Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast BrushStrokes of Being

I have been thinking a great deal about something deceptively simple:

What does it actually mean to see, to read, to listen, to know?

That thinking became Episode 121 of Brushstrokes of Being.

I begin with books.

Not simply the information they contain, but the books themselves: paper, typography, binding, annotations, evidence of use. A book is a human artefact, carrying more than the words printed inside it.

From there, I move into neuroscience and literary reading, and the remarkable way the brain transforms symbols into imagined worlds.

Reading is a form of seeing without looking.

Then music enters the conversation.

Music can make us experience things that aren’t physically present.

And painting can make us see what cannot necessarily be photographed.

I think about Dr Jason Arday and his descriptions of observing human interaction before language became available to him. I think about my own experience as an artist and musician, where perception often comes before explanation.

And eventually I arrive at something that has been central to my teaching for years:

Recognition is not observation.

We recognise something, name it, place it into a category, and often stop looking.

But genuine observation asks us to remain present.

To notice relationships.

Posture.

Gesture.

Light.

Movement.

Space.

Difference.

The things we don’t yet have words for.

That is why today is also the launch of the first two courses in my Foundational Series:

Learn to See Like an Artist

This is not a drawing course.

It is an investigation into observation: learning to suspend recognition long enough to actually see.https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/learn-to-see-like-an-artist-the-discipline-of-seeing-observation-as-an-artistic-practice/

Seeing With Your Ears

A deeper exploration of perception and attention, beginning with music and extending to how we construct meaning through what we hear, see, and experience.

These courses are the beginning of the Observational Art Academy — an approach to art education built on something I consider fundamental:

Before expression comes perception.

You cannot meaningfully transform what you have never truly learned to perceive.https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/seeing-with-your-ears/

What happens when we stop simply recognising what we see?

Every morning, I sit in my garden with my coffee and watch the bees, birds, flowers, shadows and wind. At first, I see a garden. But when I remain there long enough, something changes. I begin to perceive relationships: between bee and flower, movement and stillness, light and shadow, parent and offspring, colour and space.

Nothing in the garden has changed.

My perception has.

This is where observation begins.

In this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, I explore the difference between recognition and observation, and why sustained observation is one of the foundations of what I call visual intelligence.

Visual intelligence is not simply seeing more. It is the ability to perceive relationships, understand them, and eventually make deliberate choices with them.

And this matters far beyond drawing and painting.

We live in a culture of rapid recognition, categorisation and judgement. We are constantly encouraged to decide what something is, whether we like it, whether we agree with it, and which category it belongs to.

The arts are not immune to this.

We categorise artists as traditional or contemporary, realist or abstract, painter or conceptual artist. We can then move almost instantly from category to preference:

I like it.

I don’t like it.

I’m drawn to it.

But these are responses; not yet critical observations.

So what happens when we slow down enough to ask different questions?

What are the relationships within the work? How does composition function? How does the eye move? How do colour, value, rhythm, gesture, scale and space interact? Does a concept actually become embodied in the visual language of the work?

And perhaps most importantly: what makes something good art?

I also explore why observation and conceptual thinking are not opposing approaches. In my own series Exceptional Female Musicians, the conceptual proposition determines what I observe, what I select, what I emphasise and how I construct the relationship between the performer and the viewer.

Concept does not eliminate the need for observation. It increases it.

Because observation gives us something to transform. Visual intelligence allows us to understand what we are seeing. Concept allows us to decide what we want to communicate.

And art emerges through the transformation.

In September, I will be taking this thinking into my Art Academy with the launch of the first of the foundational four courses, Learn to See Like an Artist.

Because learning to see is not simply preparation for becoming an artist. It is a way of encountering reality.

Maybe tomorrow morning, sit somewhere quietly for a few minutes and see what you notice when you stop trying to name everything.

Subscribe to Brushstrokes of Being so you don’t miss the Art Academy launch.

What happens when we remove art and music from education, or expect artists to produce before they have had time to develop?

In this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, I explore why artistic education is about far more than creating future painters and musicians.

Research increasingly suggests that sustained engagement with music and observational art develops attention, memory, pattern recognition, discipline, perception, and flexible thinking. These are not simply artistic skills; they are deeply human capacities that shape how we learn, interpret the world, and relate to one another.

Drawing on the reflections of pianist Maria João Pires and cellist Pablo Casals, I examine how contemporary culture increasingly rewards speed, visibility, and marketability over patient cultivation and artistic maturity.

What happens when we stop asking whether a student has learned to observe, listen, and exercise judgement, and instead ask only whether they can produce quickly, explain their concept, or market themselves?

This episode argues that classical training is not about preserving old traditions for their own sake. It is about acquiring a language that allows genuine expression to emerge.

Because perhaps the greatest loss is not that we produce fewer professional artists.

It is that we gradually forget how to pay attention.

In this episode:

* Why music and art education matter long before professional training begins.

* What neuroscience suggests about music, learning, and attention.

* Why observational drawing teaches more than technical skill.

* Maria João Pires on competition and artistic development.

* Pablo Casals on the disappearance of technique.

* The difference between training, education, performance, and presence.

* Why slowing down may be one of the most important cultural acts of our time.

If Diego Velázquez applied to a gallery today, it’s not certain he would be accepted.

Not because of a lack of skill, but because of what is now required of artists before the work is even seen.

Today, artists are often evaluated through questions of concept, brand, and recognisability. The painting itself arrives late in the conversation.

Somewhere in this shift, observation has been displaced by positioning.

Even technical mastery is frequently translated into style labels: “so Sargent-like,” “so Velázquez-like.” Yet these painters were not defined by style alone. They were defined by attention — by their ability to see people and reality as they are, not as they are expected to be.

