"City by the River" by Philip High, Acrylic and mixed media on wood panel - Painted paper collage. 40x29.75in, 2018, $1400 — "City by the River" by Philip High, Acrylic and mixed media on wood panel - Painted paper collage. 40x29.75in, 2018, $1400

Even before he called himself “artist”, Philip High was a collector. It is such a common characteristic for artists for at least the last 100 years or so, certainly since Marcel Duchamp made us view seemingly ordinary and mundane objects through a different lens. Art makers were recycling materials long before it became fashionable.

For High, these items are both inspiration and medium: “Rocks, seed pods, scraps of metal and paper, thoughts personal and proverbial, and more, have all filled boxes and notebooks or been on display at some point. For me, they serve as objects of wonder and contemplation, reminding me that every form we perceive is a record of the unseen forces that created it.”

"Ethereal Picnic" by Philip High, Sumi-e and mixed media on aluminum, 24x18in, 2017, $700 — "Ethereal Picnic" by Philip High, Sumi-e and mixed media on aluminum, 24x18in, 2017, $700

“Similarly, my art combines collected visual fragments from nature and personal experience – both objective and abstract – in a search for relationships that activate the imagination and suggest meaning.”

“I prefer to work in mixed media - also reflecting my eclectic tendencies – incorporating conventional and unconventional materials and techniques such as: acrylic painting on Tyvec collage, sumi-e on aluminum, monotype, digital drawing, found wood, and concrete. Broadly, they fall into three categories: works on paper, wall-hung assemblage, and freestanding constructions.”

High’s works are dense visual constructions that incorporate all of these collected intelligentsia, highly personal assemblages of color, texture, and form that achieve a crucial balance of the cerebral and the visceral. The relationships are seductive but built upon a tight schematic foundation that echoes the discipline of Zen meditation. There is a profound sense of peace to be found there.

After graduating from the University of Kentucky, High moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he began a career in graphic arts. He returned to Lexington in 1989 and in 2012 moved to Louisville where he now lives. He is currently working on a Triptych commission for a medical center in Virginia, and four of his pieces have been added to the University of Kentucky Medical Center collection.

He has received regional, National and International awards for fine art and illustration in both traditional and digital media, as well as two Professional Assistance Grants from the Kentucky Arts Council.

On September 29, High will be part of the Louisville Visual Art’s Juried Exhibit in the 2018 Portland Art & Heritage Fair. The exhibit will be available for viewing at the Marine Hospital from 11am-5pm. Jury prizes will be awarded at 2:00pm.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: University of Kentucky, Fine Art: painting, 3 years, degree uncompleted.
Website: philiphigh.com
Instagram: highphilip/
Gallery Representation: Main-Cross Gallery, Lexington, KY, Mulberry and Lime, Lexington, KY, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, KY, Zephyr Gallery, Louisville, KY

Scroll down for more images

"In The Shallows" by Philip High, Acrylic and mixed media on Tyvek, 21x26in, 2015, Sold — "In The Shallows" by Philip High, Acrylic and mixed media on Tyvek, 21x26in, 2015, Sold

"The Labyrinth Makers" by Philip High, Mixed media assemblage, 31x50in, 2017, $2400 — "The Labyrinth Makers" by Philip High, Mixed media assemblage, 31x50in, 2017, $2400

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.

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

Drawing

Vignette: Sarah Johnson

Josh Jenkins · May 26, 2017

“Iconography has given me the opportunity to undergo a reflection and transformation…”
— Sarah Johnson

*"The Holy Trinity" by Sarah Johnson, 14x22in, graphite on paper (2017)*

At this point, it is fair to say that all art speaks to tradition; even the most radical work usually sees Dadaism as an ancestor. There was a time when virtually the only way to make a living as an artist was to create religious imagery – the church was one of the only paying customers, and private collectors rarely wanted secular art, except for portraits. Iconography is not always religious, but the use of recurrent symbols and themes in churches arguably laid the foundation of how we think about such things. Sarah Johnson here picks up that tradition in designs that show fealty to the rigid, highly symmetrical compositional formula that were essential in this work, but with a soupcon of individual interpretation in the details of character.

“I have the opinion that art is supposed to reflect to its audience a message,” says Johnson. “I believe art has a very significant role to play in our daily and personal lives as well as having the capacity to influence our entire culture, spiritually and politically. The best examples of that kind of art have one thing in common: it touches the soul. I have a strong desire to share my belief and perspective and Iconography has given me the opportunity to undergo a reflection and transformation and to learn a time-tested medium. I aim to continue in my study in Iconography.”

