John Dalton - gently does it . . .

I had a wide ranging and thoroughly enjoyable conversation with artist Vincent Xeus in New York. Vincent paints rich paintings in the style of the old masters with a contemporary twist that lives somewhere between figuration and abstraction. Vincent has won awards from the Portrait Society of America and the Art Renewal Center among others. He has had many solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows and his paintings are collected eagerly throughout the world. We talk about, life, the universe, Vincent’s childhood in China, Marilyn Monroe, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Architecture, Sculpture, Inspirations, Writing, Reference, Capturing light, Model making, Color palette, Artistic motivations, Crossing eye vs squinting, Canvas shape, Copyright photo reference, ...

I had such an enjoyable conversation with artist Kyle Staver in the Brooklyn. Kyle has been painting for the last 30 years or so. Her large-scale figure paintings are magical, funny, very human and they convey a world that Kate Leibman of the Brooklyn Rial described as coming up from behind to meet the surface of the image and pressing up against it. Which I think is a great description. As well as other awards, Kyle is the recent recipient of a Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Prize. And Her work has been exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions. We talk about, selling rugs, bears, camel trading, paper plates, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Humour, Cynicism, Renoir, Movies and books about...

I had a lovely chat with artist Mary Jane Ansell in the U.K. Mary paints pristine paintings of modern subjects in a style she describes as, “contemporary romanticism.” She has been a finalist in the BP Portrait Award in 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012. Her work features on the covers of a number of novels, and an Adam Ant album cover. She has shown her work in numerous group and solo exhibitions around the world. We talk about Leonard Cohen, baking, baths, kebabs, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Adam Ant, Influences, Idea origins, Dreams, Choosing models, Photo shoots, Fixing charcoal layers, Aluminum panels, Color palette, Lint, Mediums, Varnish, Action painting, Painting women, Artistic dreams, Underlying themes, BP portrait...

I had a great conversation with Tamara Muller in Holland. Tamara paints evocative paintings of childlike figures that are sort of realistic and sort of not, and they all have Tamara’s face. Her work is much sought after and she is collected internationally. We talk about gardens, wigs, stickers, cycling and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Irish connections, Influences, Performance art, The choice of painting, Painting inspiration, The Ideal model, Cutting, pasting and gluing, Graphic design training, Artists for parents, Childhood impressions, Innocence and children, Core of art making, Calculation and intuition, Interpretations and reviews, Certainty, Where the wild things are, Painting style, Underlying themes, ...

I had a great conversation with artist Ted Randler in Washington. Ted paints contemporary figurative scenes made from tiny abstract marks that live somewhere between mosaic and pixels. Ted came through art schools in the punk era of the early 80’s making big collages combining figurative painting with found objects. Then he veered into writing and illustration, which led to a highly successful publishing business. Ted returned to painting full time 3 years ago and recently opened his first first solo show in 30 years. We talk about Game of Thrones, orchids, racquetball, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about:Growing up with technology,Art show apprehensions,Pet portraits,Referencing classical paintings,Art school,Influential artists,Pointillism,Pixel influence,Website coding influence,Origins of...

I had a great conversation with Australian water-colorist Janine Gallizia from her home and studio in France. Janine’s paintings are skillful, atmospheric and ethereal. She exhibits her work and teaches internationally. She has won numerous awards, has written three books on watercolor painting and one children’s book. She is also the Art Director of the magazine The Art of Watercolor.We talk about bikers, medicine, traveling, frogs with baguettes and of course art, lots of art and painting . . .Here are the main points of what we talk about:Living in France,Early influences and associates,Australian connection,Inception of a painting,Painting from life,Paper,Brushes,Palette,Mediums,Gouache,Multitasking,Holistic approach,3 facets of painting,Starting out with watercolor,Paper dynamics,Tips for watercolor...

I had a wonderful chat with Jane Filer in North Carolina. Jane paints the world through her own distinctive lens. Nature spirits with cars, wood elves and steam ships, horses and high-rises. Her paintings are deep and dreamy. She has won many awards and high profile commissions in her 40+ year career as a painter. She has had numerous solo and groups shows and her work is collected widely throughout America and the rest of the world. We talk about ducks, dreams, comedians, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Australian influences, Primitive art and post-impressionist, Abstract under painting, Surface modeling, Being polite, Developing style, Unseen worlds, Teaching art, Classical training, Underlying themes, Sculpture, Performance art, Social media, Art Business, ...

I had a lovely conversation with Adrienne Stein in Colorado. Adrienne paints dreamy visions of a beautiful world, classically realist in style, highly detailed in execution. She has won numerous awards and participated in many group and solo shows. Her work is much sought after and collected within America and around the world. We talk about county Kerry, Andrew Lloyd Webber, roadkill, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Laguna College of Art & Design, Contemporary art training, Sculpture, Critiques, Creative lulls, Life experience, Triggers, Recording ideas, Working from life, Photoshop, Colour studies, Palette, Details, Art history, RJD Gallery fire, Underlying theme to work, Poetry, Pre-Raphaelite parallels, ...

I had a great chat with artist Dave Lebow in California. Dave paints retro pulp subject matter in a classical style. Aliens, robots, vampires, winged eyeballs and pinup girls. He has had a long association with the entertainment industry and his work is collected by celebrities like Mel Brooks, Jason Segel and Jack Black. He has had numerous solo and group shows in his 40+ year painting career. We talk about the The Ramones, Amish people, Carl Jung, Chinese medicine, and of course art, lots of art and painting . . . Here are the main points of what we talk about: Animation, Creative crisis, Stream of consciousness, Norman Rockwell method, Maquettes, 3D modeling, Colour studies, Colour palette, Favorite brushes, Knowing yourself, Insomnia, Meditation, Creative flow, Artistic challenges, Legacy, The...