podcast - Suggested Donation

We recorded with violinist and composer Michelle Ross exploring the intersection between classical music and art. Michelle is a hugely accomplished musician and we discuss her early introduction to the violin, the influence of her teacher Itzhak Perlman, her recent 33-days of Bach performances in NYC, and music composition.

We sat down with Mario Robinson for a great and completely unedited conversation - we have been wanting to record with him for a while and we finally had the chance on the heels of the release of his excellent new book about painting in watercolor: Lessons in Realistic Watercolor.

We recorded with artist and teacher Sharon Sprung. Sharon is a leader in the New York figurative art scene. We follow her from Glen Cove to Cornell to NYC, where she studied with legendary teachers Robert Beverly Hale and Harvey Dinnerstein at the National Academy of Design and Art Students League.

We sat down with sculptor Brian Booth Craig about his artistic beginnings, modern and classical art,artistic philosophy, sculpting process and his up coming show at Louis K. Meisel in NYC.

Fun conversation with acclaimed artist, teacher and now author, Jon DeMartin. We had a blast speaking with Tony’s studio neighbor and friend Jon. We covered baseball, his training with Michael Aviano, the elusive Ketchup Bottle painting, Baldassarre Franceschini and of course his new book: Drawing Atelier, The Figure.

We're back, again. This time we are joined by artist and old pal, Scott Waddell. Scott recently left his long run as one of the favorite core instructors at the Grand Central Atelier where we all teach to pursue his burgeoning online mentoring and instructional videos. We discuss this transition, his roots in film and, of course, his epic paintings. We hope you enjoy this conversation with one of...

We sat down with an artist who is widely considered to be one of the greatest living landscape painters, Joseph McGurl.

Suggested Donation Podcast is back with another dynamite episode! Hot off the presses, our back to school special edition is perhaps our most extraordinary scoop to date, featuring Old Master Dealer and real-life Indiana Jones, Robert Simon. Hear the gripping story of an art historical find of momentous proportions -- the discovery of the century.

Juliette Aristides is a monumental figure in the classical painting community. Her three books on painting have been hugely influential to a generation of painters, with a new, fourth book in the works. She is also an old friend and we were happy to finally catch her on a trip to NYC

Suggested Donation is joined by artist Cesar Santos, who dropped by while in town for the Art Miami show in NYC. We had a super fun conversation about art, galleries, boxing and more.

The boys have a conversation with great artist, educator and founder of The Florence Academy of Art, Daniel Graves.

the latest installment of Suggested Donation Podcast with artist, teacher and founder and director of the Sadie Valeri Atelier: you guessed it...Sadie Valeri.

We sat down at the Grand Central Atelier's Eleventh Street Arts Gallery to record a much anticipated conversation with artist and Dinotopia creator, James Gurney.

We were recently joined by artist David Kassan for a fun conversation at the Salmagundi Club. David is coming off of the success of his Kickstarter campaign to fund his Parallel Palette. David discussed his work, inspiration, roots and his Kassan Foundation.

We were lucky enough to sit down with the executive chef and co-owner of two of NYC's most celebrated restaurants, Chef Nick Anderer of Maialino and Marta, both part of the Danny Meyer empire. We sat down in the private dining room at Maialino to discuss cuisine, craft and art. Chef Nick was in college focusing on art history on a semester in Rome when he first recognized his desire to find a care...

Edward, Tony and Jay talk about what 2014 was like doing the podcast, answering some listeners questions (criticism) and the all important what's in store for 2015. Edward makes Tony uncomfortable by saying nice things about one of his paintings.

We had the chance to sit down and talk to one of our favorite artists and dear friend, the incredibly talented Michael Grimaldi.

We sat down with a friend and one of our favorite painters, Marc Dalessio. Marc primarily paints portraits and landscapes, and has become known for his large and small landscapes paintings executed on site.

Steven has been a central figure in the realist painting world for decades. We explored Steven's introduction to art, and what continues to inspire his outstanding paintings. The conversation goes very deep into Steven's philosophy, ranging from cave paintings to Bruce Lee.

We sat down at the Salmagundi Club with our friend, the tremendously talented Michael Klein to talk about his roots in small-town North Dakota, his life in small-town Argentina, his video magazine, Instructional Documentary, his faith and, of course, his outstanding paintings.

We were honored to sit down with two-time Oscar nominated film-maker Bill Plimpton. Bill is a legend in the world of independent film, having produced six animated features and over 40 short films!

We are excited to share our awesome discussion with one of our favorite artists, Anthony Waichulis. Anthony paints breathtaking Trompe L'Oeil paintings, runs the Ani Art Academies, and has released a series of instructional DVD's entitled "The Language of Drawing" and "The Language of Painting", both long-term projects designed to share his rigorous training with a larger student base.

Vincent Desiderio is one of the leading figurative painters of our time. His work is featured in collections including the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim Museum, The Walker Art Center among many others. He is a senior critic at the New York Academy of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Vincent has a reputation as one of the leading int...

George O'Hanlon We are joined by George O'Hanlon from Natural Pigments for an in depth geek-out on artist's materials. George walks us through his view on the state of the artist's materials business, and the differences in what we are using now versus what artists of the past used.  George is very thoughtful and knowledgeable - to learn more you can sign up for his "Best Practices" lecture,...

Jacob is a seminal force in the realist movement. He has taught and mentored countless artists, and inspired many more through his beautiful painting. We are excited to bring you a conversation with a teacher, mentor and close friend to both of us.