We Talk Art is a quarterly (or more) Zoom presentation for members of the PSWC. Bonnie Zahn Griffith chats with well known artists and others in the art world in an informal virtual setting. These distinguished guests share their stories, processes, tips and more. The series features “live” interviews, so participants may post questions and comments during and after the interview. The link to the Zoom meeting for each session is posted on our Facebook page, and also sent via eBlast to all current PSWC members.
Upcoming: July 13, 2024, 12:00 Noon – Featuring Mark Ivan Cole
From Mark’s website: My paintings have been juried into local, regional and international shows, and some have garnered top honors. My work has been shown in the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, the Art Museum of Los Gatos, and the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California, as well as in galleries in Florida, Oregon, California, China and Taiwan. My piece “Titan” is part of the MingART Gallery’s permanent collection.
I have also published magazine illustrations in colored pencil, alkyd and watercolor, and have done graphite illustrations for a series of five books for young adults, the fourth of which is due to be published in late 2023. I also do concept art and illustrations for my own writings.
When not painting or drawing, I can be found composing and recording original music, or writing a novel, poem, short story or essay. Otherwise, I’m out somewhere hiking through the kinds of landscapes I love to paint. Or eating ice cream. I love ice cream.
Upcoming: October 20, 2024, 12:00 Noon – Featuring Bethany Fields
Bethany Fields is an American contemporary artist working in pastel. She has gained recent national recognition with exhibits at the Salmagundi Club, The National Arts Club, both in NYC, and the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio. She regularly hosts and teaches workshops around the country and is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, Degas Pastel Society, American Women Artists and is a Master Circle member of IAPS (International Association of Pastel Societies). She is also a member of the American Impressionist Society. Bethany has recently been featured in the prestigious Plein Air Magazine, Pastel Journal magazine and as a Southwest Art Magazine editor’s pic for Artist to Watch. Bethany serves on the Board of Governors for the Pastel Society of America.
Bethany’s primary focus is the American West landscape of the Llano Estacado and surrounding areas. A favorite location for inspiration is beautiful Palo Duro Canyon near Canyon, Texas as well as the high plains of the Texas Panhandle. In her travels across the country, she has gathered a plethora of inspiration and her love of the outdoors shows in her emotional and nuanced landscapes.
RESCHEDULED Date TBD- Featuring Scott Christensen: From Scott’s website: “After nearly three decades at the easel, Christensen is recognized around the globe, as evidenced by his invitation to show in Russia’s Ilya Repin St. Petersburg State Academic Institute for Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. His energy flows through his work, paintings that, in turn, move us, opening our eyes to the beauty of places as varied as the California coast at twilight, and the storied English countryside. They are luscious yet economical landscapes that beg to be explored.”
Archived Interviews
April 21, 2024, 12:00 Noon – Featuring Lyn Diefenbach
About Lyn from her website: The pursuit of masterly quality and technique is a high priority for Lyn Diefenbach whose work is imbued with a celebration of her faith and of life. Her paintings in pastel and oil cover a myriad of subject matter with her bold florals consistently receiving accolades nationally and internationally. Her ability to communicate her ideas has entrenched her as a respected and sought-after tutor, with teaching engagements internationally and across Australia.
Lyn was accepted into the International Guild of Realism in 2008, and holds Master Pastellist status with the Pastel Society of Australia. Lyn was awarded Eminent Pastellist status in the International Association of Pastel Societies in 2019, having achieved master Circle status with that group in 2014. Lyn was accepted into the Pastel Society of America as a Signature Member in 2016. She has been featured numerous times in the International Artist, Pastel Journal,Pratique des Arts and Australian Artist magazines. View the interview with Lyn here.
February 18, 2024, 12:00 Noon – Featuring Tom Christopher
About Tom from his website: Living in the Midwest has influenced my style of painting and choice of subject matter significantly. Many of my pieces depict very common scenes I have experienced. As a child, I spent countless hours playing on the riverbanks and wooded areas in Central Iowa. Even today, I continue to be intrigued with nature and the way sunlight and shadows help define the landscape. I continue to spend my mornings hiking and sketching the rugged landscape along the Iowa River near my home. My goal is to paint relatively common scenes in a more dramatic and interesting way. Most of my finished works are the result of reference photographs and on-location (plein-air) studies.
I have worked primarily in pastels and oil paints. I plan to continue to explore these two mediums and look forward to many more years of painting and conducting workshops.
Tom Christopher is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA) andMaster Circle, International Asscociation of Pastel Societies. (IAPS) View the interview here.
January 21, 2024, 12:00 Noon – Featuring Becka Watkins
Becka Watkins is a multimedia artist who creates colorful paintings of figures and landscapes and who bravely explored the world of Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) in 2021. She dove into the community of web 3, created over 200 NFTs and made over $10,000. What are they? Should I create them? Are they a scam, and would it even benefit my art career? Becka’s knowledge and experiences in this realm will be a learning opportunity for our viewers on the next We Talk Art on January 21 at noon PDT. View the interview here.
2023 We Talk Art Interview Series
December 3, 12:00 Noon PST – Featuring Craig Lemley: Join us for a special conversation with Craig Lemley, owner of Dakota Art. Lemley earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Western Washington University and was inspired to open his own shop after working in an art materials store. He named the store after his home state of North Dakota. Learn about Craig’s background, his commitment to have stores staffed by real, local artists, and get behind-the-scenes insight into the production of pastels. View the recorded interview here.
October 15, 12:00 Noon PST – Featuring Clark Mitchell: Designated a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America and a Distinguished Pastelist by the Pastel Society of the West Coast, Clark has received numerous awards in local as well as national competitions. In 2005, he won Best of Show at the Laguna Plein Air Invitational; and in 2011, Best of Show in the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational. His paintings have been on the cover of American Artist, Southwest Art and the Pastel Journal. View the interview here.
September 24, 12:00 Noon PST – Featuring Mitchell Albala: For more than 30 years, Mitchell Albala has been a dedicated landscape painter and teaching artist. His atmospheric and semi-abstract landscapes have been exhibited nationally and are represented in corporate and private collections. Mitchell is the author of two popular books on landscape painting: Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plain Air and Studio Practice; and most recently, The Landscape Painter’s Workbook: Essential Studies in Shape, Composition, and Color, which is currently the best selling book on the subject in the nation. View the recorded interview here.
August 11, 12:00PM PST – Featuring Aaron Schuerr, AIS, PSA, LPAPA: From Aaron’s website: “Though painting is largely a solitary endeavor, it is never a lonely one, because I am invited to share in the ineffable mystery of beauty. And that is where the art is. Briefly, I am an artist, writer, actor, husband, and father of three wonderful boys. It all gets mixed up until the distinctions are blurred, as they should be. The heart of my work is in the outdoors, absorbing the pattern of light on the landscape. Actors speak of “being in the moment” immersing themselves so totally in story that everything else falls away. The open air is my stage, and in the best moments, I am lost in it. I have no desire to impress you with these paintings. Rather, I strive to share my experience with honesty and without fear.” View the recorded interview here.
February 12, 12:00 Noon PST – Featuring Natasha Isenhour: Natasha is a talented New Mexico based artist with a long list of achievements in the art world including being a Distinguished Pastelist in the Pastel Society of NM, exhibiting in prestigious galleries and museums and is a sought-after workshop educator.
American Realist Natasha Isenhour, conveys her emotional response to landscape, architecture and still-life in oil, pastel and watercolor. From a distance a first impression is the realistic feeling of the work, but a closer look reveals a contemporary edge where her mark-making controls the impressions of mass and delicacy.
January 22, 12:00 Noon PST – Featuring Dug Waggoner: In this first interview, Bonnie Zahn Griffith will be chatting with PSWC Distinguished Pastelist and IAPS Master Circle artist Dug Waggoner. Dug is a nationally award winning artist from California who has experienced a successful life long career in the arts. Dug says, “ Many years ago I fell in love with Pastel because of the speed and tactile feel of its drawing capabilities, the opaque coverage, the color brilliance and serendipity experimentation that gave a perfect voice for my work.” The interview with Dug is archived on our PSWC YouTube channel here.