Creative Contemplation

Marie Riccio; Exploring Symbolism, Composition And Design Through Still Life

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] February 20, 2026 Creative Contemplation S4E9 Marie Riccio; Exploring Symbolism, Composition And Design Through Still Life Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a conversation with Maryland based painter, Marie Riccio about her development as an artist and the inspiration behind the work for her upcoming solo show "Community" at First Street Gallery (3/4/26-3/28/26)  Website: mariericcio.com [https://www.mariericcio.com/home] Instagram: @marie_riccio [https://www.instagram.com/marie_riccio/] "Community" Solo Show, First Street Gallery, NYC [https://www.firststreetgallery.org/artists/marie-riccio/marie-riccio-press-release/] TAG/The Artists Gallery, Frederick MD [https://www.theartistsgalleryfrederick.com/artists/marie-riccio] Guest Bio: Marie Riccio [https://www.mariericcio.com/home] grew up in New York and received a B.F.A from SUNY Purchase. She also lived in Philadelphia where she earned an MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania before moving to Rockville, MD. She is an award-winning artist who has exhibited her work in New York, Philadelphia, Colorado, and throughout the Washington, DC area. Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/p/abby-in-contemplation]

In The Orbit Of Euan Uglow; Chris Bennett and Laura Smith {Continued}

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] February 5, 2026 Creative Contemplation Presents EU02.5 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Chris Bennett and Laura Smith {Continued} In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best.  In this episode, Suzanne continues her insightful conversation with 2 of Euan's students from the Slade, artists Chris Bennett, ROI and Laura Smith, NEAC.  Chris Bennett Website [https://www.chrisbennettartist.co.uk/home.html], Chris Bennett ROI [https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/explore-artists/chris-bennett-roi] Laura Smith Website [http://www.laura-smith.com/#2], Laura Smith NEAC, [https://www.newenglishartclub.co.uk/news/83-secrets-of-still-life-laura-smith/] Laura Smith Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/laurajrsmith/] Chris Bennett [https://www.chrisbennettartist.co.uk/home.html] was born in London in 1957 and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in the early ‘80s under Euan Uglow, Geoffrey Camp and Philip Sutton.  He has exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2004 Chris signed a publishing contract with DeMontfort Fine Art who license selected works as open and limited editions in the UK, Japan and the USA.  His paintings are exhibited and sold in prestigious galleries around the UK.  A notable commission is a portrait of Sir William Hawthorne, now in the collection of Churchill College, Cambridge, who, with Sir Frank Whittle, designed the first jet engine. Laura Smith [http://www.laura-smith.com/#1] trained at The Slade School of Fine Art where she won the Clare Winsten Memorial Award, graduating from her MFA in 2012. A still-life painter working towards the abstract tradition, she is interested in dissolving our familiarity with everyday objects. Her current work explores the idea that repeated motifs enable a deeper and freer investigation of the objects themselves. The paintings often depict emotive gestures and actions, where objects take the place of the loved, the abandoned and the closely held.    "Euan Uglow: An Arc From The Eye" exhibit at MK Gallery, Milton Keynes [https://mkgallery.org/] "The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth [https://amzn.to/3Le1JT3] "Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell [https://amzn.to/4pTyuDZ] "Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall [https://amzn.to/4sfDvbB] HOST BIO Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo designs by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/]

In The Orbit Of Euan Uglow; Chris Bennett & Laura Smith

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] January 29, 2026 Creative Contemplation Presents EU02 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Chris Bennett and Laura Smith In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best. In this second episode, Suzanne has a deep and moving conversation with 2 of Euan's students from the Slade, British artists Chris Bennett, ROI and Laura Smith, NEAC.  Chris Bennett Website [https://www.chrisbennettartist.co.uk/home.html], Chris Bennett ROI [https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/explore-artists/chris-bennett-roi] Laura Smith Website [http://www.laura-smith.com/#2], Laura Smith NEAC, [https://www.newenglishartclub.co.uk/news/83-secrets-of-still-life-laura-smith/] Laura Smith Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/laurajrsmith/] Chris Bennett [https://www.chrisbennettartist.co.uk/home.html] was born in London in 1957 and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in the early ‘80s under Euan Uglow, Geoffrey Camp and Philip Sutton.  He has exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2004 Chris signed a publishing contract with DeMontfort Fine Art who license selected works as open and limited editions in the UK, Japan and the USA.  His paintings are exhibited and sold in prestigious galleries around the UK.  A notable commission is a portrait of Sir William Hawthorne, now in the collection of Churchill College, Cambridge, who, with Sir Frank Whittle, designed the first jet engine. Laura Smith [http://www.laura-smith.com/#1] trained at The Slade School of Fine Art where she won the Clare Winsten Memorial Award, graduating from her MFA in 2012. A still-life painter working towards the abstract tradition, she is interested in dissolving our familiarity with everyday objects. Her current work explores the idea that repeated motifs enable a deeper and freer investigation of the objects themselves. The paintings often depict emotive gestures and actions, where objects take the place of the loved, the abandoned and the closely held.    BOOKS ON EUAN UGLOW "The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth [https://amzn.to/3Le1JT3] "Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell [https://amzn.to/4pTyuDZ] "Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall [https://amzn.to/4sfDvbB] HOST BIO Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo designs by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/abby-in-contemplation]b