So Johnson’s images are unabashedly ecclesiastical; a personal expression of spirituality rooted in the long and rich historical traditions employed by some of the greatest artists the world has known: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, not to mention untold numbers whose specific identity has been lost to time.

Hometown: Maysville, Kentucky
Age: 32
Education: Studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati
Website: http://www.sarahcatherinejohnson.wordpress.com

*"Christ Pantocrator" by Sarah Johnson, 14x22in, graphite on paper (2017)*

*"Archangel Michael" by Sarah Johnson, 14x22in, graphite on paper (2017)*

*"Saint Andrew" by Sarah Johnson, 14x22in, graphite on paper (2017)*

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

Painting

Vignette: Geoff Crowe

Josh Jenkins · April 28, 2017

*Artist, Geoff Crowe and his wife, Shannon.*

A Different View of Horse Racing

Some artists paint horses - in Kentucky it’s almost a requirement, but in the paintings by Geoff Crowe we see here, he is not painting horses as individual animals as much as capturing the field in a horse race as one, thundering, entity barreling through the dirt and mud directly at us.

Win, Place, & Show, hold little meaning in these compositions, in which Crowe discovers the collective form and violent motion of the Sport of Kings. At times the results are ominous and foreboding, as in “Full Field”, or “Muddy Day”, wherein the point-of-view suggests precipitous danger, the mass of horse and rider abstracted as if we were witnessing the scene through a rain-smeared windshield.

*"Muddy Day" by Geoff Crowe, 38x72in, acrylic on canvas (2016). Available at Mellwood Arts Pigment Gallery during May.*

In “Race 22” the darkness is replaced by sunlight, and the loose, drip application of some of the paint illustrates the color and kinetic energy we associate with thoroughbred racing, and in “Race 17”, Crowe comes closest to a more standard representational image, in which details of the jockey’s silks are discernable and we can glimpse the individual personality of the horse.

*"Race 17" by Geoff Crowe, 36x38in, acrylic on paper (2016). Available at Mellwood Arts Pigment Gallery during May.*

The artist began his journey in 2004 in Puerto Rico with a show of children playing soccer and today many of his works focus around ballet and horse racing, with the color and texture of the Caribbean remaining an important influence on his work. These elements also carry across to his sculptures and their organic look and feel. Space and movement play a key role in all of his art.

Crowe studied painting and sculpture in Puerto Rico at La Liga deArte and La Escuela de Artes Plásticos. His work can be found in private and corporate collections in Puerto Rico, Ireland, England, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, and New York. His work can be found at Gifthorse and Regalo in Louisville, and Copper Moon in New Albany.

Crowe will be opening Hoof and Earth at the Mellwood Arts Center’s Pigment Gallery Opening on May 2; there will be a closing reception on May 26th.

Hometown: Walnut Grove, California
Age: 56
Education: BS, Business Administration, Minor Finance 4 years Independent study in Art at La Liga de Arte and La Escuela de Arte Plasticas in Puerto Rico
Website: http://www.studiocrowe.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/StudioCrowe/

*"Night Race" by Geoff Crowe, 30x60in, acrylic on canvas (2015). Available at Mellwood Arts Pigment Gallery during May.*

*"Race 22" by Geoff Crowe, 36x60in, acrylic on paper (2017). Available at Mellwood Arts Pigment Gallery during May.*

*"Full Field" by Geoff Crowe, 36x30in, acrylic on canvas (2017). Available at Mellwood Arts Pigment Gallery during May.*

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery: art[squared]

Josh Jenkins · April 5, 2017

*"Untitled" by an anonymous artist, 8x8in (2017)*

The simple, ubiquitous square - Some artists are uncomfortable with it: better to occupy the expanding horizontal form, which feels as if it matches our comprehension of the world around us, yet this year’s call for artist’s to donate original work to art[squared] has resulted in 300 pieces – a dizzying array of images of inestimable range and appeal.

On April 7 and 8, Louisville Visual Art will offer these 8” x 8” pieces from local and regional artists at the 4th Annual art[squared] Sale. All of the work is displayed anonymously and available for $100 and all proceeds support the Children’s Fine Art Classes.

Friday, April 7th - Preview, Sale & Party - (Ticketed Event)
Pre-sale: $20 members/$25 guests, At the Door: $25 members/$30 guests
7:00pm-7:30pm – Preview
7:30pm – Sale Begins

Saturday, April 8th - Public Sale - (Free Event)
10am-1pm – Sale open to the public

For Tickets: http://www.louisvillevisualart.org/artsquared2017/

Drawing, Painting

Vignette: Britany Baker

Josh Jenkins · March 28, 2017

*"Reflection" by Britany Baker, 108x25in, charcoal on paper (2016)*

For the second year, Louisville Visual Art has selected a local artist to be the Featured Artist for the annual art[squared] Anonymous 8" x 8" Art Sale: Britany Baker.

"Above the Fray" by Britany Baker, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $1800 — *"Above the Fray" by Britany Baker, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $1800*

While the sale will consist of 200 original 8” x 8” pieces by artists from around the region, it will also include this new, larger painting, “Above the Fray”, created by Baker just for this event. For anyone who has seen recent work by the artist, the depiction of a bird will come as no surprise. Baker’s paintings are much sought after by collectors, and the birds are especially popular. It is not difficult to see why.

Baker is known for abstract imagery based on natural forms, as described by Curator Jessica Bennett Kincaid: “…Baker’s fluid imagery saturates the viewer with a heightened connection to their environmental surroundings. Subtly creating an emotive relationship to singular aspects of the places we inhabit, these flowing abstractions allude to the collision of the natural world and human influence.“

Yet the aviary “characters” (they are not real birds) are a highly representational contrast to such work; an exquisite study of nature nestled in feathers that seem at once realistic and a ruse. Because of its position, the creature has the feeling of being in flight, yet the forms surrounding the head also give the appearance of being grounded. Baker creates a compelling tension between the intimacy of the detailed observation of the bird and the epic visual quality of the composition, playing with the viewer’s comprehension in a way that is irresistible.

Since December, Baker has worked full time as the Art Director for Red Pin Media, and is Vice-President at Art Sanctuary, a non-profit community-oriented arts collective supporting local visual, literary, and performing arts through events, promotion, and education.

art[squared]

All works donated to art[squared] will be exhibited anonymously and sold on a first-come, first-served basis at LVA's new location at 1538 Lytle Street on Friday, April 7th at 7 PM. The beauty of anonymous exhibition is viewers will be able to respond to the artwork on its merits alone, without prejudice or preference. Each 8” x 8” piece will be priced at $100. The work will also be on public display for one week leading up to the sale, and any unsold work for an additional week following the sale.

“Above the Fray”, by Britany Baker, will be sold through Silent Auction that will close out at 8:30pm on April 7, 2017. Opening Bid is $1000 and bids will be accepted in increments of $50. If you wish to make a bid before the event, email keith@louisvillevisualart.org with your name, mailing address, email, phone, and bid.

*"Above the Fray (detail)" by Britany Baker, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017)*

All proceeds benefit CFAC, which educates over 1,000 artistically talented and visually driven children annually in the Greater Louisville area. Last year, we were able to raise over $24,000 during art[squared]! This provided students with scholarships and helped offset instructor and supply costs in all 11 participating Kentuckiana counties!

“Little Bird” by Britany Baker, 8x8in, oil on canvas (2016) NFS - Sold at last years art[squared] event. — *“Little Bird” by Britany Baker, 8x8in, oil on canvas (2016) NFS - Sold at last years art[squared] event.*

We cordially invite you to the art[squared] Artists Reception & Preview Party on Friday, April 7th at 7 PM at LVA (1538 Lytle Street). A great opportunity to snag your favorite 8" x 8" before it's gone the next morning!

Hundreds of art works - the largest number of talented local artists to be found in one location – and each piece is ONLY $100.

For tickets and more details about the event visit:
http://www.louisvillevisualart.org/artsquared2017/

Hometown: Louisville, KY
Age: 46
Education: BFA with concentration in drawing and painting, Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Website: http://www.britanybaker.com/

"Aging" by Britany Baker, 24x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $485 | BUY NOW — *"Aging" by Britany Baker, 24x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $485 | BUY NOW*

“Gentler” by Britany Baker, 26x26in, oil on canvas (2014), $450 | BUY NOW — *“Gentler” by Britany Baker, 26x26in, oil on canvas (2014), $450 | BUY NOW*

*“Amaryllis” by Britany Baker, 37x49in, oil on canvas (2015), NFS*

collectors

Vignette: Philip High