ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
ARTMATTERS is an intimate, bi-weekly podcast featuring in-studio conversations between host Isaac Mann and professionalartists from around the world. Now in its second season with over 55 episodes, the show has become a vital resource for thecontemporary art community, exploring everything from technical practices and daily studio insights to career advice, creativeblocks, and the emotional realities of making art.Host Isaac Mann brings both the perspective of a working artist and the curiosity of a thoughtful interviewer to each conversation,creating a space where artists can discuss not just their techniques and influences, but also the vulnerable aspects of creative life-hope...
#78 with Erin M Riley
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
Erin M. Riley is a Brooklyn-based artist whose large-scale woven tapestries explore intimacy, memory, trauma, and identity through meticulously constructed images assembled from personal photographs, found imagery, and internet culture.
She received her BFA from MassArt and her MFA from Tyler School of Art, is represented by P·P·O·W in New York, and has exhibited at institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, Museion in Italy, and the 16th Lyon Biennale. Her work is held in numerous public collections, and she is the recipient of both a Unit...
#77 with David Humphrey
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
Today's guest is David Humphrey, a New York-based painter whose work has been shown nationally and internationally, and who has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in the art world, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rome Prize. He teaches in the MFA program at Columbia University, is represented by Fredericks & Freiser Gallery in New York, and is the author of Blind Handshake, an anthology of David’s art writing.
On today's episode I ask David about how he knows when a painting is fi...
#76 with Margaret Curtis
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
Our guest today is Margaret Curtis, a feminist painter born in Bermuda whose vivid, densely layered canvases explore power dynamics at both the personal and societal level. Margaret is an inaugural recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship, and her work first gained national recognition in Marcia Tucker's landmark Bad Girls exhibition at the New Museum in New York in 1994. Since then she has shown at the Brooklyn Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum, and the Wexner Center, with recent solo shows at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and...
#75 with Catherine Haggarty
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
Today's guest is Catherine Haggarty, a Brooklyn-based painter, educator and founder whose work has been featured in Artforum, the New York Times, Hyperallergic, and BOMB magazine, among others.
Catherine has exhibited widely across New York, LA, and Miami and has been a visiting artist at institutions including Cornell, RISD, Pratt and Rutgers, where she also earned her MFA.
She co-founded NYC Crit Club in 2017 and also created the Canopy Program, a one-year mentorship platform now serving artists all around the world.
On today's...
#74 with Brittany Fanning
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week’s episode I’m joined by Brittany Fanning.
Brittany Fanning graduated from the University of north Virginia, and moved to South Korea in 2015. She spent seven years painting the neighborhoods around her, drawn particularly to the contrast between new Brutalist structures and traditional hanoks.
After relocating to Los Angeles in 2022 her work shifted toward the city’s architecture, flora, and fauna. Fanning began exhibiting in Korea in 2018 and has since shown at Steve Turner and The Lodge in Los Angeles, Galerie BHAK in Seoul...
#73 with David Ambrose
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week’s episode I’m joined by David Ambrose.
David Ambrose was born in 1960 and lives and works in Bound Brook, New Jersey. He received his BA in Fine Arts from Muhlenberg College and his MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania.
He has exhibited widely over the past four decades, including solo exhibitions at the New Jersey State Museum, where he was the subject of a mid-career retrospective, as well as Gold/Scopophilia in Montclair and Tibor de Nagy in New York...
#72 with Will Hutnick
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week’s episode I’m joined by Will Hutnick.
Will is a painter based in Sharon, Connecticut. He holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and a BA from Providence College. Hutnick is a 2021 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Painting. His solo exhibitions include High Noon in New York, the McDonough Museum of Art, Geary Contemporary, and Pamela Salisbury Gallery. His work has been featured in The New York Times, New American Paintings, and Hyperallergic. He's held residencies at Yaddo, the Elizabeth Murray Arti...
#71 with Bruce Tapola
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week’s episode I’m joined by Bruce Tapola.