Observation is not replication. It is interpretive intelligence in real time.

And when painting becomes too dependent on repetition, identity, and recognisable output, something subtle is lost: the capacity to encounter the world freshly through seeing.

This is not only an art-world issue. It is cultural.

We are becoming highly efficient at recognising images, but less practiced in actually seeing.

At its core, art is still a discipline of attention.

And attention is becoming rare.

Subscribe to Brushstrokes of Beinghttps://brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com/embed" width="480" height="320" style="border: 1px solid #EEE; background: white" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">

The first episode of 2026 begins not with acceleration, but with attention on the power of mastery.

While painting Janine Jansen, immersed in the music of Jean Sibelius, there was a moment in which the work aligned. Technique, listening, and observation converged. The distinction between musician and instrument dissolved. What remained was embodiment.

This episode reflects on mastery as a lived condition, not as rigidity, but as liberation.

Across cultures and genres, disciplined practice has always enabled artistic freedom. The deep internalisation of craft allows interpretation to move without obstruction. When technique becomes embodied, imagination is no longer anxious; it becomes precise.

The lives and practices of John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and Michael Jacksonremind us that mastery does not belong to one institution, one tradition, or one culture. Even where access was denied, discipline and imagination forged new paths.

In the studio, this same principle holds. Silence, repetition, and containment are not isolation; they are integration. The visible work rests upon long unseen immersion.

As we enter 2026, this episode invites a reorientation:
To honour skill.
To protect depth.
To stay with practice long enough for freedom to emerge.

For those wishing to strengthen their own foundation in drawing and painting, the course Mastering Light and Shadow offers a structured path into tonal depth and visual vitality, with lifetime access and personal feedback options.
https://onlineartseducation.co.uk

May this year be grounded, attentive, and generative.

• Contact me


• Substack

Mahalia, Rising Star places a contemporary Black British vocalist at the centre of a visual language historically complicit in marginalisation. Drawing on Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics while actively interrupting their gaze, the painting confronts questions of mastery, presence, and cultural memory.

Created in resistance to spectacle, speed, and aesthetic flattening, this work insists on discipline, subjecthood, and the dignity of becoming. It asks the viewer not to consume, but to remain.

• Watch on YouTube


• Contact Me

In this new instalment of Letters from the Studio, I open the door to the beginnings of my portrait of Sol Gabetta, a work that listens before it speaks. The first layer meets the canvas through music: the arc of movement, the breath between phrases, the subtle pauses that reveal the life within the performer.

Rooted in four hundred years of artistic lineage, this painting grows from a way of seeing shaped by time, silence, and careful observation. Here, the aim is not likeness alone, but the interior world that precedes it, the emotion before the note, the recognition before the gesture.

I share why every composition is drawn by hand, how sketches give form to fleeting expressions, and how the music itself becomes a collaborator in the process. The episode also touches on Mastering Light & Shadow™, a course created for artists seeking to overcome flatness and reconnect with the discipline of seeing.

• Mastering Light & ShadowTM


• YouTube


• Contact Me

This episode offers a reflection on The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel. While the book powerfully restores many women to the narrative of art history, from Renaissance pioneers to modern visionaries, its final chapters reveal a gap that continues to shape our understanding of women’s contributions today.

The women who uphold and advance the classical craft of painting from life, artists working with discipline, sensitivity, and a profound commitment to the human presence, remain largely unacknowledged. Their omission underscores a persistent hierarchy in contemporary art discourse, one that prizes conceptual innovation while overlooking the mastery that once allowed earlier women artists to claim their place.

Here I examine this paradox and argue for a more complete history: one that embraces the full spectrum of women’s artistic practices across five centuries, including the living lineage of classical realism.

• watch also on YouTube


• Buy the book


• Follow me on Instagram


• Contact me

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, I examine the lost ground of mastery and the spiritual essence of art. Moving beyond theory, I reveal how true art arises where craft and consciousness meet.
Through philosophy, neuroscience, and lived experience, Karin invites listeners to rediscover art as a sacred act of perception, a portal, not a product.

For artists, thinkers, and collectors seeking depth, this is a journey into the soul of creation itself.

• Watch this episode on youtube


• Follow me on Instagram


• Contact me

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

Welcome back to Brushstrokes of Being, where art meets soul and thought becomes colour. In this episode, ‘Art as Portal or Mirror’, I’m joined by Karen van Hoey Smith (mentor, art director, educator, and curator), whose journey through the art world bridges vision, compassion, and transformation.

Together, we explore the shifting tides of the contemporary art market, the deeper meanings behind creation, and the evolving role of the artist. Karen shares her experience in Hungary, where she curated a poignant exhibition for a charity supporting orphaned children; a project in which art becomes both healing and an offering.

We reflect on a timeless question: Is art truly art, or is it a portal, a token through which the viewer meets themselves? And finally, we ask: Can art ever really “speak for itself”?

You can tune in for an intimate conversation on authenticity, purpose, and the invisible threads that connect the artist, the work, and the world. The charity auction opens on November 13 at 6 PM at the Lena & Roselli Gallery (https://lenaroselligallery.com), where Art Becomes Act and Beauty Meets Meaning.

• Follow Karen https://www.instagram.com/kvhs_creative/


• https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-van-hoey-smith-96001a26/


• Follow me https://instagram.com/karinmerxfineart


• Contact me https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact

Welcome to this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, Ink and Silence. The book that breathes wisdom, and I frequently turn to, as artist, but also for the wisdom is, Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. This is one of those rare works that seem to exhale light with every turning page. It is a book that does not announce itself loudly; it whispers. Its sentences are small, its drawings humble, yet between ink and silence something ancient stirs, a reminder that art can still be an act of tenderness in a restless world.

