Tag Archives: podcast

Mark Staff Brandl Is On To Something

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I’ve been following Dr. Mark Staff Brandl for quite a while now. I particularly enjoy his Dr Great Art podcast, which has, of late, begun to feature some ideas from chapters of his forthcoming book (to be published by Bloomsbury).

Two current works in progress.

His most recent podcast episode, linked below, definitely intrigues me and syncs up with a lot of the ways I’ve been thinking over the last couple of decades. Specifically, my wheneverWHEN and An Ensign For Miyoko Ito works are borrowing significantly from the kinds of ideas Professor Brandl is elucidating. My 2019-2020 collaboration with Joel T. Dugan, Phoneme, also deals with some of this.

An Ensign For Miyoko Ito (#16). Ink on paper, 12×10 inches, 2018. Private collection.

This is how I talk about some of the motivational ideas for these series of works:

“…I seek out the compacted and the overdrawn; the enclosed and the layered; the transformed and the solidified. I look for shapes, colors, and spaces that go far beyond a simple tension between figuration and abstraction, trying instead to suggest a layered arena of observational and haptic information.

Miyoko Ito (Japanese-American, 1918-1983) – whose work has been a key influence on me over the last 20 years – was able to activate subtle surfaces with the illusion of space and an evocative sense of palpability. This is what I’m investigating: the experience of perception apart from particular, representational depiction. In my exploration, questions arise: Does flat form appear to move away from my angle of view? Will color resolve into both static surface and suggested movement? Can space and color align to reinforce both static structure and an expression of time? Might the poetics of silent, unmoving images actually produce phenomena akin to those found in dreams, memories, ecstatic sensations, and atemporal musings?”

Take a listen to the Dr Great Art podcast and see if maybe some of the things I’m saying resonate with how Dr. Brandl is thinking:

While there are many points Brandl brings up that are worth exploring (I greatly anticipate getting to read his book once it comes out), I find myself particularly drawn to the explications he makes regarding ambiguity and conceptual blending. In these areas he distills and clarifies a number of philosophers and intellectual traditions into something artists can really wrap their minds – and artworks – around.

WHENEVERwhen (Michigan), inks on paper, 10×7 inches, 2018. Collection of the Artist.

Beyond the artists he references in his text, I think that there are a few more that very strongly connect with Mark Staff Brandl’s ideas, particularly Marcelo Bonevardi, Nicholas Byrne, Diebenkorn, Vincent Fecteau, Magalie Guérin, Miyoko Ito, and Kyle Staver, among others.

It’s exciting for my own passion for these artists to dovetail with the serious scholarship that Dr. Brandl is bringing forward. I know that I’ll be incorporating concepts from his book into my teaching for years to come. I hope you’ll join me in listening to the podcast and exploring what these ideas can mean for making and experiencing artworks.

Updating the Glory (LEGO Star Trek Stuff)

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Planet Earth at night with my Chariot Class Starship

This summer I’ve been doing a lot of work – writing, project formulating, and making. But one needs to incorporate play into the process. Often hanging with my kiddos helps with that, but it’s been horrifically hot recently… so I’ve been in the basement. After taking a year or so off, I’ve gotten back into my LEGOs as a form for creative construction, both in terms of “serious” art and as a means to recharge with play.

Anyway, stick around here if you want to see the latest Star Trek themed ships I’ve made. To see some of the current direction in my artworks, see my Instagram.

Back in 2014, I had been trying to develop a LEGO version of a Chariot Class Starship. Check out the blueprints here, and my old post about the craft. Now, the Chariot Class is a non-canon ship, but it just looks so cool that I wanted to try it out. Finally, I got around to it. This was partly through the influence of my fellow FODS who view The Greatest Generation Podcast. Their encouragement of my embarrassing creations caused me to redouble my efforts. See below.

In the coming days I’ll add a few more of my newer ships to subsequent posts. If you’d like to look back at previous ships I’ve made, see these:

USS Claudius Galenus

USS Abblasen

A List of Glorious Podcasts

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A lot of people ask me what sort of aural stimulation I use in my studio. I have to admit that it used to be all music all the time for me. But roughly eight years ago I began to incorporate audio-books and educational materials (The Great Courses, etc). At this point I would say 90% of the time I’m listening to podcasts or audio-books.

Below are my favorite podcasts – and a few illustrations, created with love by me, for the best ones.

While the list certainly changes over time, and though this list doesn’t name every podcast I am subscribed to, the productions below are definitely my go-to audio accompaniments. I’m going to sort them into two groups. The first – Current Must-Listens – are at the top of the heap. The second group – Tried and True – are the ‘casts that always deliver great content and keep me coming back episode after episode, year after year.

Current Must-Listens

The Greatest Generation

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Benjamin Ahr Harrison and Adam Prancia bring joyful derision to our favorite Star Trek series – The Next Generation. To me, their repartee breathes new life into a series that has been endlessly parsed. Hilarious ongoing bits about Kevin Uxbridge, PiCosby, and Wesley (the boy? MY SON!) are the X factor. The quality of the production and the overall tone make this one my current favorite.

Highlight: Just start at the beginning. And don’t forget to check in with them on Reddit.

