Artists Talk with LVA: December 5, 2024

John & Peter outside the WXOX Studios.

Lida Gordon: Process and Materials runs December 6 through February 25, 2025 at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts. There will be an opening reception Friday, December 6 from 5 - 7 pm.

Peter Bodnar III is an artist living in Louisville and Vinalhaven, Maine. He was an Assistant Professor at the Louisville School of Art from 1976 to 1983 and has taught at the University of Louisville. He was also a Visiting Lecturer in Drawing and Painting at Spalding University. 

John Begley is a Printmaker, Installation, and Video Artist. From 1975 to 2014 he was a Curator and Gallery Director, including 19 years as Executive Director of LVA and several years with the UofL’s Hite Art Institute.

Lida Gordon's drawings and installations deal with archetypical female imagery in a contemporary context. She won many fellowships and awards including the Al Smith Fellowship: Kentucky Arts Council- National Endowment for the Arts in 1993, the Southern Arts Federation - National Endowment for the Arts in 1992, the Kentucky Arts Council Professional Assistance Award Fellowship in 1992, and the Kentucky Foundation for Women Visual Arts Grant in 1988. She was an Assistant Professor at the Louisville School of Art and founded the Fiber Art department at the University of Louisville’s Hite Institute for Art + Design.

Artists Talk with LVA: August 1, 2024

Susan Howe runs Mudpies Studio & Gallery and opens a solo exhibit at Revelry Boutique & Gallery on August 2. Tune in to 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

In early 2016 Susan Howe began the portrait project, 100 Faces as an oil study. She chose local artists who were impacting the arts in Louisville as her muse. The project was meant to hone skills and grow as an artist. As the project grew, Susan began to include famous people who had impacted her life in some way through their work. Every portrait study became an intimate conversation. The result is a collection of Susan’s lifetime influences. Susan also owns and instructs at Mudpies Studio in Middletown. Her work is found in many corporate and private collections.

Susan has been showing at Revelry for many years. Through her classes, she has encouraged many of her students to become involved with Revelry, Louisville Visual Art, and other visual art organizations.

"Recollections" opens Friday, August 2 with a reception from 6-9 pm at Revelry Boutique & Gallery

Artists Talk with LVA: November 9, 2023

Julie Schweitzer will be exhibiting Fong Choo: An Artistic Journey in Clay at Bourne-Schweitzer Gallery in New Albany beginning Nov. 18, and both artist and gallery director come to talk about in the studio this week. Tune n to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Fong Choo is a Singapore-born American studio potter and teacher who creates diminutive, sculptural porcelain teapots. He is best known for his use of low-fire commercial glazes, firing them to Cone 6 to achieve luscious, jewel-tone effects. He has taught workshops both nationally at art centers around like Penland School of Arts and Crafts, Arrowmont School of art and craft, and internationally in countries like Israel, Canada and most recently in Singapore.

Over the years, he has also received numerous awards for his work at The Smithsonian Craft Show where he was awarded The Excellence in Ceramics Award in Washington DC. Others include Best of Show at the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, ILand The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show in Philadelphia, PA.

"What is so exciting about looking at a sleeping tiger?"

"Nothing. But if you take a stick and poke at it, you will remember that tiger for the rest of your life!"

This is part of a conversation I once had at the Minnesota Zoo.

In many ways, this parallels my attitude towards clay: it requires poking to awaken it. One must push the limits, test waters, search, prod and explore its many boundaries.

For more than ten years my work has been focused on Miniature Teapots. The teapot form continues to challenge and fascinate me. The work shown in this gallery is the result of over a decade of evolution in color, design and form. I invite you into that place.

I feel blessed to be able to pursue the life of a potter -- especially when it requires poking the sleeping tiger…

Fong Choo: An Artistic Journey in Clay is at Bourne-Schweitzer Gallery in New Albany beginning Nov. 18, 2023

Artists Talk with LVA: August 3, 2023

Thomas Wortham Rallis is a multi-media artist whose first solo exhibit, “American Made” opens at Revelry Gallery on August 4, 2023. There is a reception from 6 - 9 pm. In our conversation, we reference this piece quite a bit.

Artists Talk with LVA: June 29, 2023

Pyro Gallery celebrates its 20th Anniversary and 4 members, John McCarthy, Keith Auerbach, Kathy Loomis & Elmer Lopez join us in the studio this week to discuss the past, present, & future of the co-op gallery. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Fueling The Fires of Creativity: 20th Anniversary Exhibition at Pyro Gallery

June 30 through July 30, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 15, 2023, 6-9 pm
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday 12-6 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm

John McCarthy is an artist, ceramic sculptor, and art educator. His sculptural pieces are hand-built and highly manipulated to create organic shapes with an emphasis on texture and subtle, naturally glazed surfaces.  McCarthy has used stoneware firings to produce one-of-a-kind compositions that are striking and durable, whether used indoors or as exterior garden sculpture.

Photographer and artist Keith Auerbach is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. For nearly 15 years his photographs appeared in LEO WEEKLY (Louisville Eccentric Observer). In 2007 he published “The Photographic Humor of Keith Auerbach,” which won a Book of The Year (IPPY) award from the Independent Publishers Association. He has won many additional awards and competitions including an International Photography Awards "Lucie."

Kathleen Loomis asks “Why do artists make art?  For me, it’s not to produce beautiful images and objects, although I hope some of my work has a bit of beauty.  By contrast, I’m a commentator. 

 Some of my comments are loud and brazen, speaking out when our society seems to be taking wrong turns.  Some are indirect, mourning the people who fight our wars and suffer from depredation.  Some are wry, taking on the tropes and cliches of mass communication and American culture.

 I work primarily in fiber, either with a needle in hand or a needle in a sewing machine.  This constant reminder of traditional female domestic pursuits lends an edge to what I make – the hand that rocks the cradle and does the laundry can also pull a voting lever. “ 

Elmer Lopez is a Spanish American artist with over 17 years of specialized experience using a variety of mediums and techniques. He studied art at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, Kentucky where he was accepted into the Visual Arts program. After graduating, he majored in Studio Art and minored in Business at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Elmer also studied abroad at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin in Germany, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute of China, and Shanghai University in China; learning new customs, cultural techniques and mediums, which he implements in his work today.