Ayako Shimada; Gathering Inspiration Close to Home

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] January 13, 2026 Creative Contemplation S4E8 Ayako Shimada; Gathering Inspiration Close to Home Suzanne Lago Arthur, host and creator of The Creative Contemplation Podcast has a delightful conversation with Tokyo based painter, Ayako Shimada about her solo show "Painting Diary" at Opa Gallery (1/16/26-1/21/26) of her recent landscape paintings of Inokashira Park and its playgrounds, which subtly hint at her private life beyond the canvas--her role as a mother and caregiver. Opa Gallery [https://opagallery.net/], Shibuya Tokyo, Japan Website: Ayakoshimada-art.com [https://www.ayakoshimada-art.com/] Instagram: @Ayakoshimada5050 Influences Mentioned: Erin Raedeke [https://www.erinraedeke.com/] Ed Praybe [https://www.edmondpraybe.com/] Lennart Anderson [https://www.lennartanderson.com/] Euan Uglow [https://hh-h.com/exhibitions/12-euan-uglow/] John Dubrow [http://johndubrow.com/paintings] Ayako Shimada's [https://www.ayakoshimada-art.com/] Artist Statement: For me, painting is an universal language that I can talk with anybody. I am a mother of a little kids and a Japanese teacher. Talking with visual language is such a powerful way to show how I see and think about things.  For my works, finding a mundane moment and working with motifs that are close to me is important. In my painting process, I want to catch a beauty of moments such as daylight shift or atmosphere, find interesting relationships between each motifs and combine those elements into paintings rather than just paint as they are. So that way people would see true moment in terms of colors and feelings from my paintings. Host Bio: Suzanne Lago Arthur [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/]is a contemporary realist painter from Northern Virginia. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban-American parents, her artistic explorations were nurtured from an early age by her family. Through her paintings Suzanne explores the themes of beauty, transience and memory.  She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC, Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA, the United States Interests Section, Havana, Cuba and in art galleries across the United States. She holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and an MA in Museum Studies from George Washington University. Website: www.lagoarthurstudio.com [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] Instagram: Suzanne Lago Arthur (@lagoarthurstudio) [https://www.instagram.com/lagoarthurstudio/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/] Artwork, "Abby in Contemplation" [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/paintings/p/abby-in-contemplation]

In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner & Lisa Micklewright {Continued}

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1972836/open_sms] December 30, 2025 Creative Contemplation  EU01.5 In The Orbit of Euan Uglow; Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner & Lisa Micklewright {Continued) In this special mini-series host and creator, Suzanne Lago Arthur, seeks to capture the living art history of famed British artist, Euan Uglow by interviewing his students, contemporaries and those who knew him best. In this episode, Suzanne continues her inspired conversation with 3 of Euan's students from the Slade, artists Susannah Fiennes, Ann Gardner and Lisa Micklewright.  Susannah Fiennes Website [https://susannahfiennes.com/], Susannah Fiennes Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/susannahfiennesart/] Ann Gardner Website [https://www.anngardner.co.uk/], Ann Gardner Instagram,  [https://www.instagram.com/anngardnerpaintings/] Lisa Mickelwright Website [https://www.lisamicklewright.com/], Lisa Mickelwright Instagram,  [https://www.instagram.com/lisamicklewright_/] Susannah Fiennes [https://susannahfiennes.com/index.php/biography/] studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade/] (BA Hons 1st class) 1979-1983. She was awarded a BP Portrait Travel Award (China) in 1993, a British Institution Fund Award, a Royal Academy Award  (London) 1984 and a Boise Travel Scholarship (Italy) in 1983. Ann Gardner  [https://www.anngardner.co.uk/about]was born in 1964 in Bedford and attended Bedford High School for Girls, leaving in 1982 after gaining a place at The Slade School of Fine Art [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade/]. After achieving a BA (Hons), 2:1, she gained a postgraduate place at The Slade to be started in 1987. Lisa Mickelwright [https://www.lisamicklewright.com/about] Following in the footsteps of her artists parents, Jane Maltby and Keith Mickelwright, Lisa studied her foundation year at Bournemouth College of Art and Design  (1982-1983) and holds both a BA (Hons) (1983-1987) and Post Graduate Diploma (1987-1989) from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL. [https://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade/]  "Euan Uglow, Some Memories Of The Painter" by Susan Campbell [https://amzn.to/4pTyuDZ] "The Uglow Papers" By Andrew Lambirth [https://amzn.to/3Le1JT3] "Euan Uglow The Complete Paintings" by Richard Kendall [https://amzn.to/4sfDvbB] "Drawing: Mastering The Language Of Visual Expression" by Keith Mickelwright [https://amzn.to/3MWhjmU] Host, Suzanne Lago Arthur's Website [https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/] https://www.lagoarthurstudio.com/tuition/the-sunflower-still-lifeLogo design and episode cover by Elisa Nader,  Mag7 [http://www.mag7collective.com/bios/]