Down to a Fine Art

In their latest adventure, Izzy and Anna found themselves on an exciting trip to Plymouth where (once again) they ended up at KARST - this time, for the group show Discord & Harmony that brings together contemporary artists alongside the work of the late, great Beryl Cook. As a fun bonus, they also found time to head over to The Box for their concurrent show Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy, and even got to squeeze in a viewing of a fantastic in-conversation between some of the exhibiting artists at KARST and the curators of Beryl's show at The Box. In this episode they talk all things atmosphere and enjoyment, all things fun curation, and of course, all things Beryl. Thank you so much to Ben Borthwick and the KARST team for making this episode happen! You can check out their Instagram @karstgallery and their website karst.org.uk. Discord & Harmony is on at KARST until 18th April 2026.

This month, Izzy and Anna invite you to book club (with a twist). Izzy brings some content from Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet and Anna reads from Why I Write by George Orwell. Highlights include sea otters, rules for writing, ecosystems, cellular universes, and reasons to make art. As always, Weasel makes an appearance. (A warning and an apology: there are a lot of dog-related mouth sounds in the last 15mins of this episode).

To celebrate the final episode of 2025, Izzy and Anna revisit the resolutions (sorry, intentions) they set for themselves at the beginning of the year – ranging from mindfulness and herb gardening to deleting Instagram, getting a credit card, talking about scary things in therapy, and watching less F1 (and buying some microphones for the podcast…). The episode once more features a recurring slipper-chewing special guest.

Illustrator, storyteller and picture book specialist Emily Luke joins Izzy and Anna on the podcast this month – plus a new (sleepy) special guest. They discuss what led Emily to illustration, how it differs from Fine Art, how to write good stories, the importance of page turns, Emily’s favourite illustrators, and why more adults should read children’s books. Authors/illustrators/books/films mentioned: Hank Goes Honk, Charlie & Lola by Lauren Child, Beatrix Potter, Sara Fanelli, Quentin Blake, Miss Potter, The Day War Came by Nicola Davies and Rebecca Cobb, Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser at the V&A, and Emily’s own Morag the Magpie. You can see more of Emily’s work on Instagram @emily_lukeillustration and on her website emilylukeillustration.com.

This episode, Izzy and Anna each select a single work of art they have made recently to talk about. Anna’s piece, as we fret at the edge of a toxic puddle ii, prompts discussions around rocks (as always), body parts (particularly teeth), machinery, mining, framing, and capitalism. Izzy’s piece, Have you spoken about that?, sparks a conversation around the unpredictability of wild creatures, the emotional connotations of horizontal and vertical lines, the uncanny, learning through observation, and the relationship between research and making. They also coin a new slogan for the podcast. Exhibitions/books mentioned: Ahmet Doğu İpek at Tate St Ives, The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing.

After lots of guest and exhibition episodes, Izzy and Anna finally bring the attention back to them. They reflect on how they are feeling about art at the moment, discussing everything from subtle mindset shifts to going back to the roots of engaging with creativity. Books mentioned: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari and People Like Us by Hashi Mohamed.

It’s episode 90 (!!) and to celebrate, Izzy and Anna are joined by artist and facilitator Rachael Coward. With an upcoming solo show on the near horizon, Rachael talks them through her practice, her inspirations, her processes, the importance of play, responding to a site vs finding sites for a work,  and much much more (including becoming Izzy’s temporary art therapist for the episode). Rachael’s work can be found at @rachaelcoward on Instagram and rachaelcoward.co.uk on her website. Very excitingly, Rachael’s work can also be seen in person at her solo show Something Lost / Something Found, on display at The Heseltine Gallery in Truro from 6 September - 5 October 2025.

This year is bringing lots of firsts for the podcast – last month was the first ever podcast exhibition, and this month is the first ever podcast road trip! Izzy and Anna travelled up to Plymouth to see Alastair and Fleur Mackie’s show ‘Projected Outcomes’ at KARST. They discuss the many finely-tuned layers of both the artworks and the curation, delving into thesubtle effectiveness of the white cube, silent films, the tension in a mile of fishing line, sub-fossilisation, the edge of the land, and what happens when you curate images as sculptures. Thank you so much to Ben Borthwick and theKARST team for making this episode happen! You can check out their Instagram @karstgallery and their website karst.org.uk. (For anyone wanting to skip the audio description spoilers, jump to 19.06!)

