Art and Soul Radio with Lesley Riley

Lesley Riley, the host of Art & Soul Radio for the past three years is the guest on this, her final show. Artist, surface designer and former show guest, Jane Dunnewold, turns the tables on Lesley and conducts the interview of this multi-talented artist, instructor, writer, craft book author, artist coach & mentor and soon to be former host of this Art & Soul Radio show.  Lesley 's books include: Quilted Memories, Fabric Memory Books, Fabulous Fabric Art with Lutradur and Create with TAP Transfer Artist Paper. She is currently at work on her 5th book. She is the creator of, TAP Transfer Artist Paper the state of the art in transfer paper, winner of CHA's 2011 Most Innovative New Product award. Lesley teaches workshops internationally and online. After having conducted 76 interviews over the last three years, Lesley is stepping down to follow her on advice that "art is what you make it". 

Jane Dunnewold is a professional artist and teacher, the author of "Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design on Fabric" (Interweave 2010) and several other self-published books.She teaches internationally and maintains Art Cloth Studios in San Antonio, Texas.   Ths year, Jane is President of the international Surface Design Association. Her passions include the psychology of artistry and meaning - and she is especially interested in "writing" and "making" as integral aspects of the creative process. You can read more about my work and see other inspiring images by visiting my website - complexcloth.com.

Serena Barton blends her long career as a Licensed Counselor with her passion for art. Visual art was her first love as a child. Eventually this gave way to theater, then to her work as a counselor and raising children. Serena rediscovered her desire to make art after her first trip to Italy.  She taught herself to paint and create mixed media work in her forties, earning her the right to insist that it is never too late to delve into what inspires us.  Her new book, Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop: Mixed Media Techniques for Embracing Imperfection and Celebrating Happy Accidents is currently #! in Mixed Meida on Amazon! Serena continues to show and sell her work in galleries and online. Her business, 'The Art of Your Life' provides creativity/art workshops at national and international art retreats. 

At the time of this interview, Chris Cozen’s (and co-author, Julie Prichard’s) latest book, Acrylic Solutions: Exploring Mixed Media Layer by Layer was #1 in 2 Amazon categories - mixed media AND acrylics. A wonderful accomplishment for this accomplished artist.    Chris Cozen has always had a creative streak, dabbling throughout her youth without any formal training, taking a few design courses over the years. Trained as an educator, Chris spent 30 years as teacher, administrator, college Instructor, and Seminar Leader doing art when the time and space allowed. When she retired from education in 2000, she built a studio and focused her efforts full-time on her art. Chris is essentially a self-taught artist with an innate understanding of color and design. Many of her pieces are “stories” of people and experiences, enriched with pieces of family history. Her work is colorful, whimsical, and intricate, building layer upon layer of meaning along with color and collage elements.    She is a member of the WORKING ARTIST team at Golden Artist Colors, Inc.. Chris enjoys the process of exploring the many art materials. Her many hands-on workshops and speaking engagements focus on Acrylics and their possiblities especially in mixed-media

Sherrill Kahn was a public school teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District for 30 years, including 27 years at Palisades High School, teaching drawing, painting, fiber art, and design. Since retiring, she has become an internationally known mixed-media artist, teaching her colorful techniques throughout the United States and Canada, and also in Australia, England, India, Switzerland, and Germany.   Sherrill has written 7 books, including her most recent, Mixed Media Master Class: 50+ Surface Design Techniques for Fabric and Paper and more than 50 magazine articles featuring her ever-expanding range of expressive techniques. She was on the first TV crafts show, The Carol Duvall Show twice and has created a DVD featuring her art techniques.   Her art has been used in many products, including six lines of fabrics from Robert Kaufman Fabrics; Rollagraph stamps from Clearsnap; and many rubber stamps from her company, Impress Me.   Sherrill loves to share her techniques with others and lives by the words "what if." I don’t think there is a craft Sherrill has not mastered.

Innovative developer of Encaustikits and Encausticamp Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch began painting more than sixteen years ago-always abstractly and evolving into encaustics from acrylic over seven years ago. Her love for the medium translates into her teaching, and students benefit from a passionate, engaging workshop experience filled with all the knowledge Patricia has acquired and developed in her forage into this rich and diverse medium. Patricia’s books, Encaustic Workshop and Encaustic Mixed Media are available on book shelves everywhere and two DVD’s in the medium are on the market thanks to FW Publishing and Creative Catalyst Productions.  Now Trish has taken her love of teaching and (her word) ‘waxiness’ across the pond to Australia. I wanted to talk with her today to see how she came to the decision to take such a big leap of faith.

Jess Greene is a Creativity Advocate, Dream Amplifier, and Curator of Transformational Opportunities. As the founder of Seek Your Course, a digital media platform for the creatively-inclined, Jess inspires adults worldwide to engage the creativity inside their minds and craft inspired lives. Her Creative Ease classes and consulting services enable artists to master the current technologies that can take their endeavors to the next level. Give your creativity permission and potential by joining the Seek Your Course mailing list.