Bruce Tapola was born and raised in Ohio and received his BFA from the University of Utah, and his MFA from Montana State University. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and has received several awards, including the McKnight Foundation Visual Artist Fellowship (1995, 2001, 2017). His work has been written about in Artforum, The New York Times, New American Painting, Art Papers, and New Art Examiner, and is in numerous public and private collections. He taught painting and drawing at S...
#70 with Hiba Schahbaz
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week’s episode I’m joined by Hiba Schahbaz.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Hiba Schahbaz trained in traditional Indo-Persian miniature painting at the National College of Arts in Lahore. Her practice spans oil, wood, paper, black tea, and water-based pigments. Schahbaz received an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute and has exhibited internationally since 2002. Recent exhibitions include the FLAG Art Foundation, Almine Rech Paris, the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, and Jeffrey Deitch, as well as a public art commission for Rockefeller Center produced with Art...
#69 with David Hornung
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week's episode I'm joined by New York artist David Hornung.
David Hornung is a painter and mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited in the US and UK. Over the course of a long career he has served on the faculties of The Rhode Island School of Design, Indiana University, Skidmore College, Pratt Institute, and Adelphi University. He is the author of Color: A Workshop for Artists and Designers (Laurence King Pub Ltd.), a color textbook. Translated into six languages it is used in...
#68 with Fran Shalom
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists
On this week’s episode I’m joined by New York artist Fran Shalom. Fran has exhibited widely throughout the United States, including a solo show at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, and the Hunterdon Museum in New Jersey. She has been the recipient of a Pollock Krasner Artist Grant, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, and an Art Omi Residency. Her work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Rose Art Museum, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Fran a...
#67 with Sarah D'Ambrosio
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today is Sarah D’Ambrosio. Sarah is a Brooklyn-based artist who earned her BFA from Brooklyn College and her MFA at University of New Hampshire. She also studied at the Mount Gretna School of Art in Pennsylvania. Most recently Sarah has exhibited at the New York Studio School Projects at DUMBO and NADA Miami and her first solo exhibition was at MARCH Gallery in 2025.
Swimmingly convenient as it turned out, Sarah is my neighbor. So after convincing her to join me for this episode, I pa...
#66 with Jeff Wallace
Brooklyn-based artist Jeff Wallace joins host Isaac Mann to discuss his unique paper pulping technique, creative process, and journey into art-making after 25 years in another industry.
Wallace had a solo exhibition at Jane Lombard Gallery in May 2026 and has shown with other New York City venues including Cristin Tierney Gallery and Rick Wester Fine Art. He has participated in residencies at the American Academy in Rome, VCCA, Vermont Studio Center, and Yaddo, and curates Main Window, a Brooklyn art presentation space.
In this episode, Isaac and Jeff explore:
Jeff's paper pulping technique and use...#65 with Jameson Green (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest returning today is Jameson Green. Jameson is a New York-based painter whose work is in collections at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami. He's exhibited with Derek Eller Gallery and Almine Rech in New York, Paris, London, and Brussels.
On last week's episode, Jameson and I discussed the three elements of great painting, drawing, sampling from art books and other paintings, rhythm, abstraction, narrative, and a lot of other fa...
#64 with Jameson Green
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today is Jameson Green. Jameson is an artist living and working in Hudson, NY. He holds an MFA from Hunter College. Green has exhibited extensively with Derek Eller Gallery and Almine Rech, including solo exhibitions in New York, Paris, London, Brussels, and Santa Monica. His work has been featured in group exhibitions at the Dallas Museum of Art, Museo Picasso Málaga, and ICA Miami. You can also find Green's work in the public collections of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Hi...
#63 with Clova Rae-Smith
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today, Clova Rae-Smith, is a British jewellery designer based in New York City. Clova graduated from Central Saint Martins and was recognized as one of DAZED’s “UAL Graduates to Watch.” She specializes in grillz that blend fine art, fashion, and identity, and has quickly become one of the most sought-after jewelers in the industry. Clova’s work has been featured in VOGUE and ROLLING STONE, and her clients include Beyoncé (who gifted Clova’s grillz to her Renaissance Tour performers), Jorja Smi...
