Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle

Maine Artist Emily Blaschke on Creative Reinvention

Emily Blaschke is a Portland Art Gallery artist whose mixed-media assemblages transform found objects into vibrant, layered stories. In this conversation with Dr. Lisa Belisle, Emily shares how her art evolved from figurative work at UC Berkeley to the richly textural collages she now creates in Maine. Her inspiration often begins at antique shops or even the local dump, where she collects discarded materials—Barbie dolls, jewelry, paint, and nail polish—and gives them new life. With roots that stretch back to Down East Magazine, founded by her grandfather, Emily has deep ties to Maine’s creative community and now helps foster it through her work with Yarmouth Arts and the Portland Museum of Art. Her pieces invite discovery, joy, and connection, reminding us that beauty can be found in what others leave behind.

Join our conversation with Emily Blaschke today on Radio Maine.

From Pharmacy to Fine Art: The Creative World of Mike LaRosa

Mike LaRosa, founder of LaRosa Studios and represented by the Portland Art Gallery, brings an uncommon duality to his life’s work—he’s both a practicing pharmacist and a professional artist. Raised in Syracuse, New York, with a background in engineering and pharmacy, Mike ultimately found fulfillment through painting—proof that science and creativity can coexist in harmony. His vivid, hard-edged abstractions and Maine-inspired landscapes reflect a disciplined precision balanced by emotional spontaneity. From family hikes near Deer Isle to his fascination with cinematic color and rhythm, Mike’s art reveals how structure and imagination can share the same canvas. Now living in Norway, Maine, with his physician wife and young son, he continues to explore how love—for color, composition, and connection—drives both his professions.

Join our conversation with Mike LaRosa today on Radio Maine.

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From Corporate Life to Creative Freedom: Artist Emily Sabino’s Bold Leap

Emily Sabino is a Maine-based painter whose vibrant abstract works explore nature’s cycles, human resilience, and the quiet renewal that comes with listening to one’s own creative voice. After more than a decade as a director of pricing and project management at a major international law firm, Emily found herself managing constant crises—until she realized the real emergency was her own unfulfilled artistic life. In 2025, she made the courageous decision to leave corporate stability behind and commit to painting full time.

Her art—rooted in themes of plants, seeds, and transformation—reflects her fascination with the natural world’s capacity for rebirth. Works like Path Forward and Once an Ocean meditate on growth, healing, and the balance between yin and yang energies. Emily’s paintings invite viewers to see beyond beginnings and endings—to the continuous motion of life and the possibility of regeneration.

In this deeply personal conversation with Dr. Lisa Belisle, Emily shares how her years in the high-pressure legal world unexpectedly strengthened her confidence and focus as an artist. She discusses how caring for her father through Alzheimer’s and learning to trust her intuition reshaped her sense of purpose. Drawing inspiration from her mother, artist Jane Dahmen, Emily embraces a daily practice that blends discipline with spiritual openness—showing how creativity can thrive even after long periods of constraint.

Today, Emily’s work can be seen on her website, EmilySabinoArt.com. Her story is one of rediscovery and courage—a reminder that it’s never too late to return to what makes us feel alive.

Creativity, Hard Work, and Family: The Maine Story Behind Agren’s Success

In this episode of Radio Maine, Dr. Lisa Belisle sits down with Jason Agren, President and Owner of Agren, Maine’s largest independent appliance and mattress retailer. Together they explore the creative side of business—how curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to take risks can drive long-term success.

Jason shares the remarkable story of his family company, from his father’s humble beginnings repairing appliances out of a van in 1969 to Agren’s expansion into eight showrooms and more than 160 employees statewide. He reflects on lessons learned from working alongside his father, balancing tradition with innovation, and how technology and AI are reshaping customer service and logistics.

The conversation also delves into creativity as leadership—hiring the right people, building strong relationships, and reimagining how a local company can compete with giants like Amazon while staying true to Maine values. Jason and Lisa discuss how creative thinking extends beyond the arts into everyday problem-solving, community engagement, and business growth.

This conversation, proudly sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery, celebrates Maine’s entrepreneurial creativity and the blend of hard work, innovation, and human connection that defines success in both business and art.

From Peaks Island to Patients: Dr. Chuck Radis on His New Book

In this episode of Radio Maine, Dr. Lisa Belisle welcomes back Dr. Chuck Radis—rheumatologist, author, and storyteller—to discuss his newest book, Mystery in the Room (RHEUM): A Physician’s Journey Treating Patients with Rare Diseases. Drawing inspiration from Oliver Sacks and John McPhee, Dr. Radis blends medical insight with personal reflection, exploring the art of diagnosis, the humanity behind clinical encounters, and the balance between science and empathy.

