Windowsill Chats

This week, Margo chats with Minneapolis-based mixed media artist Amy Rice. Amy's nostalgic, subtly street-art influenced works are deeply defined by her Midwestern roots and growing up in a rural area, she found inspiration in the surrounding flora and fauna. Over the course of her career she has developed an appreciation for the simplistic yet beautiful things in life. While exhibiting her work e...

Margo is joined by Holly Thomas Stein, the artist behind HTS Studios. Holly has been an artist for as long as she can remember, from crayons to computers and everywhere in between. In 30+ years as a self-employed artist, Holly has been a graphic designer, illustrator, metalsmith and mixed media artist as well as owned an art gallery and taught jewelry making. She's been fortunate to work with amaz...

I'm sharing a special preview of a podcast I've been enjoying, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, from Pushkin Industries. Talk Easy is a weekly interview podcast, where writer Sam Fragoso invites actors, writers, activists, and politicians to come to the table and speak from the heart in ways you probably haven't heard from them before. Driven by curiosity, he has  revealing conversations with guests li...

In this episode, Margo chats with art director, writer, and editor in chief of The New Maturity, Heath Brockwell. Heath's work synthesizes motivational and accessible ideas on how to create a life you love sharing a range of ideas from making a great meal for your family to ways you can have a fantastic day. When Heath was young he was obsessed with magazines. He would devour them, tear them apart...

Margo is joined by Katie Johnson and Ilana Griffo who are the co-owners at Goodtype, an inclusive community for people who love the art of typography, providing a collection of educational resources, unique perspectives, and inspiration to support their personal and professional growth. Katie and Ilana are not here for added fluff, but get right to the point and share transparently about how to bu...

Margo is joined by English artist, Lucinda Kidney. Lucinda is from Surrey, UK but was born in Kenya which has shaped much of her life today. Her work is inspired by nature, the history of found objects and family heirlooms and she carries on a rich family legacy of exploration and discovery. Lucinda's art conveys a nostalgic yet modern charm giving the viewer a certain comfort, belonging and still...

Margo is joined by the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of lines and color aka Dave Arcade. Dave is an Illustrator with a degree in graphic design and his style is born of his inner designer doing its best to talk down the numerous influences of his youth. He left behind a 10 year career as an art director to pursue freelance illustration. He has a true depth of style that delivers a one-two punch...

I'm sharing a special preview of a podcast I've been enjoying, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, from Pushkin Industries. Talk Easy is a weekly interview podcast, where writer Sam Fragoso invites actors, writers, activists, and politicians to come to the table and speak from the heart in ways you probably haven't heard from them before. Driven by curiosity, he's had revealing conversations with everyone...

Margo is joined by the multi-faceted, passionate, creative genius Kate Shepherd. Kate spent her whole life busily and successfully manifesting all the things. Money. A great jewelry brand. An expensive home in a big city. But still there was something missing... and it wasn't material. As a lifelong artist, creativity has been her greatest friend and constant companion, the one thing that has neve...

Margo has a fascinating and unique conversation about the magnificent Church of Saint Germain des Prés, and what is being done to preserve its rich and layered history with David Sheppe. David has enjoyed a long career in international banking and was living and working in Paris in the 1980s when he first took an interest in the church of Saint Germain des Prés, and he has been a frequent visitor...

Margo has a wonderful conversation with visual artist and cat lover Terry Runyan where they dig into the inner critic conversation that comes up no matter how experienced you are and granting yourself permission. For many years, Terry has lived with a very strong inner critic and tied her personal value to the art that she created but deep into her career at Hallmark she realized how greatly this...

Margo is switching gears this week to discuss intuitive wisdom, self-care, and wellbeing through the development and deepening of self-awareness and how it ties into your creative practice. She is joined by Kristen Elizabeth of In Wild Bloom who combines coaching strategies with elements of creative expression and yoga to help individuals create their own version of wellness. She knows through exp...