This is not so much a book review, but a poetic and philosophical meditation on Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Through reflections on line, silence, archetype, and compassion, I explore how Mackesy’s gentle drawings restore tenderness to modern art and remind us that vulnerability is the deepest form of courage.

Follow Charlie Mackesy here: https://www.instagram.com/charliemackesy/

Contact me at https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact

Follow me on https://instagram.com/karinmerxfineart

Brushstrokes of Being, Episode 109 – The Spirit of Equine Art: Translating Emotion into Form

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas

In this illuminating roundtable, host Karin Merx brings together four exceptional voices in equine art and curation:
Karen Osborn (Australia), Mirelle Vegers (The Netherlands), Tony O’Connor (Ireland), and Joyce Ter Horst, curator of Paard Verzameld Equine Art Services and the Dutch Equine Art Fair.

Together, they explore the unseen dialogue between artist and horse, where anatomy meets intuition, and observation transforms into emotion. From growing up in the forge to living among herds, these artists reveal what it truly means to paint what you feel and translate the spirit of another being onto canvas.

Joyce ter Horst offers deep insight into the art of curating, not merely “hanging paintings,” but weaving narrative, connection, and meaning. She shares the story behind the Dutch Equine Art Fair (6–9 November, Living Horse Museum, Amsterdam), a global stage where craftsmanship, emotion, and storytelling meet.

Join Karin and her guests as they reflect on artistry, empathy, and why painting horses is far more than a niche — it’s a timeless dialogue between nature, humanity, and art itself.

Watch & Subscribe: Brushstrokes of Being: https://youtube.com/@karinmerxfineart
Event: Dutch Equine Art Fair, November 6–9, Living Horse Museum, Amsterdam: https://dutchequineartfair.com
Curated by: Paard Verzameld Equine Art Services

• Joyce Ter Horst-Paard Verzameld:


• https://www.paardverzameld.com


• https://www.instagram.com/paardverzameld/


• https://www.instagram.com/dutchequineartfair_amsterdam/


• Tony O’Connor: https://whitetreestudio.ie


• https://www.instagram.com/tony_o_connor/


• Mirelle Vegers: https://mirellevegers.com


• https://www.instagram.com/mirelle_vegers/


• Karen Osborn: https://karenosbornart.com.au


• https://www.instagram.com/karen.osborn.art/


• Follow me: https://karinmerx.co.uk


• https://instagram.com/karinmerxfineart


• Contact me: https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact

Catherine McCormack’s Women in the Picture profoundly reframes how we perceive women in art. From Venus to the Monstrous Woman, McCormack uncovers persistent archetypes that structure our visual culture, revealing how seemingly timeless masterpieces actually participate in shaping desire, power, and representation.

As an art historian and practicing artist, this book resonated deeply with me and inspired my series The Gaze Reclaimed, which celebrates women artists who reclaimed visibility for themselves and their subjects.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction – Changing the way we see
00:12 Why Women in the Picture struck me deeply
00:33 How representation shapes perception
00:48 The roots of The Gaze Reclaimed series
01:13 Building Brushstrokes of Being Studio
02:05 Catherine McCormack’s contribution to art history and feminist critique
03:12 The four archetypes – Venus, Mother, Maidens & Dead Damsels, and Monstrous Women
04:28 Archetypes from the Renaissance to the digital age
05:17 The illusion of liberation in contemporary culture
06:02 Rethinking Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
07:25 The myth of perfection and the camera obscura
08:42 The female gaze and the reenactment of desire
09:33 Why McCormack’s writing matters today
10:14 “Images are never innocent” – the politics of representation
11:08 Seeing differently: art as transformation

I also share updates on Brushstrokes of Being Studio, where mini-courses on colour theory are currently available. Explore them today or join the waiting list for the full launch this November.

• https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/palettes-mixing-skin-colours/


• https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/colour-harmony-family-temperature-contrast/


• https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/hues-values-chroma/


• https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/the-colour-wheel-explained/


• https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/a-brief-history-of-colour-free/


• https://mailchi.mp/a5dd5098f749/waiting-list-brushstrokes-of-being-studion

“Mastery is the slowest, hardest path in the world, and the only one worth taking.”

In this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, I reflect on what it truly means to master an art form. Why Mastery Is the Only Path Worth Taking? As both a painter and a classically trained musician, I’ve lived the reality of endless hours in the studio or at an instrument, practice, repetition, resilience, and passion.

Together, we’ll explore:

• Why mastery demands discipline and patience in today’s instant-gratification culture.


• What neuroscience reveals about how art and music reshape the brain.


• Stories from my portraits of Janine Jansen and Sol Gabetta—living examples of artistic mastery.


• Insights from Iain McGilchrist’s The Matter With Things on creativity, preparation, and illumination.


• Why deliberate practice is not just about skill—it’s about building focus, resilience, and fulfilment.

I will also launch Brushstrokes of Being Studio, where artists can study colour theory, art history, and storytelling. Explore my mini-courses on colour, or join the waiting list for the full launch in November.

Waiting List email landing page
https://mailchi.mp/a5dd5098f749/waiting-list-brushstrokes-of-being-studion

Mastery may be slow, but it’s also deeply transformative, for your art, your brain, and your life.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Mastery: the slowest, hardest path worth taking
Why the path of mastery in art and music is difficult, slow, and ultimately the most rewarding journey.

00:01 – What true mastery looks like in music and art
From breath control and posture in music to light, shadow, and colour theory in painting—what daily mastery practice really involves.