#62 with Robert Schefman
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today is Robert Schefman. He is a Detroit-based artist with a BFA from Michigan State University and an MFA from the University of Iowa.
His work is in collections at the Detroit Institute of Arts and The Broad, along with other major institutions, and has been exhibited at the Smithsonian and other venues across the country. He's a recipient of Pollack-Krasner and Kresge Foundation grants and is Professor Emeritus at the College for Creative Studies and is currently represented by David Klein Gallery.
I...
#61 with Kyle Staver (Part 2)
Kyle Staver is a figurative painter who draws on mythological and folkloric traditions, reworking familiar stories with her distinctive use of color and shadow.
Staver earned her BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design and her MFA from Yale University. She has received the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Prize, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award. She has had solo exhibitions at Nino Mier Gallery, Half Gallery, Zürcher Gallery, and Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, among others, with work in collections including the N...
#60 with Kyle Staver
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today is Kyle Staver. A figurative painter who draws on mythological and folkloric traditions, reworking familiar stories with her distinctive use of color and shadow.
Staver earned her BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design and her MFA from Yale University. She is a recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Prize, and was previously awarded the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award. She has had solo exhibitions at Nino Mier Gallery, Half Gallery...
#59 with Erik Sommer
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
Today I'm speaking with Erik Sommer, a New York-based painter who is also the founder of Mott Projects, a contemporary art project space.
Sommer's work explores chance, beauty, and the attempt to control time through unconventional mark-making techniques. His practice incorporates industrial materials like concrete and drywall, reflecting his interest in urban decay and found textures.
After 15 years in an East Harlem studio, Erik relocated to the Catskills where he founded Mott Projects, which has collaborated with David Zwirner's PLATFORM and galleries in...
#58 with Michael Stamm (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On this week’s episode Michael Stamm is back to continue with our conversation about his artistic practice and career insights.
Michael Stamm is a Brooklyn-based painter with an MFA from NYU and an MA in English Literature from Columbia University. He also attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2016. Stamm has had solo and two-person exhibitions at Deli Gallery, DC Moore and Thierry Goldberg in New York, and Shul-amit Nazarian in Los Angeles. He is a NYFA Artist Fellowship recipient and has been fe...
#57 with Michael Stamm
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists!
My guest today is the Brooklyn-based painter Michael Stamm. Stamm explores themes of strength and weakness, vice and virtue, and self-actualization versus obliteration in his work. Stamm received an MFA from New York University and MA in English Literature from Columbia University, and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2016. Stamm has had solo and two-person exhibitions at Deli Gallery (NYC), DC Moore (NYC) and Thierry Goldberg Gallery (NYC) and Shulamit Nazarian in Los Angeles; He is a NYFA Artist Fellowship recipient and has been featured...
#56 with Dennis Kardon
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today is Dennis Kardon.
Dennis is a Brooklyn-based painter known for his influential work 49 Jewish Noses and his most recent solo shows at Lubov Gallery and Massimo De Carlo. He has exhibited widely in the US and abroad, received major career grants including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and written for top art publications such as Artforum, Artnet and Hyperallergic to name a few.
I sat down with Dennis at his studio in the Brooklyn Navy Yards during a massive rain storm a co...
#55 Krista Louise Smith and Elliot Purse (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
This week on ARTMATTERS, we get back to our conversation with Brooklyn-based artists Krista Louise Smith and Elliot Purse. Like last time, this conversation explores their differing personalities, creative processes and the dynamics at play in the lives of a working artist couple.
Today we discuss balancing introversion and extroversion, setting boundaries, maintaining focus, the emotional role of color, the importance of decisiveness and the imperative of mutual support.
