Art on the Air

Art(s) on the Air with Mary Hartman

Join Tamara for an interview with Mary Hartman, who moved to Savannah in 1996 to get her M.F.A. in Painting from SCAD and has lived here ever since. She works with vine and compressed charcoal, pastel, and acrylic washes, traditionally on heavy hot pressed watercolor paper, but lately has branched out into canvas and panel as well.

Her work is very distinctive - an abstracted, gestural way of depicting realism. The subjects of her ethereal drawings include: horses and other livestock; still life objects such as lemons, juice presses, and cast iron pans; and anvils; as well as portrait commissions. 

Check out Mary's work and follow her here:

http://www.maryhartman.net/ 
https://www.instagram.com/maryhartmanstudio/ 

Topics in their chat include:

How Mary spent the pandemic delving into lots of virtual foundation & drawing classes on classical technique; the different types of erasers one can use on charcoal, including parts of your hand; how the starting of a piece is the absolute worst but using toned paper or laying down an immediate field of charcoal helps a bit; her love of depicting a lemon; what is liquid pencil?; her night owl tendencies; the technical aspects that have to go into framing a charcoal or pastel piece - floating mats, and spacers in the glass; how you can currently view Mary's work upstairs at PW Short on Whitaker St., and finally - she's working toward putting on a solo show sometime in the next year, possibly called Decommissioned! 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with the Nomadic Photo Ark

Join Tamara for an interview with Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher, who have been on the road since July 2021, working from their Nomadic Photo Ark - a converted cargo trailer equipped with a full black & white darkroom and photo editing space. Together they're creating A Portrait of US, "photographically exploring and recording audio of the divisions and similarities in ideologies within our current American culture as we emerge from the pandemic." 

Monica & Adam are documenting the U.S. one community at a time, one person at a time, one story at a time, and have been working here in Savannah since early March. They have an exhibition up at Sulfur Studios, with a closing reception this Friday, April 7. 

Check out the Nomadic Photo Ark project and follow them here:

https://portraitofus.substack.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nomadicphotoark/
https://www.nomadicphotoark.com/ 

Topics in their chat include:

How this project perfectly combines Monica's training in analog photography, plus Adam's experience of traveling and working in audio recording and editing; what is the first radio station that ever played Lady Gaga?; Monica's 1800's-type steel camera that was built in the 1940s; the process of shedding your worldly goods to live on the road; how this long exhibition at Sulfur Studios has allowed them to analyze their how they pair art & sound for display; how they made a typical "rookie mistake" with their trailer early on in their project; how they juggle the administrative tasks involved in their work, such as constantly booking artist residencies; and how Adam edits peoples' response down to 5 minutes.  

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Kamryn Shawron

Join Tamara for an interview with Kamryn Shawron, who moved to Savannah from Ocoee, Florida about 10 years ago to earn her SCAD degree in Fibers, and now works as a multimedia artist. Her work focuses on the integration of portraiture, embellishment, and fibers, and she describes it as "stitching and sewing beads into both found and original photos, canvas, and everything else."

Kamryn has created a large body of work stemming from her own photos shoots, which she directs and designs, using friends and family as models, and then embellishes the photos to craft her desired narrative(s). In the past 2 years, she's had both a group and a solo exhibition at galleries in Atlanta, and she also installed a large piece in the Whitaker Street Windows, which locals will know as the tall windowed column just outside of Starland Yard. 

Check out Kamryn's work and follow her here:

https://www.instagram.com/kamrynleelu/
https://www.kamrynshawron.com/

 

Topics in their chat include:

How Fibers artists Tricia Cookson and Sam Norgard influenced her early career; describing her art as "painting with beads;" the post-college transition and how being furloughed during COVID was what really gave her the time first to create a big extensive piece, and then to launch her full-time art career; lessons she has learned about running a needle back and forth through a photograph as opposed to a piece of canvas; does Kamryn's way of working make her a crow, a raccoon, or a surgeon?; her words of wisdom when it comes to stitching various areas across a large surface; her "Mystery Bag" pieces and how she loves decorating and embellishing them; and the theme of celebration/joy/happiness in her work.

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Jessica Leigh Lebos

Join Tamara for an interview with Jessica Leigh Lebos: Writer, Adopted Southerner, Anti-Socialite, Camellia Thief (and, as we decided during the interview, Public Menace).