Together, they discuss how technology, including AI, might paradoxically help physicians reconnect with patients, why listening remains medicine’s most powerful diagnostic tool, and how life on Peaks Island continues to shape Dr. Radis’s perspective as both a doctor and a writer.

Radio Maine is proudly sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery, where we explore and celebrate creativity and the human spirit.

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Building Community and Creativity at the Portland Art Gallery

In this special episode of Radio Maine, Dr. Lisa Belisle sits down with her husband, Kevin Thomas—owner of the Portland Art Gallery—for a candid conversation about his unlikely path from a farming family in northern Maine, to foodservice distribution CEO, to gallery owner in Portland Maine’s Old Port. Kevin shares how his lifelong appreciation for creativity began with high school sketches and Friday night gallery visits in Northampton, Massachusetts—long before he could afford original art. He reflects on lessons in business and branding learned on the job, the leap from an early online art venture to a physical gallery, and why creating a welcoming, approachable space matters to both artists and collectors. Together, Kevin and Lisa explore the Portland Art Gallery’s monthly First Thursday openings, the importance of community, the joy of connecting collectors with meaningful work, and the ways art inspires families across generations—including their own children and grandchildren. This conversation highlights the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship, and family—revealing why art is more than something you hang on a wall. It’s a way of life.

How Tech and Creativity Are Shaping Maine’s Future: William Sullivan

In this episode of Radio Maine, Dr. Lisa Belisle sits down with William Sullivan, co-organizer of Maine Tech Week and founder of From Away Games. A Maine native who began his career at Microsoft, William shares his journey from deep tech and engineering to gaming, VR/AR, and creative entrepreneurship. They explore how technology and creativity overlap—whether through video game design, immersive VR storytelling, or using AR to improve healthcare training and patient care. William also discusses the vision behind Maine Tech Week, his work with the Silicon Lobster network, and the importance of building lasting connections between Maine’s creative and tech communities. From Robin Williams filming Jumanji in Maine to startups using VR for empathy training, this conversation highlights the innovation, resilience, and community spirit shaping Maine’s future. ✨ Sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery in Portland, Maine.

The Universe Loves Me: Billy Jack Goodwin’s Journey of Service

In this episode of Radio Maine, Dr. Lisa Belisle sits down with Billy Jack Goodwin—program leader at Port Resources’ Achieving Independence in Maine (AIM). Billy Jack shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Lewiston, to decades of nonprofit work supporting vulnerable populations, to creating innovative programs that help young adults with autism and individuals with disabilities live independent, fulfilling lives.

He also opens up about the influence of his mother, an ER nurse who modeled compassion and service; how art and creativity sustain him; and why comedy, yoga, and storytelling have all become vital outlets in his life. Along the way, he reflects on the challenges of working with traumatized youth, the evolution of care for people with disabilities, and his belief that “the universe loves me” has guided his purpose.

Sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery, Radio Maine celebrates creativity and the human spirit.

Inside the National Gallery of Art: Tosca Ruggieri on Art, History, and Hidden Stories

Tosca Ruggieri is an independent art historian and the founder of Art with Tosca. She brings museum collections to life through storytelling, guided tours, and lectures. Based just outside of Washington, D.C., Tosca began her career in the London art market before shifting her focus to education and engagement both online and in-person. Since moving to the U.S. in 2021, she has created and led intimate, research-driven tours at the National Gallery of Art, helping audiences connect deeply with individual works while exploring themes such as women artists, symbolism, and the history of color.

Her approach blends scholarship with improvisation, encouraging conversation and sparking curiosity that extends far beyond the museum walls. Tosca’s passion for art has roots in her French and Italian upbringing: her early exposure to the museums of Paris, Florence, and Tuscany inspired a lifelong fascination with art history and collecting.

Join our conversation with Tosca Ruggieri today on Radio Maine. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel for more episodes!

 

Maine Artist Joan Fischer on Color, Rhythm, and Joy

Joan Fischer is both an artist and a retired attorney, a life path that has taken her from courtroom arguments to colorful canvases. Though she practiced law for decades, art was always her release—first through textiles learned from her immigrant grandmothers, later through bold paintings inspired by color, rhythm, and joy. Today, Fischer brings that sensibility to the Portland Art Gallery, where her vibrant fish paintings and playful compositions invite viewers to smile and linger. Raised by a sculptor mother who once greeted Joan’s high school dates with a blowtorch in hand, Fischer grew up surrounded by creativity. Now living and working between Portland and East Boothbay, she finds inspiration in Maine’s ever-shifting light and coastal landscapes. Her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and a deep belief that beauty belongs in the everyday. Join our conversation with Joan Fischer today on Radio Maine—and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel.