Guest: Shiri Phillips

In this episode of The Artist Is In, painter Shiri Phillips joins Kat for a vibrant conversation about what it means to live—and create—with color at the center of it all. Trained in art history and rooted in graphic design, Shiri eventually traded digital grids for thick, expressive brushstrokes and a palette that pulses with energy.

We talk about her unique process of building paintings with precision and emotion, how growing up by the Mediterranean shaped her relationship to light and color, and why her personal motto, “Color is life,” is more than just a phrase—it’s a philosophy. Shiri shares how trusting her gut, embracing joy, and letting go of control helped her find her true creative voice.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to live more boldly, this one’s for you.

🎤 About Shiri Phillips:

Shiri Phillips is a painter in Omaha, NE. She studied at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media and received a bachelor’s degree in Art History. Drawing inspiration from the nuances of Impressionism and the structured elements of graphic design, her artwork mirrors a harmonious blend of these influences.

Impasto painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Phillips uses thick strokes of color and places them with precision on canvas, creating a graphic-like or pixelated look. Her art is defined by the deliberate use of upbeat colors to convey an emotional and physical response. Inspired by the vibrant surroundings she found growing up on the Mediterranean and the Southern Californian Coast, Phillips is driven by the philosophy of “color is life.”

Website: https://www.shiriphillips.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiriphillips

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shiriphillipsdesigns

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EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

Guest: Courtney Barnard

In this episode of The Artist Is In, I talk with intuitive abstract expressionist Courtney Barnard about painting as a form of inner truth-telling. For Courtney, art isn’t about external expectations—it’s about listening inward, honoring what needs to be said, and letting it pour onto the canvas. We explore how creativity becomes a declaration of self, how we choose who we are through what we make, and why the act of creating is enough to claim the title of artist. This is a conversation about voice, vulnerability, and the quiet power of trusting your own instincts.

🎤 About Courtney Barnard:

Courtney Barnard is an intuitive abstract expressionist painter who acknowledges and validates people’s experiences through her work. She helps create connections and community with her topics and encourages people everywhere to feel and heal.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with honors, from West Chester University. After some time away to start a family, Courtney returned to painting with a renewed purpose. Having hit rock bottom emotionally and physically, painting became not just something she enjoyed, but a way to heal. Through meditation and journaling, combined with her art practice, Courtney unlocked a new way to express emotions and connect with those going through similar experiences. It has become her mission to help those struggling with trauma recovery to feel validated and part of a bigger healing community.

Website: https://www.courtneybarnardart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneybarnard_art

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EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

Guest: Sean Carney

In this episode of The Artist Is In, I sit down with painter and educator Sean Carney, whose creative drive is as relentless as it is inspiring. Sean doesn’t romanticize the process—he simply has to paint. It's a need, an obsession, a daily practice that grounds him and gives shape to his days. We talk about what it's like to be pulled to the canvas (or in his case, wood) again and again, not for recognition, but for the pure love of the act itself.

Sean also shares how teaching has deepened his understanding of painting—how guiding others through the process sharpens his own instincts and keeps him connected to the joy of discovery. Whether he’s alone in the studio or in a room full of students, Sean shows up with the same energy: present, passionate, and always ready to paint. This episode is a testament to what happens when you follow the creative pull all the way in.

🎤 About Sean Carney:

Sean Carney is a representational painter based in New Jersey. His work explores the intersection of Pop Art and Photorealism, focusing on iconic automobiles as symbols of progress, ambition, and American culture. Through bold compositions and meticulous detail, Carney captures the essence of these vehicles—rendering reflections, curves, and chrome with a sense of stillness and reverence.

Carney holds a BFA in Studio Arts with a concentration in painting from New Jersey City University. He also studied at Montserrat College of Art and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His paintings have been exhibited extensively throughout the East Coast and internationally, earning recognition from collectors and curators for their technical precision and conceptual depth.

He has presented solo exhibitions at venues including Cerulean Arts (Philadelphia), the Arts Council of Princeton's Solley Gallery, Exhibit B Gallery, and Princeton University. In 2016, Carney received the Mercer County Culture and Heritage Purchase Award, and in 2018 he completed a residency at the Princeton Public Library through the Arts Council of Princeton.

Carney's most recent solo exhibition, Philly Scenes, was featured at Borrelli’s Chestnut Hill Gallery in Philadelphia in 2024.

Website: https://www.carneystudios.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carneystudios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeanCarneyNj/

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EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

Guest: Deborah Slahta

In this episode of The Artist Is In, ceramic artist Deborah Slahta joins me for a grounded and powerful conversation about process, patience, and the quiet courage it takes to let go. From the tactile rituals of working with clay to the unpredictable dance of heat and glaze in the kiln, Deborah shares how her practice has become both a discipline and a release. We talk about the space between control and surrender, the balance of structure and softness, and what it means to trust the transformation.

Whether you're drawn to clay, creativity, or the deeper lessons art can teach us about being human, this episode is a gentle reminder that sometimes, true beauty comes from the fire we’re willing to step into.

