Tom Ray's Art Podcast

Linsay Kovnat is an artist I reached out to online because of an animated video I saw she made years ago for the band Man Man. She's been living in New York and we talk about how she ended up creating this video and winning a Nicktoons award for it. Lindsay has also recently been working on a children's book.  Learn more about Lindsay Kovnat  https://www.lindsaykovnatart.com Man Man "Eng...

Mike Lroy is an artist living in the Madison area. I had seen his work and was very intrigued by what he was doing on his Instagram. What he was doing there seemed surreal compared to the mural and other artwork he had created around town. I reached out and got to meet him one afternoon at the coffee shop right outside of my train car on West Washington Ave. Learn more about Mike Lroy - https://ww...

Mandy Kron is an artist in Madison who is also a curator for the UW Health clinic. Mandy creates prints and multi-media artwork that include found objects like seashells and skulls that I find out she gets on Craigslist! Learn more about Mandy Kron on Instagram @atbkart Music "Just in case" by Lorenzo's Music - https://www.lorenzosmusic.com

T.L. Luke is an artist here in Madison, Fascinated with the potential that children’s picture books have on the development of a child’s creativity, Luke explores this concept via dark and whimsical subjects with the adult viewer in mind. I got the chance to sit down and talk at T.L's home/studio and learn more! Learn more about T.L. Luke at https://www.tl-luke.com Music for the podcast by Lorenzo...

Jenie Gao is a full-time artist, creative director, and entrepreneur. She specializes in printmaking, murals, public installations, and arts project management. She strives to create records, cultural cornerstones, and community landmarks that claim space for diverse identities and connect us with our ecosystems. I got the chance to meet Jenie and talk at the studio she has here in Madison. Learn...

Carli Ihde has worked for comic book companies such as DC, IDW and Dynamite. Carli is a freelancer here in Wisconsin and has also created murals, installation art, chalk drawing and currently is working as a tattoo artist. Learn more about Carli Ihde - https://www.carlieyed.com Music by Lorenzo's Music - https://www.lorenzosmusic.com

Martel Chapman is an artist around the Madison area. As a kid, his interests were very similar to what mine were back then, comic book art and listening to rap and metal music. Then he found the music of John Coltrane and it changed everything for him, including artistically. Now his style is more Improvisation in sound; improvisation in form. Learn more about Martel Chapman - https://fineartameri...

TacoCat Creations was born out of a need for cool, quality, and unique cat toys and accessories. Megan started out making products for a pet store she worked at. Eventually, it turned into a full-time business and her partner David was able to leave his job and join Megan to help it grow. Also, I talk about how I have decided to start using my own name for the things I create from now on! Learn mo...

J.L. Westover is the artist behind the webcomic Mr. Lovenstein. His work is known for its dark humor paired with a soft, cartoonish art style. I got the chance to meet him over a video chat and talk about how he made a living out of posting comics online. Learn more about J. L. Westover at https://www.mrlovenstein.com Music for this episode is by Lorenzo's Music - lorenzosmusic.com

Sean Chappell decided to try and give being a full-time artist a go. Sean created his own brand called Red Fracture and dedicated his time to creating his own work as products. He's also been going through the Shopify training course to get advice and help to learn how to do it. Learn more about Sean and Red Fracture at https://redfracture.com Music for this episode by Lorenzo's Music - lorenzosmu...

Gray Miller got involved with an event known as "Open Space Technology." in a very unconventional way... In the kink and bondage community. He has made that experience into a career doing visual thinking artwork using images, words, and live, in-person visceral drawing to engage with an audience to communicate.  Learn more about Gray Miller at https://www.graymillercreative.com  Music fo...

Triangulador, Liu Szwako is a Mexico City-born street artist and muralist working in Madison, Wisconsin. I got the chance to meet with him in an apartment he turned into an art studio. Learn more about Triangulador at https://www.triangulador.com Music for the show is by Lorenzo's Music https://www.lorenzosmusic.com

John Sanford is an animator from California who has made cartoons working for  Warner Bros. Animation, Walt Disney Television Animation, DreamWorks Animation & Pixar . And during that time he created a webcomic called Chippy and Loopus. As we talk on facebook messenger he tells me he decided he wanted to try and turn his webcomic into a tv show!

I recently posted about how we had to say good-bye to our family dog spike in my daily comic . And Vicki Liu, an artist that I follow on Instagram reached out to me and did one of the nicest things ever. She painted a portrait of our dog and gave it to me. You can visit Vicki's website and check out her work at https://www.vicki-liu.com/ Music is by Lorenzo's Music https://www.lorenzosmusic.com

Margaret Dent is another person who contacted me from the American Bandito mailing list . Margaret is an artist in Canada who creates several things, including jewelry and portraits. But her favorite type of portraits to work on are of animals, especially horses.

Tim Togstad is an artist here in Madison who I actually met right outside of the train car that I'm renting that I'm trying to turn into my own business. He was loading in his paintings into the place next door. So I walked over to introduce myself. His artwork is a style of abstract expressionism, using biomorphic forms with a liberal use of color. He creates paintings and drawings, sculpture and...

Chris Prunckle is an artist out of Illinois that makes webcomics. Then one day he started drawing bands and music reviews in his comic called "Wannabe The Comic". And we also talk about what it's like trying to make a living off of artwork that is basically only viewed in an online format.

Brennen Reece is an artist and designer from Auburn, Alabama. He has also worked in film and makes music. But what really stood out when he contacted me to be on the show was he told me he designs Tarot cards. I learn more about that and what the word Polymath means when we meet each other.

Jay D'Ici is the writer and creator of the comic "Conceptual Heist" a comic that is being created by using Kickstarter to fund it. I've always been too scared to start a Kickstarter myself, so I take the opportunity to ask him more about how he did it. And I would like to add that this is the first time I have talked to a person on this show that is in Canada. So that was kind of cool!

Up to this point I’ve only talked to people that are in or around where I am in Madison.  Matty Sheets is a musician from Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2016 he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and playing music started to become much tougher than they used to be. He wanted to keep doing things to artistically express himself so he decided to take up drawing.

I mentioned in a previous episode of the show I had participated in an annual zine fest in Madison called Print & Resist . One of the people showcasing his work at the event was John Porcellino, creator of the popular minicomic zine King Kat. Went to his table to introduce myself and I blurted out that I had this podcast and I would love to talk with him. We exchanged information and...

I went to a local coffee shop to meet the people I talk with today,  Olivia and Elizabeth from the start-up  UnderBelly . So from time to time, I like to do a nearby location search on Instagram just to see if there is any interesting artwork that's being posted in the Madison area to try and find some new things to check out. I can’t remember exactly but I think that’s how I discovered...

Lacey Smith  aka Luluweird is someone that I heard about after I met Lauden from American Trash back in August. I had connected with her on Instagram and asked if we could meet at the train car I recently rented out. Lacey has played synthesizer in bands, traveled, was a cook, was a farmer, collectively ran a grocery co-op and was the zine coordinator at a bookstore. Her artwork is inspi...

Sara Meredith and I have actually tried to set up an interview several times in the past year. I don’t know why we kept having trouble doing that.  But we finally were able to sit down and talk . She goes by the name SmereTactics  and is a Madison-based relief printmaker and teacher. Her black and white woodcut prints have a bold visceral quality while the overlapping subject matter offe...

Scott Pyburn emailed me after he discovered the podcast . He is also someone like me who decided he wanted to get back into drawing and creating again and told me that he was going to be touring with a Comic-Con and one of the stops was going to be right here in Madison. The day the Comic-Con rolled through town I decided to head on over to meet Scott and check out the artwork at his booth. Plus,...