September 11, 2024 • 9 mins
Ty Nathan Clark and Nathan Terborg are taking a moment to reflect and recharge after a whirlwind week filled with residency applications, art making and family milestones—Nathan's oldest daughter just started college! But don't worry, we're gearing up for some incredible new content on Just Make Art. From artist features to Q&A sessions, and even guest co-hosts, there's a ton of exciting stuff on the horizon. We're kicking it off with an in-depth discussion on "Art and Fear" by David Bayliss and Ted Orland, a book so pivotal that it's a staple in our studio practice and teaching. Grab your copy and share your thoughts with us; who knows, your insights might make it into our upcoming episodes!
We're not stopping there; we've lined up a series of must-read books that have profoundly impacted our artistic journeys. Titles include Jerry Saltz's "How to Be an Artist," Bianca Bosker's "Get the Picture," Nick Cave's "Faith, Hope, and Carnage," and Rainer Maria Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet." Plus, don't miss our video podcasts on Spotify and YouTube where we add fun B-rolls and Easter eggs. If you love what we're doing, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it really helps us reach new listeners. And as a special treat, I'm sharing a passage from the Pulitzer-winning biography "De Kooning: An American Master," an absolute gem for art lovers. Thanks for tuning in; we can't wait to share more with you soon!
Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!
Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast @tynathanclark @nathanterborg
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, this is Ty.
Nathan Clark and I just wantedto jump on here with a special
short little episode, more of anupdate, just to let you know
why there wasn't an episode.
This week, nathan and I havebeen extremely busy prepping
(00:21):
work, getting work ready,working with other artists.
We've had family things come up.
Nathan's daughter just left forcollege, so he's been busy with
family stuff.
I've been busy with some familystuff, all good things, but we
decided we didn't want to rushan episode, so we're taking some
time, took a little break inbetween before we start the next
chapter of Just Make Art, andwe have a lot of really fun,
(00:44):
exciting things coming to youand I cannot wait to absolutely
dive into those in the forms ofartist features, guest co-hosts,
question and answer episodes,and I think this is going to end
up being our favorite of JustMake Art coming in the future is
book reports, where we diveinto books that were absolutely
(01:05):
foundational for us in ourstudio practice, in our lives as
art makers, and the first bookwe're going to start with is the
book Art and Fear by DavidBayliss and Ted Orland.
It is a must read.
If you don't have it, go get it, order it today, read it and if
you have read it and you havequestions and thoughts that have
come from your reading in thepast, send it to us and maybe
(01:28):
we'll be able to incorporatethem into the episode.
You can either email orInstagram message us.
At Instagram, it's at just makeart podcast.
Via email, it's just make artpodcast at gmailcom.
So art and fear.
We're going to break it up intothree episodes and part one is
coming next week.
This is also a book I teach inmy artist mentorship program
(01:51):
because it is, like I said,absolutely foundational for me.
We're also going to probably gothrough how to be an artist by
Jerry salts get the picture.
By Bianca Bosker.
Faith, hope and carnage by Nickcave and letters to a young
poet by Rainier Mariaker.
Faith, hope and Carnage by NickCave.
And Letters to a Young Poet byRainier Maria Rilke, one of my
favorite poets and an absolutelyinfluential book as well.
(02:12):
All of those are so, like Isaid, if you've read any of
those books, or if you get themnow and read them, send us your
questions or thoughts that havearrived and we will try to
incorporate those into thepodcast.
Little reminder you can alsowatch us in video on Spotify or
YouTube.
So all of our episodes havebeen videoed.
(02:32):
I have a really fun timeediting them and putting B-roll
of the artists.
We're talking about moments orstories, photographs, video of
them in the studio or littleEaster eggs of things where I
like to make fun of myself andNathan at times in the video.
So if you're looking forsomething to bide your time in
between the next podcast episode, make sure to check us out on
(02:53):
YouTube or on Spotify.
One more thing we would loveyour reviews.
We know we have a lot oflisteners.
We would love to hear from you.
So, either on Apple podcasts oron Spotify, we would love to
hear from you.
So, either on Apple Podcasts oron Spotify, we would love it if
you would just leave a shortreview and even give us a rating
.
It really does help push theword out and spread the podcast
to new listeners.