00:02 – The hidden value behind classical concert tickets
A story on why concert tickets reflect years of training, resilience, and invisible hours of practice by world-class musicians.

00:05 – Why students struggle with the effort of mastery
How young artists and musicians react to the relentless practice required, and why persistence is the real test of talent.

00:12 – Neuroscience of practice and neuroplasticity
Scientific research on how deliberate practice rewires the brain, strengthens neural pathways, and improves memory, focus, and creativity.

00:20 – Stories from painting Janine Jansen & Sol Gabetta
Portraits of exceptional female musicians reveal subtlety, strength, and poetic mastery built through decades of dedication.

00:28 – Iain McGilchrist on creativity: preparation, incubation, illumination
Insights from The Matter With Things on the three stages of creativity and why true insight only arrives after hard preparation.

00:36 – The link between mastery, focus, and fulfilment
Why deep, consistent practice builds resilience, patience, and happiness in both art and life.

00:46 – Brushstrokes of Being Studio: antidote to de-skilling
How decades of de-skilling inspired me to create an art education platform rooted in skill, history, and storytelling.

00:55 – Mini-courses on colour theory and full program launch
Explore mini-courses on colour harmony, pigments, and palettes—or join the waiting list for the full launch in November.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Your Brain on Art


• This is Your Brain on Music


• The Aesthetic Brain


• The Matter With Things by Iain McGilchrist

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, I sit down with Elizabeth Markevitch, who once worked in the high-end world of Impressionist and Modern masterpieces. She left the “art box” behind to democratise access to art and created IkonoTV https://ikonotv.art/, a platform treating art as medicine.

We explore:

• Why art is still “in the concert hall” while music has been democratized


• How streaming and digital tools can transform art access


• The healing impact of “slow art” films on our minds and emotions


• The parallels between AI, Napster-era music, and the future of creativity

Join us for a conversation that shifts art from luxury to life force.

Where to follow Elizabeth Markevitch:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/Markevitch
Instagram: https://instagram.com/Markevitch
Medium: https://medium.com/@markevitch/
IkonoTV: https://ikonotv.art

Follow me on:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/karinmerxfineart
Facebook: https://facebook.com/karinmerx
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/karin-merx-ma-8087a867
Contact me: https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact

Support Brushstorkes of Being on Patreon

In this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, The Double Chair, I bring two voices into dialogue: the Artist, living for unity, diversity, and transformation, and the Philosopher, seeking meaning in those values.

The conversation weaves together childhood curiosity, music, the Old Masters, the quiet rebellion of painting, the essential role of diversity, and the distinction between discrimination and racism. At its core lies the question of why I do what I do, and who I am as a human and as an artist.

This is not an interview with answers; it is an invitation to ask questions again and again and to live as an artist.

00:00 – Welcome & the deeper questions behind technique

00:34 – The artist and philosopher in dialogue

01:34 – Following curiosity, music, and art against the grain

02:15 – Old Masters, story, and meaning in painting

03:19 – Resisting speed and noise: art as slow rebellion

04:47 – Unity, diversity, and transformation in practice

06:06 – Discrimination vs. racism: the deeper distinction

07:28 – Colour as story, music, and truth

09:12 – Between rebellion and love, stillness and colour

• Watch the episode on YouTube


• Follow me on Instagram


• Support Brushstrokes Of Being on Patreon


• Contact me

What does it mean to truly see? To slow down, observe, and let creativity flow through your hands? On this episode of Brushstrokes of Being, I speak with Adebanji Alade, the BBC-featured artist and President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, about the transformative power of sketching, embracing failure, and loving the process over the final piece.

• Why sketching is more than drawing — it’s a way to think.


• How to treat rejection as a friend and failure as feedback.


• Adebanji’s approach to observational art, curiosity, and serendipity.


• The lifeblood of creative practice: seeing, sketching, and process.

[00:00:00] Welcome & Introduction
[00:01:05] “Observe everything, sketch everything you see” — sketching as a way of thinking
[00:05:12] Becoming “The Addictive Sketcher”
[00:08:45] Curiosity, slowing down, and seeing the world differently
[00:12:34] Failing as feedback & making friends with rejection
[00:16:50] What matters most: the process of art
[00:19:40] Advice for artists: why sketching is the lifeblood of representational art
[00:22:10] Where to find Adebanji & closing thoughts

Follow Adebanji: Instagram/TikTok/Facebook @AddictiveSketcher
Visit his website: adebanjialade.co.uk

• Listen & Watch: https://youtube.com/@karinmerxfineart


• Instagram: https://instagram.com/karinmerxfineart


• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarinMerx


• Contact: https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

Art as Medicine in the Age of Machines marks the conclusion of my series The Gaze Reclaimed. After seven episodes honouring women artists who fought to be seen, I turn to our present reality: a time where human creativity is once again at risk of erasure.

Today, billions of artworks are silently scraped into datasets without consent, feeding machines that produce hollow images. Yet art is not a product of code. Art is presence, resonance, and transformation. Science now gives us the words—neuroaesthetics—to confirm that art regulates our nervous systems, heals trauma, and strengthens our humanity.

This is not just history. It is our future. And the choice is clear: reduce art to pixels, or reclaim it as medicine for the soul.

Art Talk has evolved in Brushstrokes of Being: Art is the Cradle of Our Soul

0:00 Intro | Brushstrokes of Being
1:05 The Gaze Reclaimed – past to present
6:11 What is art, really?
9:40 Neuroaesthetics: art as medicine
13:08 Painting, Photography & AI – three different entities
17:55 Children, creativity, and the danger of neglect
22:12 Why artists matter now more than ever
32:48 Closing | Reclaiming the gaze

• Watch this episode on YouTube


• Contact me

Camille Claudel was more than Rodin’s lover, more than the “madwoman” silenced in an asylum for thirty years. She was a visionary sculptor who gave marble and bronze a pulse, sensual, intimate, and profoundly human.

