Ask An Artist

Ask An Artist will be back with brand new episodes, every fortnight, from Friday February 28th 2025. There will be the usual chat and topic episodes by Peter Keegan and Tom Shepherd, plus interviews with artists and industry experts. Already lined up for this season are Hashim Akib, Rodney Kingston and Marc Jackman, of Jackman's Art Materials. Plus, we need your questions! Email them to us at askanartistpodcast@gmail.com or visit the website, www.askanartistpodcast.com and we will do ou...

02-21

01:50

In this special episode of Ask An Artist, we take a look back at some of the highlights of 2024. In the first part, we feature our planning episode from back in March, then our interview with Tom Croft about judging art competitions and finally, a question about knowing when to go full time.. After the break, we feature the episodes on selling strategies, the interview with Laura Boswell and studio spaces. We hope you have enjoyed listening this year, and if you want to listen to any of th...

12-20

01:23:25

In this episode, Peter and Tom answer some of your questions. Firstly there's a question about making ends meet, followed by payment terms when writing an article and finally, what to do if you attend a workshop which turns out not to be that good! If you have a question you’d like to put to us and would be happy for us to answer it here on the podcast please send it to us via our website here or alternatively you can send it to us via Instagram. This Podcast is sponsored by Rosemary & ...

12-06

33:05

In this episode Peter and Tom interview art critic, Estelle Lovatt FRSA. Estelle has the experience of being on both sides of the canvas; having trained as a painter, read art history and worked as a gallery exhibition curator. Estelle works as a freelance art critic for the BBC (radio and TV), as well as for various independent radio stations throughout Great Britain. She writes for numerous magazines and newspapers and lectures at the Hampstead School of Art, in London. She also runs her ow...

11-22

58:31

In this week’s episode, there was a problem with the audio and we had to use the back up track for a section of Peter’s audio; we apologise for the poor quality audio between 20 and 32 minutes. In this episode, Peter and Tom discuss teaching and share their advice and best practice for whether or not teaching might be for you. They share how they both began teaching, the different forms it may take, as well as discussing the passion they both have for it. They also talk about lesson pl...

11-08

01:09:57

Tom and Peter are delighted to welcome back, podcast founder, Laura Boswell. Together with Peter, Laura founded this very podcast and recorded over 100 episodes. In 2022, she and her husband, "The Talented Mr B", made the decision to move from their home in Buckinghamshire, to Scotland. In this episode, Peter and Tom catch up with Laura, find out how her work and business have developed and discuss what it has been like to effectively start again in a new area. To find out more about...

10-25

52:51

In this episode, Peter and Tom answer some of your questions. Firstly there's a question about someone who will not pay, followed by a gallery offer which seems too good to be true and finally, being paid fairly for an art group workshop. If you have a question you’d like to put to us and would be happy for us to answer it here on the podcast please send it to us via our website here or alternatively you can send it to us via Instagram. This Podcast is sponsored by Rosemary & Co Brushes...

10-11

35:54

In this episode Peter and Tom interview artist Jenny Aitken, one of the UK's most successful oil painters working today. Jenny is a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, exhibits her work nationally and internationally, has won numerous awards and regularly teaches, both in-person and online. In this episode she shares some really helpful insights into being a working Artist and talks about what inspired her to write her first book; "Painting into the Light". To find out more abou...

09-27

52:21

In this episode Peter and Tom discuss insurance. Drawing on their own experience, they discuss the different elements of your business that you may need to insure and some important aspects to take into consideration. This Podcast is sponsored by Rosemary & Co Brushes, Search Press publishers and Jackson’s Art Supplies. For more information about our sponsors, please visit: Rosemary & Co Brushes: www.rosemaryandco.com Search Press publishers: www.searchpress.com Jackson’s Art ...

09-13

29:27

In this episode, Peter and Tom welcome back fellow Artist, Tom Croft. Tom is a portrait painter who has appeared on Sky Portrait Artist of the year, as well as other TV art shows. He became more widely-known during the pandemic, for his work organising the Portraits for NHS Heroes project. Since gaining this recognition, Tom has been asked to be on the judging panel of several major art competitions and in this episode, Peter and Tom interview him about what it's like to be on both sides of...

08-30

01:05:39

In this episode, Peter and Tom answer some of your questions. Firstly there's a question about the use of AI, followed by a question about varnishing and finally, what judges are looking for in art competitions. If you have a question you’d like to put to us and would be happy for us answer it here on the podcast please send it to us via our website here or alternatively you can send it to us via Instagram. This Podcast is sponsored by Rosemary & Co Brushes, Search Press publisher...

08-16

41:22

In this special episode, we compile some of the highlights from our interview episodes from the past 12 months. The episodes featured are; Season 5, episode 9; Interview with Dr Curtis Tappenden - Should I go to Art School? Season 5, episode 13; Interview with Marine Costello from Parker Harris Season 5, episode 8; Interview with Edd Ralph, Senior Editor at Search Press Publishers Season 6, episode 8; Interview with Chas & Liz Wood from Patchings ArtFest Season 6, episode 11; Intervi...

08-02

01:15:51

In this episode, Peter and Tom interview Evie Hatch, Artist, Writer & Pigment Connoisseur from Jackson's Art Supplies, to talk about all things colour! What is your favourite colour? A question which we have probably all thought about and asked someone at some point. Evie is an Artist herself and works for Jackson's Art Supplies, writing for their blog and presenting on their social media channels. In this episode she chats with Tom and Peter about the origins of certain pigments, the wa...

07-19

58:28

In this episode, Peter and Tom, discuss the different studio and creative spaces they have worked in during their careers. They talk about the different forms that creative spaces may take, important factors to consider when choosing a space and some practical advice in terms of storage, health & safety and financial considerations. Tom and Peter talk in depth about their own, current, studio set-ups, share some of their own preferences, some of their studio routines and also, what their...

In this episode, Tom and Peter answer some of your questions. Firstly there's a question about terms and conditions when selling through a website, followed by a question about using the "gridding-up" method and finally, how to go about writing an article for a magazine. If you have a question you’d like to put to us and would be happy for us answer it here on the podcast please send it to us via our website here or alternatively you can send it to us via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Th...