Artists Talk with LVA: February 1, 2024

The Blazing World, a new solo exhibit from Megan Bickel opens at Wheelhouse Art February 2 and continues through March 16, 2024.

Megan Bickel is an artist, writer, and educator currently working out of Louisville, Kentucky. Her work considers and utilizes various approaches and technologies such as painting, data manipulation, digital collage, database reconfiguration, and poetry. 

Bickel recently received her Master of Arts in Digital Studies in Language, Culture, and History at the University of Chicago. Her thesis research assessed how Google Vision API and other related APIs would impact the fate of climate reporting due to their current labeling production design. She is currently working on expanding this data set and expanding the research into a book with coauthor Joseph Solis. 

Bickel is the proud founder and organizer of houseguest gallery (Est. 2018) where she organizes and curates works by emerging and underserved artists and curators. She’s had arts criticism, science fiction, and images published in Burnaway, Anarchist Review of Books, Ruckus, NEWCITY, Sixty-Inches from Center, and others. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville, Bellarmine, and Indiana University Southeast where she teaches Painting, Video Production, and Web Design. 

Her work has been exhibited at the Speed Art Museum (Louisville, KY), University of Chicago Logan Center (Chicago, IL), LADIES' ROOM LA (Los Angeles, California), KMAC Museum (Louisville, KY), Georgetown College (Georgetown, KY), QUAPPI Projects (Louisville, KY), Art Academy of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH), and MADS Mixed Reality Gallery (Milan, Italy). 

Vignette: Gayle Cerlan

"Alice in Potterland" by Gayle Cerlan, Clay, glaze, 16.5x7x6.5in, 2018, $975

Gayle Cerlan is currently working on two different bodies of work for two different exhibits. Here we see work she will be showing in Louisville with Jacque Parsley in September 2018. 

Cerlan’s pieces are ceramic sculptures that capture an aesthetic from more than a century ago but also feel of a more recent time. “Alice in Potterland” is an obvious allusion to the Lewis Carroll classic, and could almost be an artifact from the late-Victorian period in England. Yet there is also a degree of American sensibility from 100 years later, a time when Carroll’s fantastical, hallucinatory imagery found purchase in the counter-culture. And what are we to make of the small skull tucked under the arm of this unique hare?

There is ample narrative in this body of work, and it seems likely that its full effect would be best experienced seeing them as a group, so that the characters are encountered in context and the viewer may find their own story. The bemused, slightly vacant gaze in the face of “Amelia” captures a surrealistic charm that causes us to ponder whether the flowers above her head are contained within the vase or are indeed growing directly from inside this baroque lady’s skull.

This work will be included in an exhibit at Craft(s) Gallery & Mercantile with Jacque Parsley entitled, Shared Vision. The show will run September 7 through 28 with an Artist Reception September 7, 6:00-9:00PM

"Amelia" by Gayle Cerlan, Clay, glaze, paint, found objects, 10x6x6.4,5in, 2018, $850

Cerlan has been an active member of the Kentucky arts community through her involvement as the creator and director of the Cityworks exhibition (1997-1998), and as curator of the DinnerWorks exhibition (1994-1997). She has served on the boards of Louisville Visual Art and the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft and has been an Adjunct Professor of Ceramics at Indiana University Southeast, Bellarmine College, and the University of Louisville. She founded Cerlan Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky (1997-2007) and established a fine arts school for all ages, ArtStudio (1997-2014). Cerlan has exhibited her ceramic art nationally and internationally and has won many awards and grants. Her work can be found in numerous public collections.

Hometown: Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky
Education: BFA Louisville School of Art; MA, University of Louisville; Completed coursework at Alfred University in New York. 
Gallery Representative: Kentucky Artisan Center, Gayle Cerlan Hunt Art Studio & Classes (Lexington, Kentucky)

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"Grey Evening Gloves" by Gayle Cerlan, Clay, glaze, paint, gold leaf, 10x8x6.5in, 2018, $950

"Birds of A Feather" by Gayle Cerlan, Clay, glaze, glass, gold leaf, 11x5x5in, 2018, $950

"Garden of Eden" by Gayle Cerlan, Clay, glaze, paint, gold leaf, 9.5x7x5in, 2018, $900

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Vignette: Steven Cheek

"How are we as a society going to leave our mark on the world?" - Steven Cheek

"Killing Fields Bourbon Bottle Set" by Steven Cheek, Porcelain, 10x5x5in, 2016, POR

The allure of ceramics is so often in the holding of well-crafted functional objects; to wrap your hand around a favorite mug, warmed to the touch by the hot liquid contained within. The form and textures of hand made pottery are a visceral, sensual pleasure.

In his work, Steven Cheek anticipates that aspect of the work by populating his exquisite surfaces with unexpected motifs that express unsettling themes.

“My work is designed to challenge the viewer’s ideals and thoughts about what is beautiful,” Cheek explains in his Artist’s Statement, “and to encourage the viewer to contemplate issues that are taking place all around us, but which are often uncomfortable to discuss.”

“I strive to engage the viewer by juxtaposing beauty with the ugliness of the world in which we live. It is my intent to marry the beautiful classical vessel with imagery that subtly confronts the viewer to think about a deeper issue.  These issues include war, the impermanence of life, environmental destruction and man’s inhumanity to man and our response to these things.” 

“It is my goal to raise several questions; how do we mark or mourn the passing of lost ideals?  How are we as a society going to leave our mark on the world? Are we going to leave the world a better place? Will we learn from the mistakes of those that came before us?” 

