watercolors

What is a piña colada tree? How is salt used in watercolors? And why have the Florida Keys drawn so many artists in the last two centuries?

Learn more on this episode -- and meet some of the artists who call the Keys home as host Elizabeth Harryman Lasley and producer Jason Paton visit the opening night of the 2023 Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ Connection Project. Each year, artists from throughout the Keys are given a small blank canvas to create their own unique work. Together, the canvases form a giant mosaic, representative of the colorful spirit of the Florida Keys. This year's theme is the 200th anniversary of Monroe County!

For more on the Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ Connections Project, check out keysarts.com. To learn more about artist Michelle Nicole Lowe, go to her website michellenicolelowe.com.

For more details and travel inspiration, visit Fla-Keys.com. To call from the United States or Canada, dial 1 (800) FLA-KEYS or contact your travel advisor. Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.

Gavin Snider finds stillness in the busy streets of New York. He talks about growing up in Kansas, drawing with his twin brother Grant (cartoonist of Incidental Comics) and the decision to become an architect. We learn about how Gavin came to New York city, how he began to paint his world, and what it is like to paint the most iconic city in the world.

🖊 Find Gavin’s work on IG or visit his website.
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In 1870, a talented young woman packed up her bags and bid adieu to a damp and chilled East Coast. Sara Plummer Lemmon would spend the remainder of her life in the West leaving a legacy still visible today. And yet, she remains in the shadows of history. Wynne Brown, author of the award-winning biography, “The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon’s Life of Science and Art” brings to light the many accomplishments of this remarkable woman.

I speak with Ottawa-based Tom Pajdlhauser (aka Captain Tom) about his years of work in the animation industry. I ask him about the many responsibilities of an art director, and the hierarchy of workflows involved in the creation of an animated show. We talk about how he sees the relevance of traditional drawing skills in the age of digital art.

But as a career illustrator, what does Tom gain from the practice of urban-sketching? He tells me about a motorcycle trip through SE Asia when he arrived at the intersection of travel and art, and how it changed everything for him. We also share our respective experiences self-publishing books of our art, with reference to Tom's excellent Palestine Sketchbook, and my SneakyArt of Eau Claire.

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Today on the mic, Elizabeth Kozikowski, a.k.a. (Annie Rodriguez) jumps on the mic and we reminisce over our friendship, art, inside jokes and moreover our filmmaking endeavors on TV shows, music videos and our film, REVENGE OF THE VAMPIRE http://www.stebnershow.com/vampire 

Before the episode starts Sondra addresses the killing of George Floyd an the many other men and women that have been wrongfully killed. 

A few weeks ago, host Sondra Doty took a pause on her social media accounts and podcast episodes; taking time to listen and learn from black voices. Like the intro states, she started this podcast "to have real everyday conversations that many aren't willing to have." Sondra apologizes for not pointing out or speaking up against past injustices. When she moved to Minneapolis 20 years ago from small town Iowa-from a place with little to no diversity-a whole world opened up to her she never really knew. It's been 20 years of learning, listening, growing, gaining more understand, and realizing where she was wrong. This can be hard and uncomfortable work, but it's important to unpack privilege and bias. 

Sondra encourages listeners to do the work, examine their hearts and see where more growth is needed. Word To Your Mothers will be examining how it can aid in doing episodes/work that creates change in the areas of racial equality and justice. 

Are you looking for ways to help Minnesota BIOPOC directly?

MN Healing Justice Network. https://www.minnesotahealingjusticenetwork.com/

@momsdishmn podcast has teamed up with @anaitachampion from @ tcmobilemommy to collectively raise $10,000 for emergency supplies to organizations supporting BIPOC. You can donate directly to their Venmo-MomsDishMN

So, we made it to summer, but now what? Not gonna lie, when we started the whole distance learning adventure, summer felt forever away and not here we are a few weeks into it. The reality is there are still many restrictions, posing varying challenges for experiencing summer;...which got host Sondra Doty thinking for episode 17, what would a simple summer look like for her family, and maybe yours too. 

Sondra has always tired to keep summer very simple and not over-scheduled, but i's this year's forced simplification doesn't really seem, well, simple. There are many can't-dos: library, zoo, music in the park, pools, T-ball, etc. The list can seem overwhelming and disappointing to say the least. 

Here are a few suggestions in the podcast Sondra makes to help with simplifying summer. 

Nature walks: This has been a love of her family even before the world turned upside down. So, Sondra still plans on going on mini-adventures with her two boys-going to places familiar and brand new. Her boys have a small nature collection of rocks, sticks and other things gathered from many previous walks. Such walks' benefits are twofold: they provide a natural pause and escape while also unveiling some free keepsakes! 

Reading: Personally, Sondra feels like summer is one of the only times she can really dig deep into a book. There is something about reading in the summer-by the lake, outside or on a deck-it just makes her heart happy. Here are two books she is reading now: "Ready To Rise" by Jo Saxton, and "There I am, The Journey From Hopelessness to Healing," by Ruthie Lindsey. For her boys, it's required to do reading before they can watch shows in the summer. This way, they can help build a love for reading and understand it's importance for creative thought and reflection. Sondra and her boys have a rest time in the afternoon, where they grab blankets and spend time reading. the library will be missed this summer, but they'll make it work. 

Art: Take a deep breath, it doesn't have to be anything Pinterest-or Estsy-worthy. Just simply drawing, water-coloring or even doing nature art is therapeutic. Buy a little journal for your child to draw on your nature walks! Watercolors are peaceful and a great tool to help a child learn how to sit still. Even, if it's just for a moment. You can buy a simple kit at any art store. 

Sondra is sad to think of some of the things they will not be able to enjoy this summer, but she really is trying to look at the more and not the less: More backyard fires, more time running through the sprinkler, more time with family, more conversations, and more of a slower pace of life, perhaps. 

So, where can you find the more in the time of less? Let's soak up a simple summer and not worry so much of what our humans are missing. This truly is a time they will remember for the rest of their lives. 

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