Margo is joined once again by artist, designer and creator of online art and creativity courses, Este MacLeod. Este was previously on episode 16 to discuss being an authentic artist and understanding your own creative brand and this time she's back to chat about all things color. Este's paintings are informed by the real and the imaginary. A background in textile and ceramic design is evident in t...

This week, Margo chats with Annie McGee, a history loving illustrator and pattern designer. Annie currently lives in Cheshire, England with her husband and two children and loves to feather her nest by exploring all kinds of crafts, declaring herself to be a renaissance soul who loves to dive into multiple mediums. Her creative journey has been driven by her experience of chronic illness, disabili...

This week, Margo is joined by Debbie Saviano who represents individuals who wish to transition into another career as she has done it successfully three times herself. Her first transition was from a rewarding career in education into the sphere of social media, then she co-launched a women's education platform to expand their businesses, and finally, she now focuses on how to use social media to...

Margo chats with Deane Christiansen of Deane Beesley Designs. Deane is a self taught artist, illustrator, designer and painter living in beautiful Alberta Canada.  Her creative story started early as a child with influences from her Mom and Gramma.  Interested in a variety of crafts, she quickly learned how to sew, crochet, paint and draw. Deane has been in the creative industry for over 25 years,...

In this episode Margo is joined by Tamisha Anthony. Tamisha is an illustrator working for various clients such as Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishers, Little Brown, and Chronicle Books. She finds that educating little ones or the young at heart always inspires her art. She has been an educator for the past several years teaching at institutions such as the New-York Historical Society and th...

In this episode, Margo is joined by the creative mind and heart behind UK-based Illustration Agency Jehane Ltd., Jehane Boden Spiers. Jehane is a successful designer in her own right and has several designs licensed all over the world. Born in Brighton, UK, she graduated with a degree in Textile Design from Winchester School of Art in the early 1990's. Jehane was one of the first designers to use...

Margo chats with Karin Lauria is an independent artist and illustrator, Karin Lauria. Karin is from  Massachusetts and works mainly in digital, but also creates mixed media digital and watercolor art and illustrations. Her style is vibrant, colorful, whimsical, and thoughtful. She has licensed work and collaborations with several companies including Moi & Toi Studio, Amber Lotus Publishing, and Gr...

Previous guest, Bethany Andrews-Nichols joins Margo once again to discuss their upcoming Windowsill Workshop event! In 2017, Bethany took a trip to Jaipur, India to learn about the ancient art of block-printing in which she was immediately hooked. Now, she's a pattern designer and block-print artist and will be teaching others how to block print during the workshop.  Windowsill Workshops has been...

Margo is met by owner and active principal of Licensing Liaison, Alicia Dauber. Licensing Liaison is a full-service art licensing agency based in the Pacific Northwest that has been in business for the last 17 years. Alicia represents talented artists who develop imaginative concepts that are unique and specific for manufacturers who need them. As a "hands-on" principal agent, Alicia, her staff an...

Margo chats with self-taught graphic designer/illustrator, Bron Alexander. Bron has over 20 years of experience along with a never-ending passion for her craft and a curiosity that never rests, dubbing herself the Curious Illustrator. Over the years she has struck a happy relationship between her illustration and design work where her design background influences her illustrations and vice versa....

Lisa Congdon is back in the windowsill with Margo to share all the fun details on her Rockefeller Center Christmas Art Installation as well as a bit of reflection on 2021 and what she hopes to accomplish in 2022! This installation is part of Art in Focus , a series of art exhibitions produced in partnership with Art Production Fund and is on view around the Rockefeller Center campus through Januar...

This week Margo sits down with lettering artist Lynn Giunta. Lynn has been with Hallmark Cards for 37 years and discovered her fascination for cutting letters by hand during her tenured journey. She has always been drawn to positive phrases and never tires of seeing kind messages come to life. Lynn is also a graphic designer and children's book illustrator and she and Margo discuss finding inspira...

Margo chats with world traveler and natural connector, Kimber Leblicq who brings her experience as an artist, metalsmith, jewelry designer, curator, and entrepreneur together with her passion for people and the natural world. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Arizona University, she launched her art career as a professional union scenic artist in the entertainment industry. Aft...