🎤 About Deb Slahta:

Deborah Slahta explores the vessel as a three-dimensional canvas, producing finely crafted raku and stoneware ceramics. Known for precise designs, she utilizes geometric constructions and patterned motifs on the surface of the pot. Additional work abandons the well-defined divisions of space; brushstrokes and multiple layers of glaze combine and flow to create a more painterly approach. She is a native of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, and is a lifelong resident of the Lehigh Valley.

While attending Moravian College, Deborah began a lifelong passion for clay, graduating in 1977 with a degree in Mathematics. Deborah has been a juried resident artist at the Banana Factory Arts Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, since May of 2000, where she taught ceramic classes for all ages. Her work has been exhibited in national and regional shows, including “PA Craft”; at the State Museum in Harrisburg, “Area Artists 2017” at Lehigh University, and is a participating artist at “Cocktails and Collecting” at the Allentown Art Museum.

Since the closure of the Banana Factory in 2024, she now works out of Juxtahub, a new Arts & Innovation Center located in Emmaus, PA.

Website: https://juxtahub.com/deborah-slahta/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057147352610

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EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

Guest: Jennifer Small

In this episode of The Artist Is In, abstract artist Jennifer Small shares the quiet transformation that changed everything—when she stopped trying to paint what things looked like and started painting what they felt like.

We talk about her evolution from realism to abstraction, the beauty she finds in the ordinary, and how letting go of expectations opened space for a more expansive, honest way of creating. Jennifer’s work draws directly from the rhythms of her daily life—each brushstroke a reflection of presence, noticing, and emotional truth.

This is a conversation about shifting perspectives, trusting intuition, and finding magic in the mundane.

🎤 About Jen Small:

Jennifer Small, a Pennsylvania native, received her BFA in Painting and BS in Art Education from Millersville University and MFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design. She has exhibited her work in galleries and fairs in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, New York, Richmond, Raleigh, Columbus, Savannah, and Chicago. Media features have included Artist Talk Magazine, Art Seen Magazine, New American Paintings, Studio Visit Magazine, Studio Break Podcast, and Shockoe Artspeak Podcast. She now works as both a painter and visual designer in Wilmington, Delaware.

Website: www.jensmallart.com
Instagram: @jensmallart

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EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

Guest: Rachel Coleman of Shy Fox Studio

In this episode of The Artist Is In, fluid artist Rachel Coleman shares how a return to creativity helped her heal after trauma—and how letting go of control became the most powerful part of her practice.

We talk about growing up in her mother’s ceramic shop, the moment she rediscovered painting, and why fluid art felt like the only medium that could hold her emotions. Rachel opens up about how her work is shaped by nature, geodes, and the messy beauty of surrendering to the process.

This is a conversation about trust, transformation, and finding freedom through flow.

🎤 About Rachel Coleman:

Rachel Coleman is a fluid artist based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, working under the name Shy Fox Studio. Her creative journey began in childhood, growing up in her mother’s ceramic shop in the 1980s and 90s. Although she stepped away from painting as a teenager, art eventually found its way back into her life as a powerful tool for healing.

In 2017, following a personal trauma, Rachel’s therapist encouraged her to explore creative outlets to help engage the right side of her brain. What began as a simple project—painting holiday decorations—quickly became a profound escape. Immersed in the process, Rachel rediscovered the joy of making and experienced moments of peace that helped quiet her mind.

After experimenting with various mediums, she found herself repeatedly drawn to fluid art. The vibrant colors and the unpredictable flow across the canvas resonated deeply with her, offering both challenge and freedom. As someone who values control, fluid art has become an essential practice in learning to let go.

Rachel’s work is inspired by the beauty of nature, biology, and organic formations like geodes—each reflected in the patterns and movement within her paintings. Her art is not only a creative expression but a path of ongoing healing and growth.

She is grateful for the way art has illuminated her life, for the connections she has made along the way, and for the opportunity to share her work with others. Through it all, Rachel embraces the journey with a simple, joyful truth: life is good.

Instagram: @shyfoxstudio822
Website: www.shyfoxstudio.com

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Thanks for listening and share the podcast with your friends!

EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

What happens when we stop gripping the outcome and start trusting the process? In this solo episode, host Kat Collins shares a personal story from her painting practice and reflects on the transformative power of letting go. This is an invitation to soften your grip, reconnect with your intuition, and remember why you create in the first place.

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Support the show

Thanks for listening and share the podcast with your friends!

EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com

In this short trailer episode, host Kat Collins—abstract painter, storyteller, and founder of Kat Collins Studio—invites you into the heart of The Artist Is In, a podcast about the real, raw, and beautiful truths of creative life.

This is a space for artists of all levels, and anyone curious about what it means to make art with heart. Expect soulful conversations, honest reflections, and the kind of stories that live behind the brush.

No gallery talk, no polished bios—just presence, process, and the sacred mess of making.

Pull up a seat. Let’s begin.

Send us a text

Support the show

Thanks for listening and share the podcast with your friends!

EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio

LINKS

Be sure to follow and tag us with #TheArtistIsInPodcast on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook: @katcollinsstudio

Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com