various ways that he makes money. -His friendship with Alexander Soukas. -The importance of not just seeking out mentors and teachers, but also gaining as much wisdom from them as possible. Jason's Final Push will remind you that you have 86,400 seconds every day, so use them to find out what is important to you!   Quotes: “Visual art is a conversation that I don’t think that I’ll ever figure wholly but always endeavor to understand better.” “It’s not about your skillset.  It’s about how you use it.” “The idea of, ‘Make a mark to adjust a mark,’ is just a fundamental starting point to clarify that you have to do in order to do better.” “People don’t practice enough.  We get pushed ahead to create masterpieces.” “What’s the measure of success?  I don’t like it to be money.  I don’t even like it to be that I finished something.  I’d like it to be that I showed up and put in time.  If I can do that I think that I’m moving forward somehow.” “It’s not ‘in it to win it’ with art.  Forget that.  It’s just being in it.” “It’s really important to be able to be impressed by a student that you might have and to also impress upon them.  Something excellent comes out of that.” “It’s too big for us to connect individually.  Life is short and art is long.  We don’t get to see the whole picture.” Links mentioned: Alexander Soukas on Your Creative Push Florence Academy of Art Nelson Shanks Dennis Miller Bunker Connect with Jason: Website / Polins Atelier / Instagram On the next episode: Sada Crawford : Instagram Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Riley Holloway is a Dallas-based artist whose dynamic portraits capture the faces of the world around him. A 2015 Hunting Prize finalist, he has attended The Art Institute of Dallas, the Florence Academy of Art, and the University of Texas in Arlington. In 2013, Holloway completed a unique residency at The Fairmont in Dallas, which was accompanied by a solo exhibition in the hotel’s gallery at the completion of his time there. He has been in a number of group exhibitions and repeatedly featured in solo exhibitions at Fort Works Art in Fort Worth. In addition, he completed a prominent public art mural commission for a municipal court building in downtown Fort Worth and was recently added to the Dean Collection, a contemporary art collection owned by hip hop producer Kasseem Dean (AKA Swizz Beatz) and his wife, singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.I recently sat down with Riley at his studio in Dallas where we discussed growing up in an artistic home, studying in Florence, the impact of the right artist residency and what it’s like to have Sedrick Huckaby as your mentor.

Riley Holloway is a Dallas-based artist whose dynamic portraits capture the faces of the world around him. A 2015 Hunting Prize finalist, he has attended The Art Institute of Dallas, the Florence Academy of Art, and the University of Texas in Arlington. In 2013, Holloway completed a unique residency at The Fairmont in Dallas, which was accompanied by a solo exhibition in the hotel’s gallery at the completion of his time there. He has been in a number of group exhibitions and repeatedly featured in solo exhibitions at Fort Works Art in Fort Worth. In addition, he completed a prominent public art mural commission for a municipal court building in downtown Fort Worth and was recently added to the Dean Collection, a contemporary art collection owned by hip hop producer Kasseem Dean (AKA Swizz Beatz) and his wife, singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.I recently sat down with Riley at his studio in Dallas where we discussed growing up in an artistic home, studying in Florence, the impact of the right artist residency and what it’s like to have Sedrick Huckaby as your mentor.

In preview for Andersonville Arts Week, September 12-16, this week, Laura and Sara are joined by artist Rick McEachern. Rick is an Andersonville resident and studied at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.  You can view his work currently hanging on the walls of Appellation located at 5212 N. Clark. For episode show notes, please click here. 

