ARTish Plunge Kristy Darnell Battani

A love of research, words and print materials drives Austin-based, mixed media artist KRISTY DARNELL BATTANI’s textile inspired paintings and forms. The host and founder of the ARTish Plunge podcast discusses her art journey from intellectual property lawyer to full-time artist, her love of research, and her "deep dive" immersion into her source materials as part of an artist talk for her recent solo show “How To Be,” a collection of works inspired by thirteen self-help books that have define...

How do you see Brahms Symphony No. 4? For Scottish orchestral bassist and abstract painter Kirsty Matheson, music—like days of the week— have color. Kirsty shares how she balances her professional music life with her painting career that took flight during a 100 Day project in 2021. This fascinating conversation allows us to dip into synesthesia, a neurological condition shared by Kirsty and many other creative minds that creates a crossover between senses, in Kirsty’s case allowing her to pa...

Appreciating the richness of vintage typography and papers inspires both the sublime graphic design work and the whimsical collage art of Connecticut-based artist AMY GORREK. On the way to developing her own design practice, following stints with various design firms including Martha Stewart Living, Amy has perfected the art of appreciating details, instinctively finding the right balance of necessary and surprise elements. Pulling on her years of helping clients with their branding projects,...

How to balance online classes, a membership, and thousands of social media followers with the physical creation of a product—in this case, art? Maryland artist KELLEE WYNNE shares her journey from the early days growing up in a creative community and the discipline she learned in the Army to juggling her current online success. On this episode of the ARTish Plunge podcast, Kellee discusses taking a break to avoid burnout and how business strategies inform her coaching and art offerings. ...

Growing up amongst the airbrushed t-shirts and dolphins of Destin, Florida, muralist TAYLOR SHAW learned how to hustle to make the most of the tourist season. Years of hard work in restaurants and side gigs honed many of the skills that have enabled Taylor to make a career creating site-specific murals which have become their own tourist attractions. But how Taylor got out of the kitchen, through an MFA program and into a custom van ready to install a 120-foot mural is a great yarn best told ...

As a visual artist with an affinity for words, I know there are a lot of talented artists out there who are also great writers. So to honor the written word and to prove that blogs are not archaic, I am going to alternate introducing you to artists through interviews with introducing you to artists through their words by sharing blogs, articles and other writings with you. With the artist’s permission, of course. Welcome to ARTish WordsIn this first ARTish Words episode, I want to celebrate t...