Norman Mailer, the literary tough guy who was covering the 1992 Rebuplican National convention for The New Republic, was awed by the “Republican princess” and the magnitude of her appeal. “When Mary Fisher spoke like an angel that night,” he wrote, “the floor was in tears, and conceivably the nation as well.” Called “A Whisper of AIDS,” the speech is included in “Words of a Century: The Top 100 American Speeches, 1900-1999,” you can watch and listen to it on YouTube. Mary Fisher tested positive for H.I.V. in 1991 at the age of 43 and has spent the last 20 years combining advocacy and art-making.  Back in 1992 the Republican National convention was on my TV as background noise.  At one point, I glanced up and saw a woman I could identify with as a young mother, but here she was saying she had AIDS. Mary left quite an impression on me. Little did I know that years later our paths would cross at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. This time I was drawn in by her artwork. We connected on some level and have been friends ever since. It is my honor to interview her today and help her celebrate her 65th birthday - Mary Fisher style.

Jill Badonsky is an illustrator, humorist, nationally recognized seminar leader and creativity consultant. As the founder of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching, Jill consults with filmmakers, comedians, artists, writers, business leaders and anyone who is experiencing procrastination and other blocks to positive change. She is the author of The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) and The Awe-Manac and now her newest book, The Muse is In: An Owners Manual to Your Creativity.

Dawn DeVries Sokol is an author, book designer, lettering illustrator, and an avid doodler and art journaler. After seven years of art directing magazines, she decided to design books from her home studio. Dawn designs coffee table books, gift books, cookbooks, and kids books, and my design work has been included in Print’s Regional Design Annual 2002 and also has been recognized by many industry publications and organizations.  In 2008, Quarry published her first book, 1000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspiration, which she also designed. Her second and third books are Doodle Diary: Art Journaling for Girls and Doodle Sketchbook: Art Journaling for Boys. Dawn teaches art journaling and doodling workshops at retreats and online. Her DVD workshop “Art Journaling: Pages in Stages”, is available from Cloth Paper Scissors and Interweave Press. Her articles about art journaling and doodling have appeared both in print and online magazines and websites. Art Doodle Love is Dawn's latest boo

Not only is Marisa Anne creative, she has inspired thousands through her website, Creative Thursday. Little did she know that her personal attempt to be creative at least one day a week (Thursday) would lead to a full time creative arts business. What started out as one day a week, Thursdays, set aside to be a bit more creative while working a 9 to 5 job....Creative Thursday, has become a full time business featuring the art of Marisa Anne Cummings, or as Marisa likes to call it a dream come true. Marisa is an artist and textile designer with a mission to help create a world where everyone is creative and finds fulfillment in doing the work and living the life they love. Her someday dream of writing a book, as scary as it seemed, has now become a reality with Creative Thursday: Everyday Inspiration to Grow Your Creative Practice In her own gentle way, Marisa shares everyday inspiration to help you find and grow your creative practice.  

Beckah Krahula is an artist, writer, consultant, product designer, and industry expert. She began her career with the first graphic rubber stamp company in the U.S., and has worked as a full-time mixed media artist ever since. She has worked for publishers, toy designers, and product manufacturers. In 2001, she began filming the Carol Duvall Show, writing the scripts, creating the projects, step outs, and online instructions. After a long career of touring thirty to forty seven weeks a year, in 2001, she began teaching online. In February of 2011 she became a certified Zentangle teacher and has just published her book, One Zentangle a Day.

Jane Davies is a full time artist working in collage, painting, mixed media, and encaustics. She offers workshops at her studio and nationwide, focusing on helping people to find a personal and playful approach to creating. Beginning as a potter in the early nineties, selling her colorful hand-painted ceramics at craft shows, Davies gradually transitioned into freelance art, designing tableware, quilting fabric, paper goods, stationery, and other products, using painting and collage as her medium. For the past several years, Davies has put most of her efforts towards teaching, writing, and having fun making art. Her latest book, Adventures in Mixed Media showcases her many talents through wonderful projects for all levels. In her DVD, Scribble Collage with Hand-Painted Paper, Jane makes complex paintings look simple with her clear demonstrations and insight.

Susan Tuttle  is a self-taught photographer, iPhoneographer, and digital artist & author of the new book, Photo Craft: Creative Mixed-Media and Digital Approaches to TransformingYour Photographs and two other invaluable books, Digital Expressions and Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations and Explorations. One of her most creative outlets at this time is her iPhone, which she uses to explore portraiture, still life, and landscape mobile photography. She has won numerous awards for her iPhoneography and teaches VisualPoetry, a series of online photography and Photoshop workshops.  Chrysti Hydeck is the other co in co-author of Photocraft. Chrysti's art and photography has been featured in calendars, books, galleries, retail stores, ads and magazines. She was listed as one of

Julie Moberly is an adult educator with a special interest in time management and organization for people in creative professions. She values the potential to affirm and inspire someone in their creative pursuits. Julie just taught several classes at the International Quilt Festival that were designed for people who want to be more productive, experience greater feelings of accomplishment, and feel they are using their creative gifts in the best possible way. The ultimate goal of her workshops is to give participants the skills and affirmation to craft a life of creative fulfillment.  Her mission is: To offer inspiration and practical resources for creating a joyful life filled with imagination, productivity, and peace of mind.