She arrived in Savannah around 2005, and then spent years writing 3 columns a week during Jim Morekis's era of the Connect Savannah, where she was voted Best Newspaper Columnist. She's also a 2022 Winner in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

In 2018 she compiled her essays into a book called "Savannah Sideways." Since then, she publishes regularly to a Substack (which you can subscribe to), and has a second novel due to come out soon! 

Read Jessica's work and follow her here:

https://jessicaleighlebos.substack.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/savannahsideways/
https://www.amazon.com/Savannah-Sideways-Jessica-Leigh-Lebos/dp/0692950877  (But we encourage you to shop local ;) )

Topics in their chat include:

Spending her first Savannah year living on Tybee Island; her view that the writing is just the deliverable for the privilege of the research, thought, visits, and conversations she gets to do; how a Savannah River visit by Ralph Nader in the 70s eventually led to the Clean Water Act; her recommendations for for the best camellia viewing around town; will Jane Fishman's musical "Johnny Mercer and Me!" eventually make it to Broadway?; juggling other copywriting gigs, including for Savannah Bee Company; and can she be a cross between Carrie Bradshaw and the Joan Didion of Savannah? 
 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with William Kwamena-Poh

Join Tamara for an interview with William Kwamena-Poh, who moved from Ghana to the U.S. as a young man. After studying art in college, he eventually arrived in Savannah in 1995 and has been here ever since.

He's a full-time artist with a City Market studio, a busy schedule of selling (and winning awards) in art fairs across the country, and he even had a solo exhibition at the Jepson Center for the Arts in 2019-20. Through his gouache paintings, William depicts scenes from Ghana, in order to communicate to diverse communities about a people who have been disenfranchised and viewed negatively throughout the years. 

Also, William was one of 5 artists profiled in the recently-released Savannah episode of the Amazon Prime show "The Story of Art in America!"

https://www.williamkfineart.net/
https://www.instagram.com/kwamenapoh/ 

Topics in their chat include:

being taught to draw without holding/using an eraser; how making $600 in a 1-night art show in Chicago in the late 80s made him move there; how screenprinting teaches you to really pare down your work's shapes and colors; his philosophy on being open to bargaining when you sell art at fairs; opening his City Market studio AND a gallery in 1996; how he started painting with gouache literally because a tube cost less than a tube of watercolor; his love of driving cross-country for shows; and working toward a big museum show coming up in 2025 at the Dennos Museum in Michigan.
 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Ashley Havy

Join Tamara for an interview with Ashley Havy of Pashley Pottery, who works on the wheel to create mugs, pots, TINY pots (!), vases, and ceramic jewelry, using such varied techniques as mishima, sgraffito, hand painting, carving, and sculpting. She describes her inspiration as coming from flowers/nature, Art Deco patterns, nail art, and clothing. The first ceramicist Tamara has interviewed, Ashley wisely stated that "ceramics is the art of letting go."

https://www.pashleypottery.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pashley.pottery/ 

Topics in their chat include:

Living in Alaska for 6 months post-college to work in a brewery; is Ashley the last person left who has a few undeveloped film canisters sitting around?; how she defines pottery vs. ceramics; what is "trimming"; why have there not been more horror movies that take place in photography darkrooms??; how her pop-up art show in the notoriously haunted upstairs room in Moon River went; how she makes her 1" mini pots; why are handles so complicated to make and attach?!, and what is the thickest that a ceramics piece really can be before it won't ever dry sufficiently.
 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Veronica Garcia-Melendez (of Bero Bero and The Maxines)

Join Tamara for an interview with Veronica Garcia-Melendez, who is half of synth band Bero Bero - described as Sade meets Kate Bush - as well as a member of the more recent grunge/metal band The Maxines. You might remember hearing a few of Bero Bero's songs on our Local Music show at Thanksgiving, and there'll be 3 clips that play during this interview as well. Awesome to be learning the details on how they were created! 

Check out Bero Bero's videos on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSeLKL2d5alzeNSpMAQHDVg

And follow both bands for news about shows and upcoming releases here:

https://www.instagram.com/beroberoband/
https://www.instagram.com/themaxinesband/ 

Topics in their chat include:

The importance of a music teacher/tutor being a consistent presence in kids' lives; the success of using Craigslist to find musical opportunities in NYC vs. Savannah; getting up on stage at a Wormhole open mic night; which Bero Bero song is most often filmed at their shows and shared online; recording on others' albums as a hired musician and/or singer; what are Timbales?; what is a layered ostinato?; how the keytar has changed Veronica's live performances; and singing karaoke at the Jinx. 