(03:14):
Well, I'm going to readsomething to you before I jump
off here, and this is from mycurrent readings as I am
studying De Kooning, an AmericanMaster, by Mark Stevens and
Annalyn Swan, which won thePulitzer for biography.
It might be my second favoriteartist biography ever written,
second only to Mary Gabriel'sNinth Street Women, which is by
(03:35):
far and away my favorite artbiography ever.
So if you haven't read it,nathan and I reference it all
the time I would highly suggestreading it.
But you can also listen to iton audio book as well.
So this little section from deKooning, an American Master, is
right after a young Willem deKooning met the artist Arsha
Gorky in New York and becamesuper close friends.
(04:00):
And Gorky became a hero also toWillem de Kooning and looked up
to him.
And this is when de Kooningfirst went to the studio of
Arshile Gorky in the 1930s.
When de Kooning walked into thestudio he was overwhelmed and
made dizzy by the atmosphere.
He had this extraordinaryextrasensory perception.
(04:22):
De Kooning later told Gorky'snephew this gift.
De Kooning's epiphany in thestudio was almost religious in
character, as if he had finallyreached the end of the
pilgrimage.
Here he found the truemetaphysics of art, where its
principles were understood andits sacraments faithfully
practiced.
Certainly Gorky, an Armenianwho came from the land of
(04:44):
religious passion and reveredritual, treated his studio as a
sacred kind of space.
To begin with, it was quiteunusual at that time to have a
place outside one's apartmentconsecrated to nothing but the
making of art.
The artist Stuart David said hewas the only artist I can
recall who always had a realstudio.
(05:05):
Most including myself paintedin their bedrooms or temporary
makeshift quarters.
In addition, he also managed tokeep these studios stocked with
a supply of art materialsworthy of a small retail store
and he used them up with abandonand unconcerned for cost, in
accord with his temperament.
In brief, he galloped aroundthe village like a mountain goat
(05:26):
with his pauper peers and hegot off quite better than most.
De Kooning said when he cameinto the studio he was bright
enough to take this hintimmediately.
The hint was that a seriousartist did not kid around.
A serious artist made art thecenter of their life, treated it
as a calling and sacrificedeverything else to it.
(05:49):
If they didn't, they were justan amateur.
Presence of the paintintoxicated him.
He used paint more than anyone.
He outdid everybody.
He had that fire of burning.
In the early 30s, gorky became adevoted disciple of Picasso.
(06:11):
In his still lifes of the timehe copied Picasso's work in
order to understand the master'sart not just from the outside
but from within.
Gorky's approach to Picasso hada great impact upon de Kooning
the decision to paint Picassos,to make Picasso part of a studio
gave life to the abstractformulations about the painter,
(06:32):
conveying a feeling of closeness, almost intimacy, to modern art
.
As TS Eliot famously wrote,immature poets imitate, mature
poets steal.
Gorky hoped to one day steal.
His intimate approach totradition was a revelation to de
Kooning.
It helped him close perhapssteal is the better word a
(06:54):
breach in his sensibility,leading him to reconcile his
love for the past with hispassion for the present.
According to the critic HaroldRosenberg, gorky's challenging
remark about having your ownideas transformed de Kooning's
entire attitude towards painting.
If you have your own idea, thatwas it, you're stuck with it.
(07:14):
The history of painting,however, contained endless
inventions which the livingpainter could make their own.
Even inventing a thing that hadalready been invented was an
act of creation.
De Kooning likes to call thisinventing the harpsichord.
The fact that the harpsichord,and even the piano that
superseded it, does not preventthe invention that brought it
(07:35):
into being from beinglegitimately repeated.
Art belonged not to history,gorky thought, but to the
present.
What de Kooning foundliberating was that Gorky
treated the past as if it werealive and speaking to modern
artists as if it were news thatstays in the news.
In Ezra Pound's famousformulation.
They also were not afraid tocriticize the greatest artists.
(07:58):
Even the best had weak moments.
Analyzing the masters in thisfashion fired both artists'
imagination and ambition as theystruggled to find their own
voices, the painters of the pastbecame colleagues and
contemporaries, which allowedthem to think of joining their
August circle without being awedinto silence or timidity.
(08:20):
Wow, that's one of the reasonswhy Nathan and I push so hard to
study and research and diveinto the past.
My contemporaries, who are inthe studio with me regularly,
are artists of the past.
