Introducing The Jackson's Art Podcast

Lisa Takahashi (0:03)

Hello, and welcome to The Jackson's Art Podcast. I'm Lisa Takahashi, an artist and writer, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be one of the new hosts of the podcast. I'm really excited to be here and tell you a little bit about what we've got planned. If you've listened to Ask an Artist before, you'll know that this podcast already built a fantastic reputation. It was originally created by artists Laura Boswell and Peter Keegan, and later hosted by Peter and Tom Shepherd, who built up a loyal community of listeners and guests over the years.

When Peter and Tom decided it was time to move on, they asked Jackson's to become the new custodians of the project. We're incredibly grateful to them for trusting us with it, and we've been having lots of conversations about how we can take the podcast forward, while keeping that sense of curiosity and connection at its heart.

So Ask an Artist will continue as a series with me at home alongside two brand new distinct series, The Matter of Colour and Rivalries and Friendships in Art History as part of the Jackson's Art Podcast. The podcast explores what it means to make art through the voices of established artists and the materials they use. We share stories and expertise from those who create, be they contemporary artists or historical figures. To encourage curiosity and invite dialogue, we take listeners out of the gallery and into spaces where art is made, shaped and brought to life.

Above all, Jackson's Art Podcast is curious and accessible, whether you're a professional artist or an absolute beginner. By bringing audiences closer to artists, their practices and the ideas and histories that shape their work, we aim to share valuable insights into creative practice, spark new ideas and deepen understanding of how art is made. So let me introduce you to the team and tell you a little more about what we've got planned. So first up, we have The Matter of Colour with author of Pigment Stories Book and the co-creator of the social media series, Evie Hatch. Hello Evie.

Evie Hatch (2:04)

Hi.

Lisa Takahashi (2:05)

Tell us about The Matter of Colour.

Evie Hatch (2:06)

Oh, it's such an exciting project. The idea of it is to go on more of a deep dive into the histories of colour, which is something, of course, that we've done for quite a long time with The Pigment Stories Series and The Pigment Stories Book. But the thing about the social media series particularly is that short form content, you have to be so selective about what you can say, what aspects of a story are going to leave in, what aspects are going to take out. What I'm so looking forward to with The Matter of Colour is the opportunity to go much deeper and tell much longer, much more complex stories.

So I'll be tracing the histories of artist colour from antiquity to the present day. It's about weaving, which is for me, the most interesting aspect of colour, the ways that the stories about colour intersect with other histories, whether that's histories of chemistry, of medicine, of alchemy, of geography, of language. And I think once you start realising that, that the world of artist colour just becomes so big and so expansive.

Lisa Takahashi (3:14)

I think it's hugely exciting. And as somebody who works with printmaking and painting, I just love that I think about the stories that you've told and it adds value to the materials. And it makes me really appreciate the materials that I work with.

Evie Hatch (3:31)

That's exactly it. It's about adding another layer of, another layer of knowledge, I suppose. But then also really fostering this idea that the artist materials or artists in many different ways don't work within a vacuum. The materials are, you know, connect artists to so many other different things. And there's something really exciting about that. The ways that we make art have changed so much and so rapidly, especially over the last 200 years. But there are these incredibly ancient materials that we still use. Yeah.

And that is something that blows my mind on a daily basis. And I've really, really enjoyed doing the research for this. And I'm looking forward to doing more. I'm itching to tell you what the first episode is.

Lisa Takahashi (4:17)

Oh, go on. What is it?

Evie Hatch (4:19)

It is... Drumroll.

It's going to be Prussian Blue. It's such a good one to start with because there's just so much to say. I'll be starting with the accidental invention of Prussian Blue, which is a whole intriguing story in its own right.

Lisa Takahashi (4:35)

I'm hooked already.