The Last Podcast on the Left

What’s got serial killers, conspiracy theories, and the greatest Jesse Ventura impression of all time? The Last Podcast on the Left does, “LIVE FROM YOUR GRAVE!” This one is not for the faint of heart. Really fun, very irreverent, and willing to make human monsters the brunt of brutal comedy, this podcast is a great mix of humor and information. This production should be considered rated R for language and explicit discussion of what serial killers – and various government entities – do. Kudos to Henry, Marcus, and Ben!

Highlight: The Illuminati with special guest, Jesse Ventura: http://cavecomedyradio.com/podcast-episode/episode21-the-illuminati/

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Undisclosed

Picking up where Serial (Season 1) left off, Undisclosed brought a granular investigation ethic and unique investigators to the ongoing case of Adnan Syed in their first season. Rabia Chaudry is an extremely educated woman and a person of distinguished accomplishments. She has advocated for Adnan and was the impetus for Serial to get off the ground. She and her team on Undisclosed – Susan Simpson and Colin Miller – have built a winning formula for compelling listening. I appreciate the sound of the podcast, the melodious voice and clear authority of Chaudry, and the sharp character of Simpson. Their second season is absolutely excellent.

See Rabia’s website here: http://www.rabiachaudry.com/

 

The Tried and True

West Wing Weekly

What else do you need to know? Actor Joshua Malina and Podcaster/West Wing expert Hrishikesh Hirway go in depth and behind the scenes with the amazing cast and production staff of one of the best television shows ever produced. If you love the series, what are you waiting for?

Reel Friends

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Josh Matejka and Jesse Slade host Reel Friends, an exploration of movies that is both highbrow and lowbrow. You can expect to hear as much about art house films and documentaries as you do about the latest super hero summer blockbuster. There is a nice mix of humor and serious analysis in this podcast, and a real sense of just a few friends sitting around talking about movies.

 To My Future Vinyl Collectors

To My Future Vinyl Collectors is Jesse Slade’s baby. He loves vinyl and loves listening to music with good friends over beers with a hearty helping of conversation afterward. I appreciate his commitment to conducting a full listen to the album in question, immediately followed by a conversation from those who heard it. A recurring mix of friends (including yours truly) stops by for these listening/recording parties, and the variety of voices makes it evocative. Definitely worth exploring.

Highlight: Listening Party #5: Fleetwood Mac – Rumors

TMFVC Blog: http://futurevinylcollectors.com/

Star Wars Minute

SWM makes the franchise both more fun and less impressive in an interesting way. What I mean is that when you see the weaknesses and plot holes and poor choices from a minute-by-minute perspective, well, it makes you question not only your own appreciation for the movies but also the sanity of those who made them. So on the one hand you get a wonderful glimpse into the mechanics of what’s happening throughout the scenes and with the characters. On the other hand you get to parse the idiocies and embrace them for what they are – entertainment.

Casefile

A true crime podcast with an international team, this venture brings a unique perspective to a genre that’s been so dominated by American voices and problems. Sometimes Rated R for descriptions of violent crimes.

Criminal

Phoebe Judge crafts a distinctive, beautiful podcast that is about much more than criminals and crimes. It’s about the human condition first and foremost, and it causes engaged listeners to question their assumptions. Highly recommended.

Revisionist History

Malcolm Gladwell explores history, meaning, sociology, economics, and so much more, all with his distinctive perspective. A challenging, forceful excursion into what is going on in the world.

Sawbones

This is one of the most fun podcasts out there. Geeky with a double dose of Pliny, Sawbones makes medical history – and in particular, the developments that brought us to medicine as it is today – super interesting and connected to every day life. Dr. Sydnee McElroy has a wonderful presence in this podcast, and she plays the straight man to her husband’s jokes with grace.

This American Life

The original and still one of the absolute best, TAL has one of the incredible and comprehensive back catalogs. It simply has something for everyone. My favorite episodes?

John Hodgman on The Phantom Menace, Sarah Vowell on guns, and an abandoned house in the woods.

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There are many other podcasts I could throw in this list (I’ve got 22 on my device), but I think this grouping gives the best overview. What are your favorites?

SERIAL

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I’ve got a lot going on these days: some shows happening, some great visits with 5th graders at a local arts elementary school, and my own students really powering through the deep, hard content of the semester (not to mention the latest installments of Becoming the Student series, a few of which are REALLY backing up!). I really want to write about all of that (and write back to GEO, and write to my grandmother, and my high school art teacher, and, and, and… so many other things)…

But stories, people. STORIES.

This week I had my Beginning Drawing students work in Hitt Street Garage here at the University of Missouri. They were working some really challenging 180 degree perspective drawings… they didn’t really need me right on top of them the whole time. So as I made my “rounds” – walking up and down through the 5 level parking garage – I listened to the first two episodes of the new podcast called SERIAL.

It’s compelling, to say the least. The beginning of the first episode is gripping, emotionally intense, and absorbing. It has the feeling of investigative journalism mixed with a unique kind of (for lack of better words) memory-like-situational-recall that makes it sort of like a noir representation of recent history. Huge questions loom, and life-changing events take place. There’s an eery sense of “something else is going on here” in the narrative. It’s got everything. If you liked the movies Brick or Donnie Darko, you’ll get into this. Get over there and try it out. I know I’ll be in line for every upcoming episode this season. I need to know what really happened to Hae Min and if Adnan really deserves what he has received. Sarah Koenig is rocking this new project.

Go there now and check out Episode #01. Click the image below to get started.

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