The Work of Art

The Work of Art: Paulette Tavormina

Paulette Tavormina [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/PauletteTavormina.jpg]TWOA logo [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/TWOA_logo_simple_150.png]A conversation with photographer Paulette Tavormina [http://www.paulettetavormina.com/] about her stunning, moody still lifes shot in the style of Old Master painters. She discussed learning the importance of authentic detail while making movie props (such as recreating Nixon’s resignation letter), why it can take as long as a week to stage a single photograph, the differences between painting and photographing the same scene, and the surprising satisfaction of social media as a venue to show her work. Paulette began her career photographing works of art for a major auction house and working as a Hollywood food and prop stylist. Her own fine art photos have been shown across Europe and the United States, and her first solo museum show is this year at the Academy Art Museum in Maryland and travels to Notre Dame University’s Snite Museum of Art later this year. Her book of still life photographs, Seizing Beauty [http://www.monacellipress.com/book/?isbn=9781580934565], was recently published by Monacelli Press. Listen to the full interview: If your browser does not support streaming, you can download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20160621_PauletteTavormina.mp3] the audio. [download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20160621_PauletteTavormina.mp3]] (Recorded June 21, 2016) The complete series of conversations is available at The Work of Art [http://twliterary.com/twoa]. You can subscribe to future interview episodes via RSS [http://twliterary.com/category/twoa/feed/], iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-work-of-art/id1032598185] or email [http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=twoa&loc=en_US].

The Work of Art: Brittani Sensabaugh

Brittani Sensabaugh [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/BrittaniSensabaugh.jpg]TWOA logo [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/TWOA_logo_simple_150.png]A conversation with photographer and activist Brittani Sensabaugh [http://www.brittsense.com/] about “the power of melanin” and her 222 Movement. She talks about using photography to document and celebrate an oppressed culture, mixing art and activism, and teaching young people not just creative skills but psychological strength. Brittani lives in Oakland, California, and travels to cities around the country documenting “communities that have been forgotten and people who feel they have no voice.” In the past year she has had solo exhibitions on both coasts. Her work has been covered by the PBS Newshour, Teen Vogue, and nearly every major Bay Area periodical. Listen to the full interview: If your browser does not support streaming, you can download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20160519_BrittaniSensabaugh.mp3] the audio. [download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20160519_BrittaniSensabaugh.mp3]] (Recorded May 19, 2016) The complete series of conversations is available at The Work of Art [http://twliterary.com/twoa]. You can subscribe to future interview episodes via RSS [http://twliterary.com/category/twoa/feed/], iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-work-of-art/id1032598185] or email [http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=twoa&loc=en_US].

The Work of Art: Shawn Feeney

Shawn Feeney [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/ShawnFeeney.jpg]TWOA logo [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/TWOA_logo_simple_150.png]A conversation with visual and sound artist Shawn Feeney [http://www.shawnfeeney.com/] about building a creative community in small towns and large cities, working with crime victims as a forensic artist, how his pumpkin carvings landed him a gig on a reality TV show, the relative benefits of attending art school versus learning on the job, and much more. Shawn earned his BA in Music from Harvard and his MFA in Intermedia from the University of Auckland, and also holds Certificates in Forensic Facial Imaging from the FBI Academy. As a visual artist he has worked at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic and for the Suffolk County police department in New York. As a musician he has composed for the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge Mass, and toured as bassist with Regina Spektor. His work has been presented at MOMA in New York, the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and many other institutions around the world. Listen to the full interview: If your browser does not support streaming, you can download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20160403_ShawnFeeney.mp3] the audio. [download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20160403_ShawnFeeney.mp3]] (Recorded April 3, 2016) The complete series of conversations is available at The Work of Art [http://twliterary.com/twoa]. You can subscribe to future interview episodes via RSS [http://twliterary.com/category/twoa/feed/], iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-work-of-art/id1032598185] or email [http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=twoa&loc=en_US].

The Work of Art: Alexa Meade

Alexa Meade [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/AlexaMeade.jpg]TWOA logo [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/TWOA_logo_simple_150.png]A conversation with artist Alexa Meade [http://www.alexameade.com/] about turning three dimensions into two, painting as a performance in front of thousands, avoiding the “uncanny valley” when making portraits, the publicity advantages of social media over traditional media, and how being helpful and handy can be the path to a woman’s heart. While Alexa works with traditional brushes and paints, her artistic process is unusual: she paints portraits ON her human models [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MYNnYcTyPU], taking a three-dimensional scene and making it look like a two-dimensional painting [https://www.instagram.com/alexameadeart/]. Other current projects include a residency working with scientists at the Perimeter Institute [https://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/], exploring emerging virtual reality tools, designing toys, and turning her own home into a full-size funhouse. She is based in Los Angeles, and she gives lectures and has done residencies and exhibitions across the United States and Europe. Listen to the full interview: If your browser does not support streaming, you can download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20151026_AlexaMeade.mp3] the audio. [download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20151026_AlexaMeade.mp3]] (Recorded October 26, 2015) The complete series of conversations is available at The Work of Art [http://twliterary.com/twoa]. You can subscribe to future interview episodes via RSS [http://twliterary.com/category/twoa/feed/], iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-work-of-art/id1032598185] or email [http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=twoa&loc=en_US].

The Work of Art: Nathaniel Stookey

Nathaniel Stookey [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/NathanielStookey.jpg]TWOA logo [http://twliterary.com/images/TWOA/TWOA_logo_simple_150.png]A conversation with classical composer Nathaniel Stookey [http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/short-bio/nathaniel-stookey] about writing for children and adults, how to fight loneliness with artistic collaborations (and lots of time in local bars and cafes), finding joy in urban planning and other areas outside the arts, and bringing humor to the classical music world. First commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony when he was 17-years old, Nathaniel’s best known work is “The Composer is Dead [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuABdROntEQ],” a collaboration with the children’s book author known as Lemony Snicket, which has become one of the most widely performed classical works of the 21st century. He has had works commissioned by Frederica von Stade and the Kronos Quartet and spent several months at the San Francisco city dump’s Artist in Residence program [http://www.recologysf.com/index.php/about-air], where he wrote the music and created instruments from discarded trash for the work he titled “Junkestra [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq6PL1nU9-0&list=PLUSRfoOcUe4YWYOb5JeGy7WQKscgzsE4a]“. Listen to the full interview: If your browser does not support streaming, you can download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20150923_NathanielStookey.mp3] the audio. [download [http://twliterary.com/audiofiles/TWOA/TWOA_20150923_NathanielStookey.mp3]] (Recorded September 23, 2015) The complete series of conversations is available at The Work of Art [http://twliterary.com/twoa]. You can subscribe to future interview episodes via RSS [http://twliterary.com/category/twoa/feed/], iTunes [http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-work-of-art/id1032598185] or email [http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=twoa&loc=en_US].