Krista Louise Smith has exhibited her work internationally in New York, Rome, Bucharest, and Se...
Special Valentine's Day Edition: #54 with Krista Louise Smith and Elliot Purse
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
This week on ARTMATTERS, I'm sending some belated Valentine’s love to all my listeners! In the spirit of the season, I spent my February 14th hanging out at the shared studio of artists Elliot Purse and Krista Louise Smith. It was the perfect way to mark the holiday, exploring the unique dynamics of working side by side with your spouse in the studio.
In this week’s conversation, we discuss studio schedules, collaboration, writing applications; dealing with creative blocks, impatience, studio meltdowns; personal boundaries, critique and...
#53 with Julie Harrison (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
Today we continue our conversation with Julie Harrison, a New York-based artist whose decades-long career has spanned drawing, photography, video, painting, and performance.
In this episode we discuss framing and exhibiting works on paper, the overlap between drawing and collage, overcoming creative blocks, exploring new tools, building community and the importance of art history. We also talk laziness, playing tricks with materials, and not waiting for perfection.
Harrison’s work has been exhibited at MoMA, the Museum of Arts & Design and the Neuberger Mus...
#52 with Julie Harrison
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
This week, we’re joined by Julie Harrison, a New York-based artist whose decades-long career has spanned drawing, photography, video, painting, and performance.
In this episode we discuss Julie’s transition from grayscale to color and back again, her interest in scientific imagery, archiving and selecting reference materials, drawing techniques, early artistic influences and her career path. We also discuss her transition to painting in the 1980s, graduate school, the importance of mentorship and the intersection of challenge, doubt and curiousity at play behind her prac...
#51 with Eric Fischl (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On this week’s episode we are once again joined by the iconic painter Eric Fischl.
Eric Fischl is an internationally acclaimed American artist known for his profound influence on figurative art. Born in 1948 in New York City, Fischl’s work captures the uneasy undercurrents of American life. His journey through art education took him from Phoenix to California, where he earned his B.F.A., and later to Chicago and Nova Scotia for teaching and early exhibitions. Fischl's art, which explores the dichotomy between appe...
#50 with Eric Fischl
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
Happy New Year! I’m thrilled to kick off 2025 with a milestone celebration of our 50th episode. I am also extremely excited to say this special episode features a great conversation with the iconic artist Eric Fischl.
Eric Fischl is an internationally acclaimed American artist known for his profound influence on figurative art. Born in 1948 in New York City, Fischl’s work captures the uneasy undercurrents of American life. His journey through art education took him from Phoenix to California, where he earned his...
BONUS: Episode 50 Preview, Big News and a Look Back
🎉 Special Bonus Episode! 🎉
Welcome to episode 49.5 of ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists—a special teaser leading up to our milestone 50th episode!
We’ve got an incredible guest lined up for Episode 50, someone whose impact on contemporary art is legendary. I can’t wait for you to hear our conversation. Stick around until the end for a sneak peek—you might recognize the voice!
Episode Highlights:
A sneak preview of Episode 50’s guest (any guesses?)Big news about new, limited-edition ARTMATTERS merch 🎁How you can - and should! - join...#49 with Jeff Way (Part 3)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists:
Today we conclude our 3-part conversation with the artist Jeff Way. Jeff has lived and worked in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood since 1969. Featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial and a subsequent solo exhibition, Way’s work has been shown at institutions like the New Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, and the ICA Philadelphia. His innovative Chalk Line Paintings, begun in the late 1960s, explore the grid through layered lines of raw pigment, a technique he revisits in his most recent Eccentric Squares series. Jeff’s solo e...
#48 with Jeff Way (Part 2)
Today on the podcast we continue our conversation with Jeff Way, an artist who has lived and worked in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood since 1969. Featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial and a subsequent solo exhibition there, Way’s work has been shown at institutions like the New Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, and the ICA Philadelphia. His innovative Chalk Line Paintings, begun in the late 1960s, explore the grid through layered lines of raw pigment, a technique he revisits in his recent Eccentric Squares series. With works in major museum collections, including the Whitney and the Philadelphia Muse...
