Artists on Art

Richard Haines is an old friend and a multi-disciplinary artist. He is a photographer, visual artist, theatre actor/director, and he teaches art and drama to high school students. We talked about how he got his start in both drawing and painting, how he was much more enamored with photography when it was about developing film in dark rooms, what he's learned about himself through the characters he...

I've long admired Jane Ledwell's poetry and was so glad that she was able to pop out to St. Peter's Bay for a chat. Our wide-ranging conversation covered the importance of collaboration in finishing projects, how artists are needed more and more in a world that pressures us to conform, and why PEI is a popular place for creative people to settle. You can find her books at The Bookmark in Charlotte...

Another "from away" artist, Shannon Linton spoke to me from her home in Ontario for this episode. We had a great little chat about why she chose not to pursue a career in opera and instead writes folk songs on her farm, advocates and performs in and for her community. She also writes regularly on Substack and you can find her music on Bandcamp . Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwo...

I've loved Dan Currie's guitar playing and songwriting for a very long time, and we've played (and recorded) in a number of bands together. It was so great to sit down and talk about how all artists have the innate need to create, when he made the choice to finish what he starts in life, and how he still thinks about playing guitar all day, every day. You can find Dan's music on streaming platform...

So glad to have Tanya Davis on the show! Tanya is a writer, poet, songwriter, musician and PEI's currant Poet Laureate. When I was dreaming up this podcast, I attempted to write a new song to use as a theme, but nothing was working. Eventually I had the feeling that the perfect theme song for this project had already been written, and soon after I remembered Tanya's wonderful song "Art". Graciousl...

Tess Martin is a filmmaker, animator, teacher and visual artist based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. We spoke about a few of her recent short films, the creative process, how your childhood can affect the art you make as an adult, and the challenges (and perks) of being an independent artist. You can find more about her work on her website . Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwork b...

Despite knowing each other for years and even playing in a band together, there was much I didn't know about Nudie, who arrived on the PEI music scene 20+ years ago and fairly quickly formed one of the East Coast's most beloved (although no longer active) honky-tonk bands, Nudie & The Turks. Nudie came out to the East end of the Island to chat about his musical journey, why he stayed in PEI, a...

Millefiore Clarkes is an award-winning filmmaker based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. We had a fun chat about the film industry, the themes that run through most of her work, how she tends to stick with her "tried and true" methods. You can find out more about her work (and watch some of her films) on her production company website . Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwork...

I first met Luke Leunes several decades ago when he was working in graphic design, selling beautiful paintings of birds and playing music. Since then, he's had many different jobs in various artistic fields, and we had a great chat about making art while making a living. Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse Follow the Podcast on Instagram Donate to help keep this pod...

Monica Lacey is another multi-genre artist based in Charlottetown, PEI. It's hard to count the number of different ways she makes art, and she has worked very hard to build up PEI's art community. We talked about her photography and visual art, how she finds the time to work, and how she stays grounded in a chaotic world. You can find out more about her on her website or on Instagram . Theme song...

John and I discuss his no-nonsense approach to the craft of writing poetry, his escape from PEI at a young age and what it takes to get good at anything. His poetry spans a range of subjects from the human condition to nature (the moon, the crows) to the confluence of physics and art. He has released three collections of poetry (you can buy one of them here ) and uploads new poems regularly on his...

Katie McGarry (married name Currie) is one of my favorite humans. She grew up in Iona, PEI (not Belfast, as I say in the interview) and lives there with her family. She is a holistic wellness practitioner and an award-winning singer/songwriter. We've shared many stages together and I was so happy to have her come out to the Bay for a chat about creativity, the music industry and Wayne's World. You...

Sacrificing stability to live a simple life, free to allow creativity to flow. Lenny Gallant has found a niche in Atlantic Canada's original art scene by using reclaimed and found materials (mostly discarded organs) to create unique custom furniture, wall hangings and more, which he sells online and from his shop in Fortune Bridge, PEI. Lenny is a multi-genre artist, and we talked about his music,...

Meet Mathias Kom, the man behind the band The Burning Hell. They are based in Eastern Prince Edward Island but you may have seen them in Newfoundland, Germany, Peterborough or Australia. Mathias and I go way back and it was so great to have a chat about creativity, making money making art, and how a song you didn't think was that great can make a huge impact on audiences. At the time of this podca...

A little sneak peak at the upcoming season. Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse Follow the Podcast on Instagram Donate to help keep this podcast running and ad-free

Meet your host, Drea Macdonald, and find out what this podcast is all about! Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse Follow the Podcast on Instagram Donate to help keep this podcast running and ad-free