“Thoroughbred Stallion” by Monica Barnett, Graphite, 40x30in, 2019, $975
In Kentucky, you will find horses as a subject in the work of many artists. It seems particularly inevitable for painters. Perhaps it is the power and speed, or the movement even in more relaxed moments, that draws them. For Monica Barnett, it seems to be all of these things.
“I have been an artist my entire life, and while I have focused on animals in my drawings and paintings, my work is centered on horses.”
In one image we have an anatomical study suitable for a veterinary text, and in another, the equine forms are highly stylized as figures on a spectral carousel, uneasily situated in an undetermined fantasy space that elicits the opposite of the expected reaction to a child on a carnival ride. The subjective use of color even lends the human child in the image a slightly sinister aspect.
“Carousel Ride” by Monica Barnett, Acrylic on wood, 48x48in, 2019, $3000
Barnett was for many years a Part-time Staff Artist at The Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, where she created drawings, maps, and charts for daily news articles and was a page designer for all feature sections, The Saturday Scene, and the Sunday Magazine.
In March of 2019 Barnett was in the Huber Farm Winery Art and Wine "Stella di Luce" Show; in May she was in the Mother's Day Spring Art Show at Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center; and early March through late May she had a drawing in a juried show in Lexington at the Living Arts and Sciences Center.
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: Berea College, B.A., 1986, drawing and sculpture.
Website: monicawbarnett.wordpress.com
Scroll down for more images
“Mare and Foal” by Monica Barnett, Acrylic on wood, 48x24in, 2019, $975.
“Cougar Outlook” by Monica Barnett, Graphite, 24x30in, 2019, $500
“Cougar Outlook” (detail) by Monica Barnett, Graphite, 24x30in, 2019, $500
Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved. In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville.
