Art Stories: The Official Podcast

Between Color & Memory with Iqra Adam

In this episode of the Art Stories Podcast, hosted by Sky Lilah (@skylilah), we sit down with Iqra Adam, a Calgary-based mixed-media artist whose work explores the balance between joy, memory, and emotion. Through a combination of bold, vibrant paintings and deeply reflective monotone pieces, Iqra captures both the beauty of everyday moments and the quiet intensity of memory. Her intuitive process, guided by feeling and experimentation, allows each piece to evolve organically — embracing texture, imperfection, and authenticity. Rooted in her philosophy of being “imperfect, yet undeniably perfect in its uniqueness,” Iqra’s work invites viewers into a space where color brings joy and monotone evokes nostalgia, creating a powerful dialogue between different sides of life. In this conversation, we explore creative intuition, emotional storytelling, and how art can transform even the smallest memories into something meaningful. ✨ Follow & support: @artvancouver @vvafofficial Thank you for listening to the Art Stories Podcast, where we celebrate the stories behind the art.

Through the Location Scout's Lens: Adam Silver on Hollywood, Landscape, and the Art of Seeing

In this episode of the Art Stories Podcast, hosted by Sky Lilah (@skylilah), we sit down with Adam Silver — photographer, Hollywood location scout, and a man who has spent his life looking at the world with rare intentionality. Largely self-taught, Adam left home as a teenager in a station wagon, honed his eye across the Hawaiian Islands and the Colorado Rockies, and eventually built a career in California scouting locations for some of Hollywood's most celebrated directors, including Quentin Tarantino and Alejandro González Iñárritu. In this conversation, we explore the relationship between scouting and seeing — how a career finding locations for Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and The Revenant shaped Adam's approach to large format fine art photography. We dig into what it means to be self-taught, the lessons of his early apprenticeship with Canadian photographer Deborah Samuel, and the philosophy behind transforming a cinematic eye into images that stand alone as art. Follow Adam Silver: adamsilverphotos.com [http://adamsilverphotos.com] ✨ Follow & support: @artvancouver @vvafofficial Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review — we truly appreciate your support!

Where Roots Take Color: Tessa Haywood on Travel, Heritage, and the Art of Beginning Again

In this episode of the Art Stories Podcast, hosted by Sky Lilah (@skylilah), we sit down with Tessa Haywood, a New Zealand-born, Port Coquitlam-based artist whose vibrant, slightly surreal paintings carry the memory of 22 countries and the intuitive spirit of a practice in constant evolution. Trained in Digital Media and shaped by studies at OCAD University in Toronto and the University of Leeds in the UK, Tessa works in acrylic, oil, and oil pastel — creating layered, textural works that bridge natural forms, cultural exchange, and personal identity. In this conversation, we explore the experience of building a creative life across continents, the meditative act of painting over and recycling her own canvases, and the deeply personal journey of reconnecting with her Māori heritage. Tessa opens up about how travel, junk journaling, embroidery, and photography all find their way into her paintings — and what it means to let older work evolve rather than disappear. ✨ Follow & support: @artvancouver @vvafofficial Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review — we truly appreciate your support!

Light on Water: Lara Shecter on Memory, Place & the Pacific Northwest

In this episode of the Art Stories Podcast, hosted by Sky Lilah (@skylilah), we sit down with Lara Shecter — Vancouver-based artist working in acrylic and mixed media, known for her luminous, resin-finished paintings rooted in the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Her canvases explore memory, solitude, and the quiet tension of place — capturing Jericho Beach at low tide, the working ships of the harbour, and the mountains and forests that define life in Vancouver. With a background in graphic design and a formative chapter shooting photo essays in Bangkok, Lara brings rare visual intelligence to every surface she works on. In this conversation, we explore how place becomes memory, how memory becomes paint, and what it means to build a practice out of the world right outside your window. Follow Lara: vanwrk.com [http://vanwrk.com] ✨ Follow & support: @artvancouver @vvafofficial Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review — we truly appreciate your support!

Get Melted: Art, Body & Transformation with Erica Marrello

In this episode of the Art Stories Podcast, hosted by Sky Lilah (@skylilah), we sit down with Erica Marrello, a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist whose work pushes the boundaries between painting, performance, and immersive experience. As the creator of GET MELTED, Erica transforms the human body into a living canvas, creating powerful, real-time works that explore identity, sensuality, vulnerability, and transformation. What began as an intimate photoshoot series has evolved into large-scale live performances that captivate audiences and challenge traditional ideas of art. Through both her canvas work and immersive experiences, Erica creates art that is visceral, bold, and unapologetically expressive — inviting viewers into moments of intensity, connection, and personal reinvention. In this conversation, we explore creative risk, the power of the body as a medium, and what it means to create art that is truly alive. Follow Erica: @emm.gallery @emm.erica ✨ Follow & support: @artvancouver @vvafofficial Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review — we truly appreciate your support!