#47 with Jeff Way
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome back to another episode of ARTMATTERS!
Today on the podcast we start our conversation with Jeff Way, an artist who has lived and worked in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood since 1969. Featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial and a subsequent solo exhibition there, Way’s work has been shown at institutions like the New Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, and the ICA Philadelphia. His innovative Chalk Line Paintings, begun in the late 1960s, explore the grid through layered lines of raw pigment, a technique he revisits in his recent Eccentric Squa...
#46 with Mark Joshua Epstein (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On today’s episode we talk with artist Mark Joshua Epstein, whose work has been widely exhibited in the U.S. and internationally. A graduate of the Slade School of Fine Arts, Epstein has held residencies at prestigious institutions like the British School at Rome. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times and Hyperallergic, and he is currently an artist-in-residence at the Sharpe Walentas Studio Program in Brooklyn, NY.
Today we dive into more of Marks artistic practice starting with fle...
#45 with Mark Joshua Epstein
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On today’s episode I speak with artist Mark Joshua Epstein, whose work has been widely exhibited in the U.S. and internationally. A graduate of the Slade School of Fine Arts, Epstein has held residencies at prestigious institutions like the British School at Rome. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times and Hyperallergic, and he is currently an artist-in-residence at the Sharpe Walentas Studio Program in Brooklyn, NY.
Today’s conversation delves into Mark’s artistic development, beginning with his tra...
#44 with Helen Frederick (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest back again today is Helen Frederick, an artist whose career has spanned decades of innovation in printmaking, paper-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Helen earned both her BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and went on to found Pyramid Atlantic, a hub for contemporary printmaking, hand paper-making, and book arts.
Her work is held in over 45 international collections and has been exhibited in prestigious institutions like the Phillips Collection, MoMA Kyoto, the Whitney Museum, and many more. She has also served on...
#43 with Helen Frederick
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
My guest today is Helen Frederick, an artist whose career has spanned decades of innovation in printmaking, paper-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Helen earned both her BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and went on to found Pyramid Atlantic, a hub for contemporary printmaking, hand paper-making, and book arts.
Her work is held in over 45 international collections and has been exhibited in prestigious institutions like the Phillips Collection, MoMA Kyoto, the Whitney Museum, and many more. She has also served on numerous ar...
#42 with Gerardo Camargo
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On today’s episode we speak with visual artist, Gerardo Camargo.
I joined Gerardo in his studio where we discussed his drawings and assemblages, and the choreography of home-construction. We also speak about limitation, scarcity, uncertainty and the ways Gerardo’s studio practice and perspectives shifted after he emigrated to the United States.
Gerardo is a self-taught artist from Mexico City. He began working as a cartoonist at the age of 12. In 2002 he was saelected by the Mexican National Council for Culture and the Ar...
#41 with Cianne Fragione (Part 2)
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On today’s episode we continue our wonderful conversation with the artist Cianne Fragione.
Today, we discuss the use of non-traditional materials, hear stories from her early career and education, some early opportunities and career reflections from her time in the Bay area. We talk about recipes, patinas and dance, finding good alternatives to destructive moods, and how to trust that odd work when it comes quick and effortless.
Cianne Fragione was born in 1952 and currently lives and works in Washington D.C. She...
#40 with Cianne Fragione
Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists.
On today’s episode I get a whirlwind tour of the techniques, recipes and studio practices, of the spectacular Cianne Fragione.
This conversation will be a two-parter, and will be concluded next episode. Today, in part one, we discuss making your own paints, why lead white is such a fantastic color, chaos vs organization, Cianne’s warm-up books, adhesives, “the shake test”, prepping surfaces, rhythm, paper, and the joy of destruction. Cianne also speaks extensively on the making of her massive 24-part painting entitled Heaven and Earth...
