Podcast by Drea Macdonald
11 September 2025
It's the Season 1 finale and I thought I'd use the occasion to have someone interview ME about art. I happen to have a great, old friend who was a reporter (and then held multiple different jobs in the newspaper industry) and is also an artist (musician, writer, and the man can draw) - Sean Kelly. We talked about how I got started playing music, why I started this podcast, and what I've learned from doing it, among other things.
Thanks for listening to Season 1! I'm so grateful for all of the artists who have helped out, been interviewed, and provided feedback and high fives.
Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis https://tanyadavis.ca/
Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse https://www.birdmouse.ca/
00:00
33:20
04 September 2025
When I was in the planning stages of this podcast, I knew I wanted to talk to Janet MacLellan. I wanted to know how a person could spend a whole (long) life making art a priority alongside having a husband, kids and a nursing career. I've always admired her work and was happy to talk about this, her favorite painters, and so much more.
Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis https://tanyadavis.ca/
Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse https://www.birdmouse.ca/
00:00
24:35
28 August 2025
It was great to talk to my old buddy and bandmate, Dennis Ellsworth, recently. He's an award-winning songwriter and musician, producer, dad and more. We had a great talk about the art of play, how his writing goes in cycles, his favorite kinds of shows to play, and making art for ourselves first. You can find out more about his work and upcoming shows at https://www.dennisellsworth.com/
Theme song: "Art" by Tanya Davis https://tanyadavis.ca/
Podcast logo and artwork by Birdmouse https://www.birdmouse.ca/
00:00
46:53
21 August 2025
I was really glad to talk with Nathan Wiley about the role that art plays in his life. He produced my third album (alongside superstar producer Adam Gallant) and my latest one (2015's "Lucky"), and continues to produce albums out of his studio in Summerside, PEI. He's released a bunch of solo records too and puts on one of the best live shows around. I was surprised to learn that his parents didn't want to buy him his first guitar as a kid, thinking it would just be a phase. Thank goodness it wasn't! You can find out more about Nathan here: https://www.nathanwiley.com/
Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis https://tanyadavis.ca/
Podcast logo artwork by Birdmouse https://www.birdmouse.ca/
00:00
32:31
14 August 2025
I know Ashley from when we were both young (we're still pretty young), watching bands at bars. Little did I know that she's been writing and drawing and generally letting her creative side fly free for years. Lately, she's been writing and sharing her poetry, and she released her first book, "But the heart has its seasons", this year. We had a great chat about the benefits of sharing/performing artwork, how great it is to have a champion, and how creativity is human nature. You can buy her book in Charlottetown at The Bookmark, The Gallery Coffee House & Bistro, Glass Roots Gallery, and directly from the artist.
Theme song: "Art" by Tanya Davis https://tanyadavis.ca/
Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse https://www.birdmouse.ca/
00:00
33:13
07 August 2025
I met Donnalee Downe a few decades ago when she opened a gallery space attached to her home in Charlottetown, and the Peake Street Collective was born. I attended many of the opening parties over the years, and even submitted one of my early paintings for one of them. I knew I wanted to talk to Donnalee about making art because she's always had a unique style and is such a champion and a mentor for other artists.
She refers to an interview/article by a musician and neither of us could think of who it was. Turns out it was Brian Eno - here is a link to "Composers as Gardeners":
https://www.edge.org/conversation/brian_eno-composers-as-gardeners
Theme song: "Art" by Tanya Davis https://tanyadavis.ca/
Podcast logo/artwork by Birdmouse https://www.birdmouse.ca/
00:00
45:34