“You can’t have a thought unless you have a feeling first. So the idea in painting is to freeze the feeling and then let the person have the thought.”

Today we are talking with New York painter Brian Rutenberg about all the ways in which artists must show up for their work in order to find a deeper truth. Amidst a currently enforced break from his studio it’s reassuring to hear he has the same fear of starting again. We talk about the arc of creating a painting, how to exaggerate to clarify, and - if painting serves no purpose - why is it ultimately such an essential process in understanding and sharing feeling? Brian also answers a listener question and explains why humidity made him a painter. This episode is packed full of wit and wisdom - it's one you'll want to play over and over again.