Across the Studio

In the 8th episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Mary Royall Wilgis, a contemporary artist originally from South Carolina and now based in Brooklyn, New York. Mary Royall calls herself a light painter, and her practice centers on a method she developed called light foraging: taking raw, unstretched canvas out into the street or park, and painting the imprint of sunlight and shadows in real time before layering oil paint back in the studio to capture what she calls the personality of the light. Her work draws from the legacy of the light and space movement and operates on the belief that light is not just a subject but a revelation worth stopping for. Standing in front of her paintings feels less like looking at a canvas and more like watching a window.In this conversation: the primordial soup of materials she uses to paint outdoors, the childhood kitchen window that started it all, the story of splitting her pants wide open in the middle of Fort Greene Park while working on a commission, and what it actually takes to sustain a painting practice when you're also managing a chronic illness.Whether you're an artist, curator, or simply art-adjacent, this episode offers an intimate look into the mind and work of a compelling contemporary artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioFollow Mary Royall WilgisInstagram @maryroyallstudiowww.maryroyallwilgis.com

In the 7th episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Leda Tsoutreli, a Greek-born painter who lives and works in New York City, where she recently completed her MFA at Pratt Institute. At just 23, Tsoutreli landed a solo show at Palo Gallery one month after graduating—a debut that sold out at the opening.Tsoutreli works in oil, creating expansive abstract compositions that explore the tension between spatial excess and the functional limits of canvas. Her work draws from Baroque, Rococo, and biblical imagery, but filters these references through a deeply personal lens: the scribble, the childlike line, the act of measuring time with paint. The canvases feel like windows into infinite, nutritious spaces where her hand can travel freely.In this conversation: the tiny gap between midnight and morning and where Tsoutreli finds timelessness; the ritual of staring at paintings over breakfast and dancing around the studio; the moment she realized she was imitating herself after her debut show; the way blue travels through her work like a ballpoint pen through drawing.Whether you're an artist, curator, or simply art-adjacent, this episode offers an intimate look into the mind and work of a compelling contemporary artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioFollow Leda TsoutreliInstagram @ledatsoutreliledatsoutreli.com

In the sixth episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Ryann Woods Ham, a Brooklyn-based painter originally from Chico, California. After studying graphic design and spending years working in packaging design, Ryann made the leap in 2024 to commit fully to her studio practice.Working across painting, drawing, and ceramics, Ryann's work explores the idea that the interior self is inseparable from the larger stories that we inherit and share. Through soft figuration and dream logic, she paints worlds that feel tender, familiar, and just out of reach — inviting the viewer into spaces where animals and humans coexist world of their own.In this conversation: what it took to walk away from a stable career, the graphic design work you've held in your hands without knowing her name, the dreamlike worlds she builds on canvas, and what she's still figuring out.Whether you're an artist, curator, or simply art-adjacent, this episode offers an intimate look into the mind and work of a compelling contemporary artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioFollow Ryann Woods HamInstagram @ryawohamryannwoodsham.work

In the fifth episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Brandon Foushée, a Brooklyn-based lens-based artist born and raised in New Jersey who received his BFA from Pratt Institute. His work has been exhibited internationally, including a solo exhibition at Baxter Street Camera Club, and he is currently an artist in residence at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop.Brandon's practice begins with family. Working across photography, archival imagery, and printmaking, he explores time, memory, and familial legacy — weaving together his own photographs with found images from family albums to create work about fragmented histories and collective memory.In this conversation: how a lost art competition made him pick up a camera, the ethics of photographing the people you love, navigating imposter syndrome while working at a gallery, and why he defines a full time artist not by financial freedom but by habit.Whether you're an artist, curator, or simply art-adjacent, this episode offers an intimate look into the mind and work of a compelling contemporary artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioFollow Brandon FoushéeInstagram @fooshphotosWebsite brandonfoushee.com