"Car Bombing" by Steven Cheek, Porcelain, 4x3x3in, 2015, POR

Cheek has taught at the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Indiana University Southeast, and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

Cheek will be participating in first Southern Crossings Pottery Festival (SXPF), which he is coordinating with Amy Chase and Jason Bige Burnett. SXPF will take place March 2 & 3, 2018 at Copper & Kings in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisvile. The event will showcase potters in the Ohio River Region, including Lexington, Cincinnati, and more. The festival will also include the Empty Bowls Benefit Dinner @PLAY Louisville on March 3, 2018.

Hometown: Born Hillsboro, OR
Education: BFA in Ceramics from the University of Evansville and an MFA in Ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Website: www.stevengcheek.com
Instagram:

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"Oak Leaf Bottle" by Steven Cheek, Porcelain, 8x6x6in, 2016, POR

"Whats In Your Water?" by Steven Cheek, Porcelain, 14x8x8in, 2006, POR

"Killing Fields Mug" by Steven Cheek, Porcelain, 4.5x3.5x4in, 2017, POR

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Student Spotlight: Sierra DeMers

“Reality and fantasy are often funny, critical, and emotional places to reside in…” Sierra DeMers

"Pencil vs. Dorm" by Sierra DeMers, Mixed media, 8x12in, 2016, $15

While it can be said that any art gives us insight into how an artist sees, Sierra Demers illustrates how an artist might look at the world in clever images that combine the imagination and “reality”.

“I am a daydreamer,” says DeMers. “I will frequently take a look at the real world I’m living in and play out some wacky, impossible scenario in my head. While this might seem like I’m ignoring reality, I feel more like I’m embracing it. I like to explore this duality in my work, peering into one of these states of mind through the other. Reality and fantasy are often funny, critical, and emotional places to reside in, and I like focusing on the connections between them.”

Reality vs. illusion has always been a fertile theme for creativity, allowing us to question our assumptions about…well, anything, really, including our own sense of identity. But while DeMers is on well-trod ground, she occupies it with her highly individual point-of-view, which never takes it's self too seriously. All of her work, especially her animation, has a sure understanding of fun.

“One of the key elements through which I channel these musings is movement. When I create any work, regardless of medium, subject, or dimension, in my mind it is always in motion. This is what draws me so much to animation, that I can convey my crazy notions exactly as I see them, moving and life-like, without having the limitations that life brings to it.”

Hometown: Frankfort, Kentucky
Education: BFA candidate, Bellarmine University, May 2018
Website: sierrademers.wixsite.com/portfolio
Instagram: sierrakay_light/

 

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"Migration" by Sierra DeMers, Graphite and Ink, 14x17in, 2016, $25

"Pencil vs. Laika" by Sierra DeMers, Mixed media, 8x12in, 2016, $15

Click here to watch "Leonardo" animation

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved

Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more.

Vignette: Shae Goodlett

“Humor has always been at the forefront of my work." - Shae Goodlett

"Forever Endeavor" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Wood, 4ft x 2.5ft, 2017, $300

Shae Goodlett brings humor and a youthful, gleeful energy to his art that is infectious and bright – even when it tiptoes around darkness. He brings together pop culture and everyday life in ways that are instantly familiar and relatable, and Goodlett finds the fun in every simple detail. “Humor has always been at the forefront of my work,” he says. “Creating imagery that evokes laughter is something that I strive for, as it can serve as a means of connection between two anonymous parties: artist and viewer.”

"Brain Freeze" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Wood, 4ft x 2.5ft, 2017, $250

After graduating from Bellarmine last spring with BAs in Painting and Digital Arts Technology, Goodlett is currently a first-year graduate student at the University of Louisville, enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at the Hite Art Institute with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. He also recently wrote and illustrated his first book for all ages, “What the Moon Saw on Halloween”. Additionally, he often draws amazing donuts.

He refers to the cartoons he grew up watching when he says he uses amusing subjects to present more serious ideas that comment on what’s being discussed around him. He filters these concepts through his personal views to comment at times on politics, religion and other weighty topics through his art.

“I feel that an artist’s work serves as a reflection of his or her soul, built by the creator’s personal past experiences,” he continues. “To be able to apply that to various current events, cultural movements, and conversations in contemporary society is essential to the work of a modern artist.”

He says there is nothing he is more passionate about than his art. He hopes he can find ways to offer new perspectives to viewers of his work. What he wants each viewer to take away, more than anything else, is “how much art-making means to me. The joy and excitement that is brought to my life through each project is something that I will forever be thankful for.”

Hometown: Crestwood, KY
Age: 23
Education: BA in Painting & BA in Digital Arts Technology, Bellarmine University (May 2017)
First year MFA candidate at the University of Louisville's Hite Art Institute: Studio Art & Design. Concentration: Painting & Drawing
Website: shaedraws.com
Instagram: @shaegoodlett

The artist in his studio.

"POP Gothic" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Plywood, 4ft x 2ft, 2017, $450

"Untitled 2017" by Shae Goodlet, Acrylic on Plywood, 4ft x 2ft, 2017, $450

"POP Gothic II" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Plywood, 4ft X 2ft, 2017, $300

"Take Another Little Pizza My Heart Now, Baby" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Plywood, 3ft x 4.5ft, 2017 SOLD

Written by Peter Berkowitz. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art.
All rights reserved.

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