“I understand the rules that have been presented to me, take the previous results into account, then more-or-less throw them out.” – Bailey Roman

Looking at the work of Bailey Roman raises a question: are these faces, with their contorted, lopsided visage, a deliberate deconstruction of conventional beauty? They are certainly distinctive and full of character, personalities that feel pulled from the fringe of society, malformed outcasts demanding our compassion.

Roman juxtaposes self-awareness and subconscious feelings against modern societal standards. “I also tend to take a lot of idioms way more seriously than their original intent; for example, in the past I have used the phrase ‘the lights are on but nobody’s home’ and used it as commentary for society’s various criticisms and standards for intelligence.”

*"It's Only The Second Semester and I'm Already Emotionally Exhausted; Maybe I Should Eat a Burrito" by Bailey Roman, 24x24in, oil on canvas (2017)*

“I draw influence from German Expressionism, Post Impressionism, contemporary media and, most importantly, the greats from stop motion puppet fabricators such as Francesca Berlingieri Maxwell and Henry Selick. More recently, I have been stretching the boundaries of what my chosen mediums. I understand the rules that have been presented to me, take the previous results into account, then more-or-less throw them out to see what new two dimensional effects, tactical textures, and interactions the viewer can have with my work.”

“In ‘Logan’, I use the polygons as a tool to highlight the first things the viewer would typically notice from the piece. I also take the liberty of using influences from both Pop Art and Golden Age comic book art. I use the two periods and place them into a more contemporary anatomical study.”

*"Anubis, The Dragonfly and the Warrior" by Bailey Roman, 15x7x10in, ceramic and glaze (2017)*

Roman is featured in From the Sculptures That Look Like Drawings series at The Tim Faulkner Gallery, and she will be included in Louisville Artisan Guild's 44th annual exhibit From the Soul of the Artist that will be held at Kore Gallery July 5 through July 30. There will be an Artist Reception July 13th, 6 – 8 pm.

Age: 19
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: Ballard High School (honors program graduated 2016) Murray State University (Studio Art major, currently working on my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in art history)
Gallery Representation: The Tim Faulkner Gallery
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/RamRenard/

"Touch Of Death" by Bailey Roman, 14x14x14in, ceramic, acrylic, plaster (2015), $315 | BUY NOW — *"Touch Of Death" by Bailey Roman, 14x14x14in, ceramic, acrylic, plaster (2015), $315 | BUY NOW*

*"Logan" by Bailey Roman, 22x28in, ceramic and glaze (2016)*

*"GPF" by Bailey Roman, 9x9.5x11in, ceramic and glaze (2017)*

*"Day N Night" by Bailey Roman, 11x14in, ink 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: Michael Victor Troutman

Josh Jenkins · March 8, 2017

"I didn't choose art. I was born into it." – Michael Victor Troutman

"Amber" by Michael Victor Troutman, 6x6in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $25 | BUY NOW — *"Amber" by Michael Victor Troutman, 6x6in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $25 | BUY NOW*

Michael Victor Troutman claims that his work contains no “pretentious message,” and that he just hopes to provoke an individual emotional response in each individual viewer. His unorthodox use of color and a deliberately unsophisticated approach to mark making give us paintings that might be more accessible to a broader audience for exactly their lack of “airs.” There is skill in the line work but a liberating lack of concern for what is academically appropriate in compositional choices.

Troutman’s work is reminiscent of mid-20th century art that included connotations from the past. “Amber” is quick and spontaneous, but cannot help but recall Andy Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe, while the sense of decadence with a hint of depravity found in “Cessation” seems to cite Toulouse-Lautrec as a part of its ancestry.

"Cessation" by Michael Victor Troutman, 24x30in, acrylic gesso varnish on canvas (2016), $123 | BUY NOW — *"Cessation" by Michael Victor Troutman, 24x30in, acrylic gesso varnish on canvas (2016), $123 | BUY NOW*

The artist is self-taught and has been exhibiting since the late 1990s. He primarily paints portraits but has experience with other mediums such as sculpture, found art, collages, drawings and the written word. He credits much of his artistic talent to his family, “especially, my father, Victor, & my brother, Aaron. Many other relatives—including my mother, who worked in the Culinary Arts & created edible sculptures, etc., and my sister, who worked in crafts & home décor, fabric/fashion, etc., & and uncles, grandparents, etc. who made swank furniture and kinetic art—are also influences/inspirations to my creativity.”

*"A Self Portrait" by Michael Victor Troutman, 24.5 x 18.5 in, acrylic on canvas (2012)*

“I took advantage of the situation and used the tools, instruments & materials I found in my vicinity. Art is not a science, thus I did not continue formal training. Everyone is born an artist, but somewhere along the line most children morph into adults—they're too self-critical and judgmental.”

When Troutman expresses his aesthetic he tends to the poetical:

Some cold souls see art as an excessive luxury; one of them even said to me that “art is one thing that the world could do without.”
But to that bastard, I reply, I retort that never has the world done without art.
Art is ancient and as continuous as circles.
I find that when something “does not matter” is when it/something matters the most
because it's done as a thing/act in itself,
alone, clean & pure
& done because it needed or wanted to be done
& it was not done to seek rewards in heaven
& it was not done to evade punishment in hell;
it was done because it was the R—> thing to do regardless of the consequences/effects.

"TRS 3.0" by Michael victor Troutman, 20x24in, acrylic gesso varnish on canvas (2015), $138 | BUY NOW — *"TRS 3.0" by Michael victor Troutman, 20x24in, acrylic gesso varnish on canvas (2015), $138* *| BUY NOW*

ART is about AIM:

Attention

Influence

Manipulation

- so please let me con you. Feel! ENJOY!

Troutman’s latest exhibition started March 3 at Open Community Arts Center in Louisville.

Hometown: DePauw, Indiana
Age: 28
Education: BA, Spanish; BA, Political Science & Minor in International Studies w/ concentration in Latin America (& a brief period of graduate school MAT Spanish program)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TroutmanArt

"Girl Stepping Out of Shadow" by Michael Victor Troutman, 16x20in, acrylic on canvas (2012), $169 | BUY NOW — *"Girl Stepping Out of Shadow" by Michael Victor Troutman, 16x20in, acrylic on canvas (2012), $169 | BUY NOW*

"Private Eye" by Michael victor Troutman, 24x30in, acrylic varnish on canvas (2015), $222 | BUY NOW — *"Private Eye" by Michael victor Troutman, 24x30in, acrylic varnish on canvas (2015), $222 | BUY NOW*

Painting, Drawing

Vignette: Victor Sweatt

Josh Jenkins · December 29, 2016

"Beckley Creek Park" by Victor Sweatt, 15x30in, oil on canvas (2016), $1500 | BUY NOW — *"Beckley Creek Park" by Victor Sweatt, 15x30in, oil on canvas (2016), $1500 | BUY NOW*

*Victor Sweatt working on his pastel drawing, "Early Fall"*

As a painter, Victor Sweatt is unquestionably a realist. His images are recognizable and assured in the expressiveness of the human form, yet there is also a potent emotional quality that reaches for expressionism. It is there in the evocative gestures and postures of his figures, but it is also evidenced in the landscapes that have most recently occupied him.

The detail and sense of place is confident, but the development of surface and the delicate placement of color connect to Sweatt’s more subjective compositions of musicians, farmers, parishioners, and others, which often have a slightly surreal quality, a heightened observation of the flavor of a scene. In these pastorals, such as “Morning Dew,” there is a palpable sense of discovery in how the light delineates the dimensionality of the space surrounding the petals, a glimpse into another universe at our feet that we take for granted.

A long-time teacher and mentor for kids in west Louisville, Sweatt is currently seeking funding for "Speak Up", a children’s book that empowers them against child molestation, educating youth about the negative effects of under age drinking and setting positive goals.

Sweatt was born in Louisville. The oldest of three sons, Sweatt was raised in a single-family household. He credits his mother for his strength and determination, which helped him to survive and excel in the challenged west side neighborhoods in Louisville. He has shown his work in group and solo exhibitions, and appears in public and private collections throughout the United States. In 2015, his work was included in the Louisville Visual Art exhibit, Presence and Place at Metro Hall in Louisville, KY. Sweat is a signature member of the Louisville Visual Art, the Kentucky Artist Pastel Society, and the Kentucky Watercolor Society.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victor.sweatt

"Autumn Cool" by Victor Sweatt, 9x12in, pastel on canson paper (2016), $550 | BUY NOW — *"Autumn Cool" by Victor Sweatt, 9x12in, pastel on canson paper (2016), $550 | BUY NOW*

"Chickasaw Park Bridge" by Victor Sweatt, 16x20in, oil on canvas (2016), $750 | BUY NOW — *"Chickasaw Park Bridge" by Victor Sweatt, 16x20in, oil on canvas (2016), $750 | BUY NOW*

"Morning Dew" by Victor Sweatt, 9x12in, pastel on canson paper (2016), $550 | BUY NOW — *"Morning Dew" by Victor Sweatt, 9x12in, pastel on canson paper (2016), $550 | BUY NOW*

effects

Vignette: Bailey Roman

“I understand the rules that have been presented to me, take the previous results into account, then more-or-less throw them out.” – Bailey Roman

Vignette: Michael Victor Troutman

"I didn't choose art. I was born into it." – Michael Victor Troutman

Vignette: Victor Sweatt