The Academy at LVA 2018 Senior Spotlight: Mickaela McKinney

"Blood in the Woods" by Mickaela McKinney, digital illustration

Mickaela McKinney was home schooled, but has taken Digital Illustration with Lily Higgs twice at the Holy Trinity/Clifton Community Center. Educating kids at home requires dedication, but often specialty courses for art, music, or dance are important and valuable additions to a home school curriculum.

“I have not applied to college yet, but I would like to apply to the University of Louisville. I haven’t decided on whether I’m going to wait a year and save up or not. I have not received any financial aid, and my planned majors will likely be either an artistic degree or potentially a business degree.”

McKinney is showing static digital images here, but they often have the look and feel of stills from animated films, with a dynamic sense of composition that suggests movement within the frame. She is clearly telling stories, with an obvious concentration on fantasy narratives.

“I’ve mostly been self-taught over the years, but my classes with Lily Higgs have really given me the ability to expand in ways I was always scared to try. I better know how to use the tools I have and attempt to incorporate them into all my work from now on. I would definitely recommend the LVA classes to anyone who asked.”

Mickaela's work will be included in The Academy at LVA Exhibition, which will be on display May 9 - 16 at Louisville Visual Art, 1538 Lytle Street in the Portland neighborhood. Gallery Hours are Monday through Thursday, 12-4pm, or by appointment. There will be a reception Friday, May 11, 6-8pm.

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"Desert Story" by Mickaela McKinney, digital illustration

"Emil Beginnings" by Mickaela McKinney, digital ullustration

"Artorias And Manus" by Mickaela McKinney, digital illustration

"Tempest Stuff 2" by Mickaela McKinney, digital illustration

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Art[squared] Spotlight: Julia Davis

To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of LVA’s Art [squared] Event to Benefit Children’s Fine Art Classes, we will feature five local artists who are contributing 24” x 24” paintings to be sold at the event through a Silent Auction. Today we feature Julia Davis:

Design for CirqueLouis event, digital illustration by Julia Davis, 2017

“As an artist and I want to be fully involved within the arts on many levels.” – Julia Davis

Besides her studio practice as a painter, Davis has also become involved with performance, working with Squallis Puppeteers for the last 18 months and becoming immersed in the world of puppetry, education, and creation all together. “I started working for these amazing people as an administrative assistant in the office then I started dipping into puppet mingling, which then lead to protest involvement, then to making puppets and performing with said puppets. I made my first puppet for Emperor's New Clothes, which is an adaptation of a Hans Christian Anderson Fairy tale using multiple animal rod puppets, which meant I had to find my voice as well. I eventually made my first backpack puppet for the performance of Peter and the Wolf (with the helping hand Squallis directors, Shawn Hennessey and Nora Christensen) that was utilized in a one-time performance with the Louisville Orchestra on March 17th, 2018.”

“I also I dip into the circus as an illustrator for CirqueLouis, and I am currently working on my 4th poster for them. Like Squallis, CirqueLouis is a non-profit organization that makes a great effort teaching the public and the youth of the public the importance of performance artwork, specifically the importance of the circus. Their most recent show, Kaleidoscope (November 2017) was a favorite of mine because it gave life to one of my most treasured studio items, the movable manikin. I was given a lot of artistic freedom and was able to develop a visual story in one frame. I truly love the relationship I have with CirqueLouis and will be designing the poster for their new show, Happy Birthday that will be performed at the Iroquois Amphitheater as part of that historic venue’s 80th birthday.” 

"Look before you leap" by Julia Davis, Oil on canvas, 24x24in, 2018, Featured Silent Auction Painting for 2018 Art[squared} Benefit

Davis remains dedicated to her studio practice for painting however, and was included in Not Just a Drawing: A Line with Intent in Chicago in March 2018. Oh, Places is a new painting that is adding on to a continuing study about the use of imagery. “My personal work contradicts realistically painted images with superimposed line work offering a question of purpose. My aim is to paint images in a realistic fashion and interrupt them with graphic line work to consistently investigate the use of imagery. The piece for "Art [Squared]", Look before you leap, is another addition to my study.” 

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BFA, University of Louisville, 2012
Website: www.JuliaDart.com
Instagram: @Julia_Davis_Art

"Peter" (for Peter and the Wolf) by Julia Davis for Squallis Puppeteers, 2018

"Pinocchia", Design for CirqueLouis poster, digital illustration by Julia Davis, 2016

"Pinocchio" (alternate), Design for Cirque Louis poster, Digital illustration by Julia Davis, 2016

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

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