Born and raised in the Chicago area Fred Moss was drawing and sketching the world around him from an early age. He grew up visiting the Chicago Art Institute, often admiring the outstanding impressionistic and classical painting collection. He also saw the traveling shows, and was influenced by the master painters and Impressionist shows. He attended the College for Creative Studies after receiving a partial school grant and earned a bachelor's degree. After graduation he studied with renowned painter Romel De La Torre, who helped him convey on canvas his thoughts and feelings. He also studied at the Florence Academy of Art in his grandparents' native country, Italy. There he found a subject matter that inspired him—the scenic towns and countrysides of Italy. Fred painted Florence, Lake Como, Venetian canals, and hiked the mountains of the Cinque Terre looking for scenic views to capture on canvas.   In 2007 he was accepted into the American Impressionist Society's Annual National Juried Exhibition for his painting of "Springtime Flowers" which was held at Hilligoss Galleries in Chicago. In 2008 he was accepted into the American Impressionist Society's Annual Juried Exhibition for his painting of “Rose Garden” which was held at Coda Gallery in California. In 2008 he had a solo show at the North Charleston City Gallery. In 2011 he had a painting in ArtPrize, which is a global art competition held in Grand Rapids Michigan. In 2014 he was commissioned to paint a public art “horse of honor”. Each horse was dedicated to a Chicago police officer who was killed or injured in the line of duty. The exhibit featured life size statues of Chicago mounted patrol units that were each artistically designed by local Chicago artists. The exhibit benefited the Chicago memorial foundation. In 2017 he was commissioned to paint a public art “K9” statue. Each K9 statue was of K9 officers. Fred created a Chicago Blackhawks themed K9 that was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks team. In 2014 he had a solo exhibition at the Harold Washington Chicago Library of “Impressions of Chicago Gardens”. He has exhibited in several galleries and shows which include the Hinsdale Center for the Arts, Beverly Art Center, Karen Solem's Gallery, 7013 Studio, Hinsdale gallery, Arlington Heights Historical Museum, Elmhurst Artist Guild, Mainstreet Art Center, and Silhouettes Fifth Annual Exhibit. During 2004 and 2005 he participated at Art in the Barn, a juried art show. He has also painted Chicago and Italy cityscapes for limited edition prints which were signed, numbered, then distributed and sold in the Chicagoland area. Chicago city hall has one of his prints hanging there. His painting "Cliffside View of Vernazza" was a finalist in the May Art Muse Contest. And his painting "Gliding Gondola" was a finalist in the January Art Muse Contest. Over the years, he has done painting demonstrations for Friendship Village, taught oil painting at Art Cube Studios, and taught a workshop at the Elmhurst Art Guild about the use of computers by artists. Fred is now working on paintings of National Parks.

Figure painter Stephen Bauman sits down with Suggested Donation for a great conversation at The Florence Academy of Art, US in Jersey City, NJ where he is currently the Director of the Anatomy and Ecorche.

Long Island’s favorite daughter, Jennifer Gennari, has 74.7 k followers on Instagram. The numbers don’t lie. Gennari is a talented painter of lions and tigers and bears, oh my (ok, well not bears—yet.). Her beautifully empathetic portrayals of animals, furry and feathered, has indeed garnered her much popularity, but there is more to this book than what is on the (Instagram) cover. With a background in illustration from her studies at the Ringling College of Art and Design, Gennari combines this knowledge with classical painting skills learned at the Florence Academy of Art and a love of complex mythical symbolism to create iconic portrayals of women and men in powerfully imaginary narratives that inspire and intrigue. Gennari was named 21 under 31 Artists to Watch in 2013 by Southwest Art magazine, has shown at the RJD Gallery at their previous location in Sag Harbor and received a Certificate of Excellence from the Portrait Society of America in 2015. Gennari shares with us her creative rituals, spooky stories and the art heroes that have inspired her. *This was recorded on November 14th, 2017. Support the show (https://paypal.me/TMARTNY?locale.x=en_US)

One of the most influential instructors in figurative sculpture today, Robert Bodem has been the Director of Sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art since FAA started to offer sculpture in the 1990's. If you have ever wondered just what it is they do at the Florence Academy sculpture department, this interview is for you. Rob talks about his teaching curriculum and methodology, as well as his own work and influences.

In this episode Danny talks with Andrew Ameral about his school, the Golden Gate Atelier, his life as an art student and instructor at the Florence Academy, his experience as an instructor at the SF Academy of Art University, the joys of a good massage, the importance to artists of staying fit, and so much more!

In this week's episode of the PleinAir Podcast the tables have turned! Publisher Eric Rhoads was the subject of a captivating interview by Danny Grant on his podcast, “The Studio”. Among many other topics, Grant and Rhoads discuss the Florence Academy (who recently honored Rhoads), the contemporary art collecting environment, Rhoads' history in business and radio, and how he was able to achieve his major life goals.

Stephen Bauman is an award winning artist and principal instructor with the Florence Academy of art in their Swedish campus.  Last year I wrote an article about living masters working today and Stephen was in that list of artists. We had a great conversation covering everything from his beginnings as a graffiti artist, to his […]

The boys have a conversation with great artist, educator and founder of The Florence Academy of Art, Daniel Graves.

Meet Marsha Stein, a transplant to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands where she maintained an art studio in Tilllet Gardens. Marsha has maintained residency on St. Thomas on and off from 1978 to 2000. Currently she works in the Mount Rainier Artist Lofts in Mount Rainier, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. A lifelong artist, Marsha developed a deeper interest in painting while in high school when she won regional and national art awards. This took Marsha onward and upward to pursue her edcuational interest. Her studies took her to  American University, The University of New Mexico, and The Florence Academy of Art in Italy.  Marsha considers herself an artist who loves to paint, to admire beauty in any form, to make beautiful things, to share beauty, and to make people feel good. Come and meet Marsha, an artist for painting the colors of the Caribbean.