It’s exhibition time! In an exciting first for the podcast, Izzy and Anna have put together a show of guests’ work. In this live episode, they reflect on the process of curating the exhibition and its similarities to the journey of the podcast over the last four years, as well as answering some questions from the artists. Although the exhibition is over, you can see photos of it on the podcast Instagram: @downtoafineart.podcast.

This week, Izzy and Anna talk to documentarian George Steedman Jones. A man of many talents, George is a filmmaker, photographer, and (fellow!) podcaster with a particular interest in documentary ethics, authenticity, and community. You can see his work on Instagram at @georgebrynmor and on his website: georgesteedmanjones.com. His podcast, Coffee with Conservationists, is available on Spotify.

Izzy and Anna take a tour of Tate St Ives’ current exhibition, ‘Ithell Colquhoun: Between Worlds’. They give a brief overview of Colquhoun’s life and the exhibition itself before discussing their favourite and least favourite pieces, and how Colquhoun’s work relates to their own practices. This episode is sadly not sponsored by Tate (although perhaps that is for the best…). The exhibition is on until 5th May 2025 – you can read more about it here: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/ithell-colquhoun-between-worlds.

This month, Izzy and Anna head over to Wharfside Art Hub in Penzance and are joined by curator and photographer Fran Rowse for another live episode. Set amongst the exhibition, Cornish Maids, they talk to Fran about how she curated it, the history of the project, Fran’s background, and the women and girls that make up this incredible community. You can see Fran’s work on Instagram at @franrowse_ or online at www.franrowse.com. To see more of Cornish Maids, check out @cornishmaids_ on Instagram. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

Izzy and Anna are back for yet another art therapy session. What begins as a very chaotic episode soon turns surprisingly coherent - they talk about building sustainable habits, the chicken and egg of applications, taking the pressure off making work, finding ways to keep the mystery, and collage. Artists mentioned are Liv Gravil (former Down to a Fine Art guest!) and Mire Lee. The collages Anna mentions are on her Instagram (@anna.harris.art), posted on 2nd February 2025. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

In this episode, Izzy and Anna talk about structure (not the scaffolding kind). How do they structure their days/weeks/months/brains? How do they balance routine and spontaneity? How do they choose what to prioritise in their lives? Tune in to find out. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

It’s a new year, which can only mean one thing - it’s time for some new intentions. Join Izzy and Anna as they reflect on the year gone by and look towards the year to come. You can expect therapy content, words of wisdom, gentle parenting, and an unexpected Kermit face. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

It’s time for another art therapy session. Izzy has some issues, Anna has some solutions. They talk. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

This week Izzy and Anna are joined by an award-winning (!) guest, artist and writer Indi Wills. Join them to learn more about Indi’s practice, which explores queering, landscape, fictioning, monsters, and radical abjection, and delve into the pros and cons of working collaboratively, making art accessible (both in gallery spaces and online), vampire theory, the plague, archives, and how to get people to touch artwork. To see the works mentioned in the episode, check out Indi’s Instagram, @inderz_does_art. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

Join Izzy and Anna’s exclusive book club as they discuss Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. Themes include indigenous wisdom, storytelling, motherhood, scientific knowledge, mindfulness, and learning from nature. In summary, they thought it was great. Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

This episode is for all the freelancers and casual workers out there - WE SEE YOU TRYING TO PUT BOUNDARIES IN PLACE AND WE LOVE YOU FOR IT!! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa

This week, Izzy and Anna take the dive back into their old journals and notebooks, discussing the ways they find note-taking most beneficial and keeping their eyes open for any old overlooked ideas that still have potential to them now. To be expected from this episode: human-centric perspectives, mindmaps, Radical Ecology, scallop discos, a long overdue shout out to Rachel Sussman, and the age old question - would aliens understand indicators?! Music: Ketsa, Still Room On The Night Train available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa