Just Make Art

Perspectives on Jack Whitten and the Birth of Abstraction with Jamele Wright, Sr.

24 Dec 2025

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What if paint is the vehicle and you are the medium? We dive deep into Jack Whitten’s Notes from the Woodshed with guest host Jamel Wright Sr., tracing how a life shaped by the Jim Crow South, pre-med rigor, and carpentry precision produced a studio practice built on invention. From the famed developer tool to a crow’s nest for high vantage points, Whitten redesigned the act of making—choosing systems over spontaneity and treating process like a living experiment.Jamel brings a rich perspective as an Atlanta-based artist and professor whose work spans Georgia red clay, Dutch wax cloth, and large-scale textiles. Together we map the long road to abstraction—Turner’s atmospheres, Monet’s shadows, Cézanne’s form, and the New York School’s debates—while centering the Black artists too often written out of the frame. We talk Norman Lewis, Joe Overstreet, Sam Gilliam, and the way community quietly powers discovery, even as art remains a solitary grind. The result is a candid look at research, journaling, and “recipes” that transform failed trials into the first real painting, then the next ten that lock in the language.Along the way, we wrestle with Whitten’s audacity—“May the history of Western painting die within me”—and why abstraction can be activism: engineering new tools, removing gesture, and insisting on thought as freedom. If you’ve ever wondered how to balance materials, memory, and ambition without losing your voice, this conversation offers a field guide. Press play, then tell us what rule you’re ready to break. If the episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—your support helps more artists find their way.Follow Jamele Wright, Sr. at https://www.instagram.com/artthenewreligion Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:@justmakeartpodcast @tynathanclark @nathanterborg Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify, https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast

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13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

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Just Make Art

Perspectives on Jack Whitten and the Birth of Abstraction with Jamele Wright, Sr.

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

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