I've learned their ways.
I've learned their life.
I've learned their techniques.
I've learned how much theywanted this and I bring them
(08:42):
into the studio with me everytime I'm making art.
They are a part of my journey.
They may be long and gone, butthey're a part of my journey.
So I hope that gives you alittle inspiration this week in
the studio.
We will see you next week withart and fear, part one.
So excited to dive into thisbook.
It's a monster.
It's a super easy read, it'snot very long, but it is
(09:03):
foundational.
Hope you have a great week.
Go make some art, get in thestudio, even if it's one mark or
one stroke.
Whatever you're going to do,get in there and make something,
and we'll see you soon.
Bye.
Hey everybody, this is Ty.
Nathan Clark and I just wantedto jump on here with a special
short little episode, more of anupdate, just to let you know
why there wasn't an episode.
This week, nathan and I havebeen extremely busy prepping
(00:21):
work, getting work ready,working with other artists.
We've had family things come up.
Nathan's daughter just left forcollege, so he's been busy with
family stuff.
I've been busy with some familystuff, all good things, but we
decided we didn't want to rushan episode, so we're taking some
time, took a little break inbetween before we start the next
chapter of Just Make Art, andwe have a lot of really fun,
(00:44):
exciting things coming to youand I cannot wait to absolutely
dive into those in the forms ofartist features, guest co-hosts,
question and answer episodes,and I think this is going to end
up being our favorite of JustMake Art coming in the future is
book reports, where we diveinto books that were absolutely
(01:05):
foundational for us in ourstudio practice, in our lives as
art makers, and the first bookwe're going to start with is the
book Art and Fear by DavidBayliss and Ted Orland.
It is a must read.
If you don't have it, go get it, order it today, read it and if
you have read it and you havequestions and thoughts that have
come from your reading in thepast, send it to us and maybe
(01:28):
we'll be able to incorporatethem into the episode.
You can either email orInstagram message us.
At Instagram, it's at just makeart podcast.
Via email, it's just make artpodcast at gmailcom.
So art and fear.
We're going to break it up intothree episodes and part one is
coming next week.
This is also a book I teach inmy artist mentorship program
(01:51):
because it is, like I said,absolutely foundational for me.
We're also going to probably gothrough how to be an artist by
Jerry salts get the picture.
By Bianca Bosker.
Faith, hope and carnage by Nickcave and letters to a young
poet by Rainier Mariaker.
Faith, hope and Carnage by NickCave.
And Letters to a Young Poet byRainier Maria Rilke, one of my
favorite poets and an absolutelyinfluential book as well.
(02:12):
All of those are so, like Isaid, if you've read any of
those books, or if you get themnow and read them, send us your
questions or thoughts that havearrived and we will try to
incorporate those into thepodcast.
Little reminder you can alsowatch us in video on Spotify or
YouTube.
So all of our episodes havebeen videoed.
(02:32):
I have a really fun timeediting them and putting B-roll
of the artists.
We're talking about moments orstories, photographs, video of
them in the studio or littleEaster eggs of things where I
like to make fun of myself andNathan at times in the video.
So if you're looking forsomething to bide your time in
between the next podcast episode, make sure to check us out on
(02:53):
YouTube or on Spotify.
One more thing we would loveyour reviews.
We know we have a lot oflisteners.
We would love to hear from you.
So, either on Apple podcasts oron Spotify, we would love to
hear from you.
So, either on Apple Podcasts oron Spotify, we would love it if
you would just leave a shortreview and even give us a rating
.
It really does help push theword out and spread the podcast
to new listeners.
(03:14):
Well, I'm going to readsomething to you before I jump
off here, and this is from mycurrent readings as I am
studying De Kooning, an AmericanMaster, by Mark Stevens and
Annalyn Swan, which won thePulitzer for biography.
It might be my second favoriteartist biography ever written,
second only to Mary Gabriel'sNinth Street Women, which is by
(03:35):
far and away my favorite artbiography ever.
So if you haven't read it,nathan and I reference it all
the time I would highly suggestreading it.
But you can also listen to iton audio book as well.
So this little section from deKooning, an American Master, is
right after a young Willem deKooning met the artist Arsha
Gorky in New York and becamesuper close friends.
(04:00):
And Gorky became a hero also toWillem de Kooning and looked up
to him.
And this is when de Kooningfirst went to the studio of
Arshile Gorky in the 1930s.
When de Kooning walked into thestudio he was overwhelmed and
made dizzy by the atmosphere.
He had this extraordinaryextrasensory perception.
(04:22):
De Kooning later told Gorky'snephew this gift.
De Kooning's epiphany in thestudio was almost religious in
character, as if he had finallyreached the end of the
pilgrimage.
Here he found the truemetaphysics of art, where its
principles were understood andits sacraments faithfully
practiced.
Certainly Gorky, an Armenianwho came from the land of
(04:44):
religious passion and reveredritual, treated his studio as a
sacred kind of space.
To begin with, it was quiteunusual at that time to have a
place outside one's apartmentconsecrated to nothing but the
making of art.
The artist Stuart David said hewas the only artist I can
recall who always had a realstudio.
(05:05):
Most including myself paintedin their bedrooms or temporary
makeshift quarters.
In addition, he also managed tokeep these studios stocked with
a supply of art materialsworthy of a small retail store
and he used them up with abandonand unconcerned for cost, in
accord with his temperament.
In brief, he galloped aroundthe village like a mountain goat
(05:26):
with his pauper peers and hegot off quite better than most.
De Kooning said when he cameinto the studio he was bright
enough to take this hintimmediately.
The hint was that a seriousartist did not kid around.
A serious artist made art thecenter of their life, treated it
as a calling and sacrificedeverything else to it.
(05:49):
If they didn't, they were justan amateur.
Presence of the paintintoxicated him.
He used paint more than anyone.
He outdid everybody.
He had that fire of burning.
In the early 30s, gorky became adevoted disciple of Picasso.
(06:11):
In his still lifes of the timehe copied Picasso's work in
order to understand the master'sart not just from the outside
but from within.
Gorky's approach to Picasso hada great impact upon de Kooning
the decision to paint Picassos,to make Picasso part of a studio
gave life to the abstractformulations about the painter,
(06:32):
conveying a feeling of closeness, almost intimacy, to modern art
.
As TS Eliot famously wrote,immature poets imitate, mature
poets steal.
Gorky hoped to one day steal.
His intimate approach totradition was a revelation to de
Kooning.
It helped him close perhapssteal is the better word a
(06:54):
breach in his sensibility,leading him to reconcile his
love for the past with hispassion for the present.
According to the critic HaroldRosenberg, gorky's challenging
remark about having your ownideas transformed de Kooning's
entire attitude towards painting.
If you have your own idea, thatwas it, you're stuck with it.
(07:14):
The history of painting,however, contained endless
inventions which the livingpainter could make their own.
Even inventing a thing that hadalready been invented was an
act of creation.
De Kooning likes to call thisinventing the harpsichord.
The fact that the harpsichord,and even the piano that
superseded it, does not preventthe invention that brought it
(07:35):
into being from beinglegitimately repeated.
Art belonged not to history,gorky thought, but to the
present.
What de Kooning foundliberating was that Gorky
treated the past as if it werealive and speaking to modern
artists as if it were news thatstays in the news.
In Ezra Pound's famousformulation.
They also were not afraid tocriticize the greatest artists.
(07:58):
Even the best had weak moments.
Analyzing the masters in thisfashion fired both artists'
imagination and ambition as theystruggled to find their own
voices, the painters of the pastbecame colleagues and
contemporaries, which allowedthem to think of joining their
August circle without being awedinto silence or timidity.
(08:20):
Wow, that's one of the reasonswhy Nathan and I push so hard to
study and research and diveinto the past.
My contemporaries, who are inthe studio with me regularly,
are artists of the past.
I've learned their ways.
I've learned their life.
I've learned their techniques.
I've learned how much theywanted this and I bring them
(08:42):
into the studio with me everytime I'm making art.
They are a part of my journey.
They may be long and gone, butthey're a part of my journey.
So I hope that gives you alittle inspiration this week in
the studio.
We will see you next week withart and fear, part one.
So excited to dive into thisbook.
It's a monster.
It's a super easy read, it'snot very long, but it is
(09:03):
foundational.
Hope you have a great week.
Go make some art, get in thestudio, even if it's one mark or
one stroke.
Whatever you're going to do,get in there and make something,
and we'll see you soon.
Bye.
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