No denying it: there will always be p-a-i-n in paint. In this ARTish Words episode, Canadian artist Janice Tanton and Washington painter Valerie Collymore address the issue of pain and beauty by reflecting on French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s struggle with rheumatoid arthritis and the herculean efforts he made to sustain his art practice during the last twenty years of his life.

After a career in education that included roles as a kindergarten teacher, principal, grant writer and consultant, Canadian-born ISBELLE ALESSANDRA finally heeded her mother’s final advice to become a full-time artist.

The ARTish Plunge podcast explores how Isabelle, now a resident of southern California, channeled the same drive and work ethic that fueled her as a young figure skater into her artmaking and marketing, resulting in impressive art sales, magazine features and the gallery of her dreams.