“I started to find my identity and prominence through artistic creation, and the physical and conceptual relationship between humanity and nature became the starting point.” - Julio Cesar Rodriguez

Julio Cesar Rodriguez is unquestionably a Surrealist painter, his work echoes some of the great masters of the movement, such as Magritte, and in the new images shown here, he still retains the disruption of the human form that is a common characteristic of his previous work, but there is also a simpler, more innocent feeling here. Although the monochromatic images are rendered in acrylic, they have the graphic quality of drawings, and the merging of young girl’s heads with aviary studies are suggestive of an other worldly relationship between the two.

"A" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x12in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $500 | BUY NOW — *"A" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x12in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $500 | BUY NOW*

"I describe my work as a mixture of figuration and expressionism with an air of surrealism, where I project my individuality as a creator poetically and philosophically,” says Rodriguez. “I am interested in the connection between man and nature and everything that connects to both. I recreate this in a symbolic way and convert them into a scene with characters in ambiguous situations.”

The fantastical aspect of Rodriguez’ paintings are not removed from autobiography. We have accepted that dreams are always deeply revelatory, and the artist’s imagination becomes a bridge into that alternate world.

“This sample of my most recent work is a philosophical approach to those formal-poetic visions with which I'm reviewing my life. Each work becomes an illusion of alternate reality where I have fun with my unconscious and dialogue with my memories and shared memories in order to build an illusory present.”

*"B" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017)*

“From that I started to find my identity and prominence through artistic creation, and the physical and conceptual relationship between humanity and nature became the starting point. My work is a recreation symbolic of my personal experiences, the reflection of my life - my joys and sorrows, my loneliness and thoughts ...like the seasons of nature. My paintings present my intimate works from silence, where with my own angels struggle to break free from everyday life and thus recreate my passage through this world. My works are the ideal medium for channeling my interiority as creator; windows that open to the world, becoming the exact connection between the viewer and the artist - and in the end, both witness the magic.”

November 5 & 6, Rodriguez will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, presented by Louisville Visual Art and the University of Louisville’s Hite Institute for Art.

Age: 40
Hometown: Holguin, Cuba
Education: BFA, Fine Art Academy, Holguin, Cuba
Gallery Representation: Revelry Boutique Gallery
Website: www.juliocesart.com

"G" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $400 | BUY NOW — *"G" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $400 | BUY NOW*

"E" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $400 | BUY NOW — *"E" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017), $400 | BUY NOW*

*"C" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017)*

*"F" by Julio Cesar Rodriguez, 8x8in, acrylic on canvas (2017)*

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Painting, Public Art

Vignette: Sabra Crockett

Josh Jenkins · October 31, 2016

*"Mural at Le Moo" by Sabra Crockett, 14x12ft, acrylic on brick, NFS*

Sabra Crockett has worked extensively on public art of one kind or another: as a scenic artist, a muralist, sign design, and in her more personal art she turns to the natural world, motivated by memory and childhood nostalgia: “My focus in my art is to bring the viewer a heightened awareness and connection to nature, because I believe it is disappearing. Since I was a little girl, I have always found refuge being outside with the birds and trees. Growing up was really tough. Family life was tumultuous, and I had no true friends. I would spend hours in my back yard, or exploring the then empty lots of undeveloped fields surrounding my suburban neighborhood - observing the birds, trees, insects, and amphibians. It all fascinates me. I learn life lessons by observing the plants and animals.”

There is a discovery of recurring pattern that has perhaps informed Crockett’s work, whatever the field. She has developed her technique for decorative painting from this observation, bringing a feeling for organic rhythms of our environment into interior spaces.

"I Stand Alone" by Sabra Crockett, 18x24in, acrylic on canvas, $490 | BUY NOW — *"I Stand Alone" by Sabra Crockett, 18x24in, acrylic on canvas, $490 | BUY NOW*

Not surprisingly, we also find an undercurrent of sensitivity to the threat to that natural world that has preoccupied us for the last few generations: “I find it all beautiful, even when it is cruel and terrible. However, there is a definite threat to the magic and lessons nature provides. I am aware of the over development of the land, the oil spills, the pesticides, the bee and bird populations plummeting. It terrifies me. For now, I have a desire to capture the essence of how I view nature through my paintings, and hope it inspires the viewer to remember the intrinsic value nature provides us all.”

Hometown: Rochester, New York
Age: 42
Education: BFA, Rochester Institute of Technology
Website: http://www.sabralynne.com

"Raven on Gold" by Sabra Crockett, 8x10in, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, $460 | BUY NOW — *"Raven on Gold" by Sabra Crockett, 8x10in, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, $460 | BUY NOW*

"Arms Wide Open" by Sabra Crockett, 43.5x73in, acrylic and gold lead on wood, $1650 | BUY NOW — *"Arms Wide Open" by Sabra Crockett, 43.5x73in, acrylic and gold lead on wood, $1650 | BUY NOW*

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

Mixed Media

Vignette: Jacque Parsley

Josh Jenkins · October 28, 2016

"The waste of the world becomes my art." - Kurt Schwitters

*A photograph of Parsley in her studio.*

Jacque Parsley claims this is her favorite quote, and it speaks to an aspect of the lives of artists that bears a spotlight: that long before it become fashionable or socially conscious to recycle, artists were repurposing all kinds of materials. It is a part of their DNA to see potential in things discarded by others.

For Parsley, this manifests it self in collage techniques that incorporate previously used elements. Her sculptures are constructed from a range of odds and ends, but the doll parts are a signature motif for her. Gentle and childlike, but also full of the connotations of dread, menace, and the tragic loss of innocence that have attached themselves to dolls that have been relegated to the dumpster.

"Superb Hibiscus" by Jacque Parsley, 18x15x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $300 | BUY NOW — *"Superb Hibiscus" by Jacque Parsley, 18x15x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $300 | BUY NOW*

The artist alludes to exactly such associations: "Collage to me is like a visual daydream. It is serious play. You delve into your subconscious, and let your intuition take over. When you come out of ‘the zone’ you make rational corrections.”

In her new 2D mixed media pieces the collection of disparate imagery speak to the power of memory, which collage is perfectly suited for. “I use the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life, including old photos, vintage postcards, advertising trade cards, and stamps from my father’s stamp collection.”

Parsley’s work will be featured in the upcoming Mix it UP exhibit at New Editions Gallery in Lexington, KY, and in the Day of the Dead show at Craft Gallery and Mercantile in Louisville, KY.

You can visit Jacque parsley in her studio in 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.

Age: 69 going on 70
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Education: BFA Louisville School of Art; MA University of Louisville; MFA University of Louisville
Website: kentuckyartists.com
Gallery Representation: Craft Gallery and Mercantile, Galerie Hertz

"Miss Grits" by Jacque Parsley, 17x14x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $250 | BUY NOW — *"Miss Grits" by Jacque Parsley, 17x14x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $250 | BUY NOW*

"I Remember Florence" by Jacque Parsley, 18x15x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $250 | BUY NOW — *"I Remember Florence" by Jacque Parsley, 18x15x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $250 | BUY NOW*

"Eastern Hemisphere" by Jacque Parsley, 20x17x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $300 | BUY NOW — *"Eastern Hemisphere" by Jacque Parsley, 20x17x1in, mixed media collage (2016), $300 | BUY NOW*

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magic

Vignette: Julio Cesar Rodriguez

“I started to find my identity and prominence through artistic creation, and the physical and conceptual relationship between humanity and nature became the starting point.” - Julio Cesar Rodriguez

Vignette: Sabra Crockett

Vignette: Jacque Parsley

"The waste of the world becomes my art." - Kurt Schwitters