In this episode of Art Talk: The Gaze Reclaimed Part Seven: Camille Claudel, we explore:

• Claudel’s early brilliance and her fight to study sculpture in Paris.


• Her bold collaboration and rivalry with Auguste Rodin.


• Masterpieces like The Waltz, The Mature Age, and Clotho, works that reveal intimacy, grief, and resilience.


• The injustice of her confinement and her erasure from art history.


• How her genius is finally honoured today at the Musée Camille Claudel.

To reclaim Camille Claudel is to honour all the women who reshaped art against impossible odds. Her gaze, once silenced, returns to us now, sensual, powerful, eternal.

Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who loves art, history, and the reclamation of forgotten voices.

• YouTube


• Spotify


• Support Art Talk on Patreon


• Contact Me

“To paint is to love again.” Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s words define a life devoted to courage, beauty, and creation. Born in 1755, she overcame the barriers of a male-dominated art world, teaching herself by copying the works of Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck. By fifteen, she was a professional portraitist. In this episode, I discuss Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun: The Gaze Reclaimed, Part 6.

Appointed official portraitist to Marie Antoinette, Vigée-Lebrun captured not only the likeness but the humanity of her subjects. Her Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat, painted at twenty-seven, radiates joy and audacity: palette and brushes in hand, golden curls crowned with a straw hat adorned with flowers and a feather, her gaze meets ours across centuries, declaring creative freedom and personal triumph.

Exiled during the French Revolution, she travelled across Europe: London, Vienna, Italy, painting royalty, expanding her style, and leaving a legacy that empowered women artists for generations. Over six hundred works survive, and her memoirs chronicle her life, offering insight into her resilience, skill, and advocacy for women in art.

Vigée-Lebrun’s story is one of audacity, self-expression, and reclamation of the gaze; a timeless inspiration for all artists.

• Support Art Talk on Patreon


• Watch Art Talk on YouTube


• Contact me here

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In this episode of The Gaze Reclaimed Part 5: Berthe Morisot, we celebrate the 100th episode of Art Talk. Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) was not just a painter — she was one of the most influential female Impressionists in art history. Known as the Mother of Impressionism, she transformed the way women and modern life were depicted on canvas, bringing radical lightness, liberation, and emotion to a movement still dominated by men.

Born in Bourges, France, Morisot grew up in a Parisian family that encouraged her artistic ambitions — an unusual gift for a woman of her time. She trained privately, since women were barred from the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts until the 1870s. Her teachers recognised her exceptional skill, and she moved from one to the next, each advancing her mastery of traditional techniques.

In her journal, she once wrote:

“I do not think any man would ever treat a woman as his equal, and it is all I ask because I know my worth.”

Morisot exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1865, moving in the same circles as Manet, Degas, Monet, and Renoir. Claude Monet famously remarked after meeting Berthe and her sister Edma, “What a shame they are not men.” It was a stark reminder of the gender barriers she faced.

Despite societal limitations — she could not roam the streets of Paris unaccompanied or linger in cafés observing life — she carved her own path. Her Berthe Morisot paintings often depict women and children in luminous gardens, interiors, and domestic spaces.

Morisot’s work dissolved the boundaries between figure and background, with loose, gestural brushwork that captured fleeting moments. Critics sometimes called her “the angel of the incomplete” for her open, fragmentary compositions — though this was not always meant as praise. Today, this quality is recognised as part of her radical approach.

Two self-portraits from 1885 stand out.

• Self-Portrait with Her Daughter Julie feels like a drawing brought to life on canvas — light, precise, and unforced, representing both her personal and artistic values.


• Self-Portrait shows her in a traditional pose but alive with quick, confident brushstrokes, asserting herself as an equal in the male-dominated world of Impressionist painters.

Irish writer George Moore once said of her:

“Her pictures are the only pictures painted by a woman that could not be destroyed without creating a blank in the history of art.”

Throughout her career and posthumously, Morisot’s work has been shown internationally:

• 1930: London, The Leicester Galleries


• 1936: New York, Wildenstein Galleries


• 1941: Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie


• 1947: Paris, Galerie Weil


• 2002: Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts


• 2023: Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London — though notably, 13 of the 43 works displayed were by men.

Morisot’s art captures the restrictions and quiet rebellions of women’s lives in 19th-century France. She worked within imposed boundaries but turned them into spaces of innovation. Removing her from the story of Impressionism would leave a gap no other artist could fill.

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@karinmerxfineart


• To celebrate 100 episodes, enjoy 50% off my Colour for Artists course — inspired by the techniques of women Impressionists like Morisot. Use code ArtTalk100. https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/courses


• Contact me https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In this episode of Art Talk, part 4 of The Gaze Reclaimed, we explore the extraordinary life and legacy of Edmonia Lewis — the first African-Native American sculptor to gain international recognition in the 19th century.

Born in a fractured America, orphaned young, and wrongfully accused of poisoning classmates at Oberlin, Lewis defied every expectation. She carved her path — literally — from Boston to Rome, to London, where she passed away after being gravely ill. She was creating neoclassical sculptures that challenged the white Western gaze. Her work reclaimed space for Black and Indigenous narratives long erased from the canon.