 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Angela Burson

Join Tamara for an interview with Angela Burson, who works in a variety of media to depict images of (frequently cropped or headless) figures, their belongings, and interior spaces, which indicate complex psychological and social relationships with one another. Her sharply painted work includes detailed classic clothing and accessories, and is frequently compared to the aesthetic of Wes Anderson movies. Angela first moved to Savannah from Liberty, Missouri in the late 1980s, to get her B.F.A. in Painting from SCAD. After a few years away, she returned in 2004 and has lived and exhibited here ever since.   

Her 2020 feature in New American Paintings has led to a rush of national and international opportunities over the past year, including shows and art fairs in NYC and Madrid, and she's currently preparing for a solo show in L.A. in December 2023. 

http://www.angelaburson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/angelaburson/ 

Topics in their chat include:

Angela's early years in the late 1980s living near Colonial Park Cemetery, and then on Jones St for $250 a month (!); how her first solo show of cowboy- and gun-themed artwork inadvertently boosted local gun sales; how her painting entitled "Danny Hansford's socks" led to her long running fascination with observing and painting peoples' socks; which rock star's hand is her frequent reference for depicting cigarette smoking; her History of Menswear reference book; which one specific outfit from a Wes Anderson movie she has included in a painting; and her advice to keep applying to New American Paintings no matter how many rejections you get. 

 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Sarah Cuda

Content note: in the 2nd half of the interview, we discuss Sarah's advocacy with sexual assault issues and navigating the legal system.  

Join Tamara for an interview with Sarah Cuda, local photographer, hairstylist, and barber. Her favorite subjects to shoot include musicians and dancers during performances, as well as nature closeups - she believes that everyone has a different viewpoint of the world that one can capture with their photos. 

Sarah loves to collaborate with other businesses, to bring growth to the small business community, and one of her many upcoming projects is a photo blog promoting other Savannahians' life and work. 

https://www.sarahcudaphotography.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sarahcudaphotography/ 

Topics in their chat include: leveling up your camera lenses; working at the Legion in 2007; going on nature photography trips; what is an Anhinga?; shooting concerts at Victory North and the Juneteenth festival on Tybee; putting on her first art show last May at the Sentient Bean; and what is a soft box? 

Bonuses!

Mini-interview at 49min with Gullah artist Sabree, a long-time City Market favorite. http://www.sabreesgallery.com/ 

A song by beloved local musicians Maggie & Jackson Evans at 56min. "Red and White," written by Jackson Evans. http://jacksonevans.com/maggie/ 

 

Tune in and get all the details!

Art(s) on the Air with Antwan Eady

Join Tamara for an interview with Antwan Eady, author of children's book NIGEL AND THE MOON along with upcoming titles MICAH'S RISE, THE LAST STAND, and the YA anthology POEMHOOD. He writes with the intention of occupying a space within literature where the underrepresented may see themselves as the main character. 

NIGEL AND THE MOON - featuring a Black schoolboy who moves past his fear of judgment to share his big dreams with his class during Career Week - has been a HUGE success! It was named a Barnes and Noble Most Anticipated Kid's Book of February, Amazon Editors' Best Books of the Month Pick, Colin Kaepernick's Current Favorite Children's Picture Books, and Today Show Best Children's Read, amongst many other awards. 

https://www.antwaneady.com/
https://www.instagram.com/antwan.eady/

Topics in their chat include:

Antwan having a 10-year-plan in 8th grade; how meeting Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah at Savannah’s Book Festival in 2019 inspired him to start writing; the lack of both characters of color and creatives of color in the book world; his terms "young dreamers" and "young dreamers of color" for children; his edict that "having no agent is better than having a bad agent;" having kept a gratitude journal since 2002, learning to advocate for some down time to recharge during his book tour; and a possible future Christmas rom-com type story! 

 

Bonus! Antwan was kind enough to provide a terrific list of resources for writers.

Podcasts:
 The Manuscript Academy - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-manuscript-academy/id1171799743
 First Draft - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/first-draft-with-sarah-enni/id896407410
 Save the Cat- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/save-the-cat-podcast/id884651026
 Society of Children's Books Illustrators and Writers - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scbwi-podcasts/id1465188050
 The Growing Readers Podcast- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-childrens-book-review-growing-readers-podcast/id1550324351
Books:
 Writer's Market (latest edition) - can be borrowed from local libraries.

 

 

P.S. - During the first few minutes of the interview, you'll hear the train passing by off in the distance, which gives it a real genuine Savannah feel! ;)  

 

Tune in and get all the details!