downtown

Photography

Vignette: Ed Lawrence


“There’s something magical about creeks for me.” Ed Lawrence


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The cold, slate gray form of dead branch isolated against the warm green tones of trees reflected in a creek; the deceptively abstract quality we find In a close up point-of-view of minnows swimming in the shallow water of a creek bed; the organic cathedral formation of trees lining both sides of a woodland stream. These are but three Ed Lawrence images that make him the epitome of a fine nature photographer. His work captures both the grandeur and the intimacy of the Kentucky landscape in a context that borders on sacred.

Lawrence has worked in various mediums, but he returned to his early love of photography after retiring, shooting alongside his oldest son, who had discovered one of his father’s old film single lens reflex cameras. The two of them traveled together shooting, the son on film and the father digitally, and Lawrence’s passion was renewed. He considers himself less of a technician, saying: “I could care less about the world of apertures, f-stops, ISOs and metering.” Ed Lawrence just uses a camera to paint what he sees.

"Beals Run, Woodford County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Beals Run, Woodford County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

“There’s something magical about creeks for me,” he explains. “When I am in a creek, I feel like I am in a world of my own with meandering paths of water and rock protected by canopies of trees. Surrounded by the beauty of wildflowers along the bank, the wonder of birds, fish and fascinating creeping crawling things and the dappling light make creeks my place of reflection both literally and figuratively.”

“All seasons appeal to me. The brilliant colors of autumn leaves falling and sinking beneath the water, the ice and snow formations of winter and the pinks and blues and greens of spring growth transform the same site on the same creek into a very different place. My favorite sensation is the coolness of the air drifting downstream when the summer heat is otherwise unbearable.”

"Benson Creek, Franklin County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Benson Creek, Franklin County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

Lawrence will be one of the photographers in a group show at the City Gallery at the Downtown Arts Center, Lexington Kentucky Creeks - paintings and photographs by four Kentucky artists, which will run February 10 through April 2, 2017. He also has published book of photographs, “Kentucky 120” A county-by-county portrait of Kentucky, published by Zedz Press.

Hometown: Frankfort, Kentucky
Age: 67
Education: Studied fine art at the University of South Florida and Communications at the University of Kentucky but do not have a degree. My photography is for the most part self-taught.
Website: www.edlawrencephotography.com

"Hal Bryan's Creek, Franklin County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Hal Bryan's Creek, Franklin County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Brighton Branch, Franklin County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2014) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Brighton Branch, Franklin County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2014) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Elkhorn Creek, Woodford County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

"Elkhorn Creek, Woodford County, KY" by Ed Lawrence, 19 x 13 in, inkjet print on archival matte paper (2016) $200 / $300 framed (limited edition of 10) | BUY NOW

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

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Painting

Vignette: Tom Cannady & Robert Leo Jones

Robert Leo Jones in his studio. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis For LVA (2016).

Robert Leo Jones in his studio. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis For LVA (2016).

Not all artists have studios outside of their home, making participation in Open Studio Weekend a different challenge. Perhaps the best solution is when one artist invites another to join them for the weekend. Robert Leo Jones and Tom Cannady have been friends long enough that he was comfortable doing exactly that. Both are painters, but the differences in their work provide a striking contrast. Jones working mostly in abstract expressionism – I can think of no painter I have recently observed who more clearly harkens back to Pollock and the ‘drip’ technique from middle 20th century American painting, while Cannady is unabashedly representational, although his sun drenched images of Americans at leisure and the predominance of vintage automobiles connect us to the same period as Jones technique.

Tom Cannady working on a painting. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis For LVA (2016).

Tom Cannady working on a painting. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis For LVA (2016).

Even when working figuratively, Jones’ color palette tends to darkness, so we see none of the well-lit, carefree escapades of a flourishing middle class that we find in Cannady’s images. Even though we are only looking at their work together because of circumstance, it is a tantalizing thought that the two might be working two sides of the same street; Cannady capturing the warm nostalgia for a time that seems deceptively simpler, a period that often is held up as an ideal of American morality, while Jones probes the inevitable heart of darkness lurking beneath the surface of that rose-colored memory.

 "Jamestown 1972" by Tom Cannady, 30x30in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $1200 | BUY NOW

 "Jamestown 1972" by Tom Cannady, 30x30in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $1200 | BUY NOW

Cannady currently has pieces at the Makers Crucible Showroom in downtown Louisville, and he has a solo show opening there on December 8, 2016.

Jone's work has been featured at Huff Gallery at Spalding University, Urban Design Studio, Art [squared], and currently at Take A Seat, an exhibition at the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, Kentucky. Although predominately a painter, Jones also works occasionally in furniture repurpose and design. His current projects are layered paintings done in acrylic on canvas or Masonite panels. 

"Three Humans" by Robert Leo Jones, 47x61in, acrylic on masonite (2015), $1950 | BUY NOW

"Three Humans" by Robert Leo Jones, 47x61in, acrylic on masonite (2015), $1950 | BUY NOW

You can visit Tom Cannady and Robert Leo Jones in Jone’s studio in Old Louisville during OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND, November 5 & 6, 2016. The event benefits scholarship programs for Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute and tickets may be purchased here.

Name: Tom Cannady
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 58
Education: BS in Marketing and a minor in Art, Murray State University
Website: http://www.tjcannady.com

Name: Robert Leo Jones
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 72
Education: BS in Marketing, Kent State University
Website: http:///www.robertleojones.com

"WHAT is going on down at the Tasty Creme?!" by Tom Cannady, 60x48in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $3600 | BUY NOW

"WHAT is going on down at the Tasty Creme?!" by Tom Cannady, 60x48in, acrylic on canvas (2016), $3600 | BUY NOW

"Banyans" by Robert Leo Jones, acrylic on canvas, 9x12in (2016), $125 | BUY NOW

"Banyans" by Robert Leo Jones, acrylic on canvas, 9x12in (2016), $125 | BUY NOW

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

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.