charcoal

Mixed Media

Vignette: Steve Heine

“Sweet Camille’s Halo” by Steve Heine, 18x18x2in, laser-cut steel, blue handblown sheet glass, poplar, one of a series of “Cloud Panels” (2015), $2700 | BUY NOW

“Sweet Camille’s Halo” by Steve Heine, 18x18x2in, laser-cut steel, blue handblown sheet glass, poplar, one of a series of “Cloud Panels” (2015), $2700 | BUY NOW

Steve Heine is the owner of Cranium Glass in Louisville, Kentucky, where he is also the chief designer. Although trained as an architect, his work is primarily commissioned art glass for individual and corporate clients.

“Stained glass—composed of glass, paint and metal [lead]—is the prototypical architectural glass form. Currently, I’m working on a fresh approach to architectural glass using these same materials—hand blown sheet glass, paint [stark white metal primer] and metal [laser-cut steel]. My “Cloud Panels” [like stained glass] are designed to be illuminated by the sun. I’m particularly fascinated by the wash of color across steel. I’m working primarily with blue, violet, amber or green hand blown sheet glass for each of my “Cloud Panels”.

“I’m trying to transition to some smaller pieces and gallery sales. However, the high cost of my materials creates a bit of a dilemma for me. So, I’m trying to sell these new "Cloud Panels" by way of a concept drawing and a paper study model [8” x 8”] and images of past, completed pieces. Once a concept is commissioned, I can then make the piece in my studio.”

“Lucent Cloud” (concept drawing on left) by Steve Heine, 18x18x2in, laser-cut steel, blue handblown sheet glass, poplar, one of a series of “Cloud Panels” (2016), $2700 | BUY NOW

“Lucent Cloud” (concept drawing on left) by Steve Heine, 18x18x2in, laser-cut steel, blue handblown sheet glass, poplar, one of a series of “Cloud Panels” (2016), $2700 | BUY NOW

Of course the final glass version is what both artist and viewer are drawn to, yet the minimalist clarity of Heine’s paper models is notable, a clean, simple aesthetic with an appeal all its own. While we envision an artist’s preparation as furiously scribbling on a pad, hands dirty with charcoal or chalk, the architect’s approach is on display here; the merging of the artist’s creativity with the practical functionality of an engineer. 

“Buoyancy” by Steve Heine, paper study model (2016) | Available for Commission

“Buoyancy” by Steve Heine, paper study model (2016) | Available for Commission

During 2016, Heine’s work was accepted in three juried exhibitions: 

•Louisville Visual Art & University of Louisville’s Hite Institute’s Open Studio Weekend Exhibition, juried exhibition, Cressman Center for the Visual Arts, Louisville, KY
Gathering: Contemporary Glass from the Heartland, juried exhibition “featuring the best of emerging and established glass artists from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Wisconsin—the heartland of America”, Muncie, IN
• Merit Award in Bluegrass Biennial: A Kentucky Juried Exhibition, Morehead, KY

Heine is now a member of PYRO Gallery in Louisville, and will be featured in the PYRO New Members Show, January 5 through February 11, 2017.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 55
Education: BA, Architecture, University of Kentucky, 1996; 
Website: http://www.craniumglass.squarespace.com/

“For My Brother, Gary, Who Is Much Older Than Me” by Steve Heine, 7x5(d) in, cast glass [lost-wax process], lathe-turned Kentucky black walnut. The wax positive for the glass was slowly turned by hand on a wood lathe. One of a series of “Wood Lathe …

“For My Brother, Gary, Who Is Much Older Than Me” by Steve Heine, 7x5(d) in, cast glass [lost-wax process], lathe-turned Kentucky black walnut. The wax positive for the glass was slowly turned by hand on a wood lathe. One of a series of “Wood Lathe Vessels”, NFS

A wax model for one of Steve Heine's “Wood Lathe Vessels”

A wax model for one of Steve Heine's “Wood Lathe Vessels”

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2016 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Painting, Drawing

Vignette: Ray Kleinhelter

A photograph of Ray Kleinhelter at work on his boat (2016).

A photograph of Ray Kleinhelter at work on his boat (2016).

Ray Kleinhelter paints abstract compositions of intricate geometric pattern. Although he cites American Richard Diebenkorn and London’s Frank Auerbach as influences, Kleinhelter’s approach touches upon a variety of 20th century movements, and a viewer might feel as if they are seeing a mash-up of Color Field, Abstract Expressionism and a touch of Pop Art. But such attempts to pigeonhole his work probably wouldn’t be accepted by the artist himself: 

“I am interested in the process, (or craft) of painting, drawing, and printmaking. Every serious painter has a different interpretation of what this means. There are no rules to follow, but what we want are pictures that hold up. No explanation required. Painting in its purest form is much more interesting than any perceived meaning applied to the image. Contemporary interpretations of art, while intellectually compelling, have little to add to the language of painting, where form and content are inseparable.”

"#12" by Ray Kleinhelter, 12x9in, watercolor on Arches hot press paper (2016)

"#12" by Ray Kleinhelter, 12x9in, watercolor on Arches hot press paper (2016)

As with most artists, Kleinhelter began with representational work, and he still sees recognizable form and the natural world at the root of his intensely colored geometric abstracts: 

"Landscape Variation #4" by Ray Kleinhelter, 22.5x30in, charcoal on Stonehenge paper (2016)

"Landscape Variation #4" by Ray Kleinhelter, 22.5x30in, charcoal on Stonehenge paper (2016)

“I continue to draw and paint from nature, lately from my boat, exploring the appearance of land and light. These pictures inform others and act as starting points for improvisation. I rarely stop with one version of an image. In the last year or two, wood cut printing has become a catalyst toward flatter, more direct images. Interestingly, the paintings have changed through the experience of printmaking, moving toward what I believe is a cleaner sense of structure.”

You can visit Ray Kleinhelter on the Ohio River during OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND, November 5 & 6, 2016, where he will be painting on his boat. The event benefits scholarship programs for Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute and tickets may be purchased here.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: Yale School of Art Summer Painting Scholar 1982; BFA, Kansas City Art Institute 1982; MFA, Indiana University, Bloomington 1986
Gallery Representation: Galerie Hertz (Louisville)

"Riverbank #6" by Ray Kleinhelter, 34x40in, oil on panel (2016)

"Riverbank #6" by Ray Kleinhelter, 34x40in, oil on panel (2016)

"Riverbank #1" by Ray Kleinhelter, oil on panel (2016)

"Riverbank #1" by Ray Kleinhelter, oil on panel (2016)

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2016 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

Please contact josh@louisvillevisualart.org for further information on advertising through Artebella.

Please contact josh@louisvillevisualart.org for further information on advertising through Artebella.