• How The Death of Cleopatra disrupted 19th-century audiences and redefined visual power


• Why Lewis chose to sculpt her own works by hand—defying norms and prejudice


• A deeper look at Forever Free, her emancipation-era masterpiece, and the subtle symbolism of resistance


• Reflections on the erasure of women and Black artists from art history—and why that tide is finally turning

If you’re an artist, curator, educator, or simply someone who believes in reclaiming forgotten voices, this episode is for you. 

Keep this series alive.
Support the art you love and step behind the scenes. As a Patreon member, you’ll receive each episode 48 hours early, along with an exclusive, beautifully designed companion booklet that deepens the experience through rich imagery, insight, and inspiration.

• https://patreon.com/karinsarttalk


• Contact me https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact


• Watch the podcast on https://YouTube.com/@karinmerxfineart

In Episode 98 of Art Talk, we explore the extraordinary life of Elisabetta Sirani, the forgotten Baroque Prodigy. A 17th-century Baroque artist from Bologna who defied social norms to become one of the first professional female painters in Europe.

Born into an artistic family in 1638, Sirani took over her father’s studio by age 17, produced over 200 paintings before her death at 27, and became the first woman in history to open her studio to female students. Her bold depictions of women, such as Judith and Timoclea of Thebes, challenged the passive, decorative roles assigned to women in art and society, portraying them instead as courageous, intelligent, and morally empowered.

This episode of The Gaze Reclaimed examines how Sirani’s legacy reshaped the visual narrative of women in art—and why she deserves renewed attention today. Perfect for art historians, educators, feminists, and those curious about overlooked women in art history.

• Discover how Sirani redefined the female gaze


• Learn about her innovative use of theatrical storytelling


• Explore why her feminist vision remains urgent and inspiring

• Download the Reclaim Your Gaze guide here: https://karinmerx.co.uk/see-yourself-again/


• Watch this Episode on https://youtybe.com/@karinmerxfineart


• Contact me at https://karinmerx.co.uk/contact


• Support Art Talk on Patreon: https://patreon.com/karinsarttalk

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

Welcome back to Art Talk, and Part 2 of The Gaze Reclaimed. In this episode, we delve into the extraordinary life of Artemisia Gentileschi, who transformed the depiction of women in Western art.

From the Renaissance to today, visual culture has shaped—and often violated—women’s bodies. Art historian Catherine McCormack critiques this long history, revealing how so-called masterpieces often masked political power and patriarchal control behind myth and beauty.

But Artemisia changed the rules. A survivor, a painter, and a rebel, she reimagined the gaze—offering empathy, resistance, and power through brush and body.

Learn how Gentileschi reclaims biblical heroines and inserts herself as the protagonist—subverting the male gaze and reasserting the female subject.

Topics covered:

• Titian, power, and imperial desire


• Mythology as political propaganda


• Artemisia’s Susannah and the Elders & Self-Portrait as a Lute Player


• Reclaiming trauma through self-representation


• Feminism and agency in early modern art

Subscribe for weekly episodes exploring art, power, and the people who shaped visual culture on their own terms.

• Download our free guide on reclaiming the gaze in art history here


• Watch on YouTube


• Contact me

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

Episode 96 of Art Talk | New Series Premiere

Welcome to The Gaze Reclaimed, a bold new series exploring how women—past and present—are reclaiming the right to see and be seen on their own terms.

In this deeply personal opening episode, artist and cultural philosopher Artsy invites you into an intimate reflection on self-portraiture, vulnerability, and the quiet rebellion of women who dared to depict themselves throughout history. From Artemisia Gentileschi to Faith Ringgold, we begin to unearth the hidden power of the female gaze.

This isn’t just art history—it’s a movement.
A reclamation of vision. Of voice. Of self.

Download your free self-portrait guide and join the community conversations.
 New course launches in September.

Watch this episode on YouTube

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In episode 95, the last episode in the series of Why Old Masters Matter To Artists Today 3. In this episode I go in learning how to see: Style, Technique and….Secrets, with Rembrandt on my side.

• Become a member on Patreon


• Connect with Me

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

Why Old Masters Matter to Artists II: Leonardo da Vinci & the Power of Observation

In Episode 94 of Art Talk, we dive deep into the timeless art of observation—through the eyes of one of history’s greatest minds: Leonardo da Vinci.

This episode explores how Da Vinci’s approach to seeing the world can radically transform your own creative process. In an age of instant gratification and visual overload, learning to slow down and truly observe is more powerful—and more necessary—than ever.

We’ll unpack how Leonardo’s method of deep observation shaped his art, and how modern artists can apply these same principles to create more intentional, meaningful work. This conversation invites you to ask better questions, see beyond the surface, and move past merely copying what’s in front of you.

• Notebooks Leonardo Da Vinci


• Watch on YouTube


• Contact Me


• Support Art Talk on Patreon

Episode 93 of Art Talk is the start of a short series where I talk about why old masters matter to artists today. In this episode I briefly discus why they matter, what you can learn from them, why they were great and how they are our silent mentors.

If you as artist are struggling with colour, I have a great colour course available at https://onlineartseducation.co.uk/course/colour-for-artists/

• YouTube


• FaceBook


• Instagram Art Talk


• Instagram KarinMerxFineart


• Patreon to Support Art Talkhttps://patreon.com/karinsarttalk

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In Episode 92 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Elizabeth Amisu about the Art of World Building. Elizabeth is the author of the Sacerdos Series, books that inhibit the worlds she created, with characters who have special gifts.

• https://elizabethamisu.com


• https://elizabethamisu.com/shop/


• https://instagram.com/elizawriter


• https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.amisu


• https://patreon.com/elizawriter


• https://bsky.app/profile/elizawriter.bsky.social


• Contact Karin

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In Episode 91 of Art Talk, I discuss wat art evokes in our brain. Based on Neurological research in the Mauritshuis in the Netherlands, art electrifies the Brain. This of course is goed news for artists who paint.