In the fourth episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Arlina Cai, a Chinese American painter based in Brooklyn whose ethereal, dreamlike compositions explore spirituality, vulnerability, and the interconnectedness of the human experience. Raised on the East Coast in a Chinese American immigrant household, Arlina spent seven years in the corporate world before making the decision to leave it all behind and fully commit to her art practice.Arlina talks candidly about the leap from PepsiCo to the studio, what it actually takes to sustain a creative practice, and why catering to your audience means losing the heart of your work. Their conversation moves through the relationship between yoga and painting, living and working in the same space, and why she trusts that the paintings will go where they need to go.Her work has been featured by Paper Magazine, Saatchi Art, Uprise Art, and shown at the Sotheby's Institute of Art with collaborations including Aritiza and Bloomingdale's.Across the Studio is a podcast recorded inside artists' studios. It is a series of conversations about process, inspiration, and building a career as an artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioSubstack @acrossthestudioFollow Arlina CaiInstagram @arlinacaiWebsite arlinacai.com

In the third episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Brett Park, a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist originally from California, working across painting, cellophane, ceramics, works on paper, and performance. Best known for his viral ceramic tiger sculptures, Brett's practice examines flatness, cartoon iconography, and the tension between playfulness and serious inquiry.Brett talks candidly about his creative process, sharing the inspirations and life experiences that shape his work — including how a second grade drawing competition sparked a lifelong obsession with cartoons. Their conversation moves through the crop rotation theory of creativity, what it actually costs to be a full time artist in New York City, and why Brett thinks you should stop calling yourself an artist altogether.Across the Studio is a podcast recorded inside artists' studios. It is a series of conversations about process, inspiration, and building a career as an artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioSubstack @acrossthestudioFollow Brett ParkInstagram @brettpaintTikTok @brettpaintYoutube Brett Park

Across the Studio is a podcast recorded inside artists' studios. It is a series of conversations about process, inspiration, and building a career as an artist.In the second episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Margot Sinclair, a Brooklyn based contemporary artist. Through fusing mixed media across oil, graphite, acrylic, and thread, Margot's work conveys palpable texture. While neutral in palette, she creates depth and dimension through her use of thread elements, illustrating the beauty in unlikely combinations.Margot talks candidly about her creative process, sharing the inspirations and life experiences that shape her work — including what it finally took to call herself an artist. Their conversation moves through the blank canvas, building a practice in New York City, creating work for an imaginary audience, and how her Conversations with New York series maps the city not as a place but as an emotional state.Whether you're an artist, curator, or simply art-adjacent, this episode offers an intimate look into the mind and work of a compelling contemporary artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioSubstack @acrossthestudioFollow Margot SinclairInstagram @m.sinclair.studiohttps://www.margot-sinclair.com/

Across the Studio is a podcast recorded inside artists’ studios. It is a series of conversations about process, inspiration, and building a career as an artist.In the premiere episode of Across the Studio, Mia Schoolman sits down with Philadelphia-based painter and illustrator Elizabeth Bergeland (b. 1983). Her work blends figurative realism with surreal, imagined spaces, always rich in symbolism and deeply personal—exploring connection, doubt and the passage of time.Elizabeth talks candidly about her creative process, sharing the inspirations, influences, and life experiences that shape her work, including the impact toxic masculinity and of her chronic insomnia. Their conversation moves through themes of womanhood, motherhood, and the challenge of balancing family life with a full-time art career. She reflects on the pressures of traditional gender roles, the discipline required to sustain a creative practice, and how her personal journey informs her art.Her paintings have been exhibited nationally, including her first solo show Quiet Boy at Hotbed Gallery (2022), and her work has been featured in Create Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Friend of the Artist, Root Quarterly, and the 2024 SPRING/BREAK Art Show, where she was spotlighted as Artist Spotlight. She is also the illustrator of Being Edie is Hard Today (2019) and The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection (2021), the latter earning a Kirkus Star and a spot on Smithsonian’s “10 Best Children’s Books of 2021.” Elizabeth lives and works in Philadelphia with her husband and three children.Whether you’re an artist, curator, or simply art-adjacent, this episode offers an intimate look into the mind and work of a compelling contemporary artist.Follow Across the StudioInstagram @acrossthestudioTikTok @acrossthestudioSubstack @acrossthestudioFollow Elizabeth BergelandInstagram: @elizabethbergeland Website: elizabethbergeland.com