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

Hilarie Couture - Continuous Growth & Learning

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

Michael Orwick - Embrace Fun and Experimentation

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

Russell Gordon - Persistence, Passion, and Patience

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

Paul Batch - Forget the Trends, Remember Your Passion

In this episode, we sat down with Paul Batch, a contemporary artist with a love of painting beautiful atmospheric landscapes. Paul discusses his journey as an artist, including how he discovered his passion for painting after being inspired by a professor's portrait. He talks about the challenges of balancing art and life, the importance of persistence and resilience in the face of rejection, and the value of having a support system. Paul shares advice for aspiring artists, emphasizing the need for financial stability, continuous improvement, and a willingness to take risks. He also advises aspiring artists to focus on painting what is important to them and not get caught up in trends. Finally, Paul tells us about his upcoming workshops!