Looking at real art stimulates the brain on multiple levels. It sparks excitement, ignites the imagination, and compels deep thought. The emotional response to authentic paintings was ten times stronger than to their reproductions. Let that sink in. What art evokes in our brains is ten times stronger.

• https://mauritshuis.nl


• https://karinmerx.com/contact


• https://patreon.com/brushstrokesofbeing

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

Episode 90 is the last of this year 2024 and I have a conversation with Agnes Gomori about art and spirituality and how we as artists adapt that in our art as well as experience it to create specific art. For each of us it works differently but we both know that everything is energy and that, when we visited Tate Modern together in June, both tired, our energy uplifted us, giving energy. 

This will, however, be slightly different than usual, we truly have a conversation about what spirituality means to us and how it plays into our lives and art. Meaning, I am not asking Agnes specific questions alone, she also asks me, which is a fun experiment.

• Website Agnes


• Instagram Agnes


• Facebook Agnes


• Contact me

This is episode 89 of Art Talk, and today I have a conversation with Louise Fowler. Louise is an oil painter based in Cornwall, she is also a musician.

• Website Louise Fowler


• Instagram Louise Fowler


• FaceBook Louise Fowler


• Contact Me


• Support Art Talk on Patreon

This is episode 88 of Art Talk. After a long hiatus I am back with a conversation with Anikó Boda. Anikó Boda is a painter of imaginary realism, thinker and storyteller. She initially studied medicine before she dived into art and studied in New York The Art Student league, the school of Visual Arts, then The Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts master, and the Schatz Studio.

• Website


• Instagram


• Facebook


• Contact Me


• Patreon

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com

In episode 87 of Art Talk, I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Shirley-Ann O’Neil, director of the VAA (Visual Artists Association)
After their book Good Art Doesn’t Sell Itself (which I highly recommend), they have now written a book about Securing Representation: Galleries, Agents & Artists. The book is divided in sections with very valuable information from industry experts, the do’s and don’ts tips and summaries. It is a true guide for the professional artist.

• Buy the book at Amazon


• Buy the book via the VAA


• Support Art Talk


• Contact Me

In episode 86 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Jessica Agudelo. Jessica is a psychologist specialising in mental health. She has a wealth of experience and is an exceptional trainer (and I know, we met at a training at UK Black Pride, and I have been in one of her workshops) and she is a great listener. She currently has a program Building The Power Of Us, which we will discuss in our conversation.

Following the podcast/interview, Jessica mentioned that if anyone is experiencing symptoms that are having a negative impact on their physical and emotional health, to seek professional help or talk to someone they trust.

Some helpful tips:
-physical activity and movement
-connecting with nature or noticing things around you
-Mindfulness practice, breathing techniques or meditation
-Sleep and a balanced diet
-connecting with others through conversations/talking and/or activities/hobbies

• Website


• Linkedin


• Link to Brochure


• Contact Me


• Patreon Art Talk

In episode 85 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Janet Sternburg. She is a photographer and made a book called Looking at Mexico and Mexico Looks Back.
Janet Sternburg has written eight successful books, taught at CalArts, and exhibited her photography in gallery shows in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Mexico, Seoul, Milan and Bombay.

• https://www.janetsternburgphoto.com/


• https://janetsternburg.com/


• https://www.distanz.de/en/janet-sternburg/looking-at-mexico-mexico-looks-back


• https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Mexico-Looks-Back-English/dp/3954765780


• https://www.instagram.com/janetsternburg/


• https://www.facebook.com/janet.sternburg


• Consider support for Art Talk on Patreon https://patreon/karinsarttalk


• Contact Me

In Episode 84 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Alison Dollery. Alison is an artist and curator who uses her body as a canvas in multilayered projects. We discuss her projects that are based on very personal experiences and evoke many positive responses from her audience.

• Alison Dollery Website


• Instagram


• Please consider supporting Art Talk


• Contact me

In episode 83 of Art Talk, I talk about art and grief. In January, after a massive stroke, I lost someone very close to me; my partner. With that, I experienced a numbness. Also because I walked on adrenaline when it happened. I was actually with him and was quicker than anyone could be. Unfortunately, the damage was severe. On January 23 he passed away peacefully.

• Please, Consider supporting Art Talk on Patreon


• Contact me

In episode 82 of Art Talk, I give a book review of Thunderclap. by Laura Cumming. The full title of this stunning book is Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death. Laura Cumming has been the art critic of The Observer since 1999. She was the arts editor of the New Statesman Magazine, literary editor of The Listener, and deputy editor of Literary Review. She is a former columnist for The Harold and has contributed to the London Evening Standard, The Guardian, l’Express and Vogue.

Follow Laura Cumming on Twitter/X @lauraCummingArt

• Please consider supporting Art Talk on Patreon


• Thunderclap is available on Amazon

In episode 81 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Helga Stentzel, she is a guest I had on my Wish list for a long time.

Helga is Siberian-born, living in the UK, London. For a long time, she lived seeing the world in black and white trying to be perfect. This was inspired by a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky What is Good, What is Bad. Helga definitely found her way in this world by actively listening and actively looking around without judgements or expectations. Her world is colourful and filled with humour and beauty. If you feel watched whilst entering her website, you are right, go look for yourself.

• Website


• Instagram

• International Exhibitions:
  Korea in March,
  Canada Toronto April 9-12,
  Bazel Switzerland and
  Brooklin, USA.

In episode 80 of Art Talk, I have a conversation about AI with my artist friend Maggie Sloan. We both are artists who prefer to paint and draw from life. AI is now used by many people who never had any education at all in the arts, have no skills or hardly any except using a computer to alter existing images/ photos. Some use their own art to train the robot others merely prompt.

We talk about visual art in painting and drawing, not the other arts like being a film director because there are a lot of apples and pears comparisons out there.

Please consider to support Art Talk on Patreon
https://patreon.com/karinsarttalk

In episode 79 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Joyce Ter Horst, horse lover, curator and owner of ‘Paard Verzameld’.

Joyce is the owner of Paard Verzameld: Equine Art Services. Joyce is the founder of Paard Verzameld. She has a lifelong passion for horses. Her academic and professional experience enabled her to make this platform with the many services she offers for artists, collectors and horse lovers.

• Website Paard Verzameld


• LinkedIn


• Instagram


• Contact me


• Please consider supporting me on Patreon

In the last episode of this year, I look back on 2023, the good, the bad and the intentions for 2024.
I wish all listeners happy holidays and a good New Year.

Please consider supporting Art Talk on Patreon and please do visit the websites of:

• Elizabeth Amisu


• Joan Marie


• VAA (Visual Artists Association)


• Contact me

In episode 77 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Agnes Gomori. Agnes is, like me, a proud member of the VAA, which we both highly recommend btw. She is an intuitive-visionary artist, who paints ‘the unseen’ world.

• Please consider supporting Art Talk on:
  Patreon


• Find Agnes on:
  Website
  Instagram
  Facebook

• Books
  dr Iain McGilchrist The Master and Its Emissary
  Ainslie Macleod


• Contact me

In Episode 76 of Art Talk, I have A Conversation With James Early. This summer I met James at The Other Art Fair and I was stunned by his portraits especially because of his topic.

James started in 2015 with his powerful and emotional studies of homeless people, victims of war and religious martyrs. This work took him to another level in the art world as he was nominated by The BP award, The Royal Institute of Oil Painters and The Royal Institute Of Portrait Painters culminating in his work being displayed at the iconic and famous Mall Gallery in the heart of London. James was selected in 2019 to show his work at the prestigious London Biennale.
James has been described by the German Kunst Heute publication as well as The International Contemporary Art Curators as one of the most significant artists in the world today. He says that he makes the invisible visible, I would say he paints the invisible visible.

• You can find James’s work on


• Website


• Instagram


• Twitter


• Facebook


• YouTube


• Please consider supporting Art Talk on Patreon


• Contact Me

In episode 75 of Art Talk, I talk about a book I currently read, that follows up on the episode ‘Turning A Blind Eye’ and We Definitely need to talk about it!

Where to buy this book?
Alice Proctor, The Whole Story: The Colonial Story Of The Art In Our Museums and We Need to Talk About It.
Contact Me
Support Art Talk on Patreon

In Episode 74 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Karen Turner. Karen is an award-winning figure and portrait artist whose oil paintings are a commentary on the weight of expectations.  Focusing on the physical body and the scrutiny to which it is commonly subjected, her paintings explore what society expects of a woman, the ways in which a woman’s shape is often considered to define her, and the impact that this has on her life and sense of self.

• Website


• Instagram


• Contact me


• The Other Art Fair


• Support Art Talk on Patreon

In Episode 73 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Leah Smithson. Leah Smithson is a Los Angeles-based artist using both traditional (paint, ceramic sculptures) and new media ( i.e. digital installations, virtual, augmented, and extended realities) to explore the human condition using portraits that mirror an emotional state or frame of mind, rather than the likeness of a person. She’s been interviewed and had her work featured in a variety of print and digital magazines including the LA Times. She’s also exhibited throughout the US and abroad including the award-winning outdoor digital art exhibition Luminex, as well as collaborated with brands and tech giants, such as Apple, in public art installations.

• Website Leah


• Instagram


• Tiktok


• Twitter

In episode 72 of Art Talk, I will discuss a topic that is very relevant to art history as we have learned it: Turning A Blind Eye, for art lovers who visit museums, and recently also the Frans Hals exhibition in the National Gallery, and last but certainly not least for painters of portraits to think about.

Not talking about the presence of black people in paintings is a story that needs to be amended. That is telling the story of art through a lens that has ruled for a way to long time. Yes, art history was written mostly by men, men were artists, women were not allowed and we still see how those stories fill the brains of people. I believe we have to return to the sources and start rewriting a lot of art history to get the right view, and inclusiveness it needs. And for artists who paint portraits, Let’s paint the true stories because when you ignore the colour of someone’s skin it is turning a blind eye. It is time to amend art history.

• Ted Talk Titus Kaphar


• Lecture Dr Patricia Simons


• Contact Me


• Please Consider Support for Art Talk At Patreon

In Episode 71 of Art Talk, I have a conversation with Elizabeth Amisu, Academic, Author and Artist. We focus on her book The Dangerous Philosophies Of Michael Jackson, His Music, His Persona and His Artistic Afterlife. It was published 7 years ago, and we celebrate that milestone.

The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson is the first academic book that covers Michael Jackson’s art through his life from various perspectives. The book gives a portrait of the multifaceted artist Michael Jackson. Divided into three parts: ‘Art as Life’, ‘Life as Art’, and ‘Art beyond Life’, it covers Michael Jackson’s entire career. If anything, this book shows that Michael Jackson was an artist and entertainer and his work needs to be researched. In The Dangerous Philosophies, you will find connections to a wide variety of subjects and the author not only invites you to continue research with a specific subject but also gives lots of points and angles to start your own research.

Buy The Book Via

• Bloomsbury


• Amazon


• Website Elizabeth


• Contact Me


• Please Consider Supporting Me on Patreon