"For the Roses" by Sharon Matisoff, 19x36in, oil on canvas (2017)
“Painting allows me to transform my perceptions of the world into portraits and figurative compositions.” — Sharon Matisoff
"Self-Portait" by Sharon Matisoff
Sharon Matisoff likes to paint portraits, but as an artist in Kentucky, the temptation of thoroughbred horse racing as a subject is inevitable. “Although I’ve always painted people, recently I discovered the joys of equine painting. Now I primarily divide my artistic attention between these two subjects. Horses are poetry in motion and I aim to capture their grace and power when I paint them. It is gratifying to me that my portraiture skills are also useful in portraying the myriad ways in which people interact with horses. I feel as though my life as an artist is just beginning.”
Matisoff has been painting for years, but being newly retirement affords her the time to double down on her studio practice. Her slightly heightened sense of color is grounded in naturalism, and her sensitive observation of detail, which has always been a key element of her portraiture, is put into good use in her behind the scenes images of the world of horses. Her perspective on the racing form of the horse and jockey are adept, but the fact that her sensibility is drawn to the more workaday aspects of the equine world is telling.
"Catching Up" by Sharon Matisoff, 19x36in, pastel on sanded paper (2017)
"Chillin'" by Sharon Matisoff, 27x19in, pastel on sanded paper (2017)
“I often work in pastel when I’m so inspired that I don’t want to stop and mix colors or stretch a canvas. The desire to paint is so strong that I must immerse myself in a painting all at once. Pastel painting allows me to be fearless with the elements of art in the most lyrical way. Oil painting is a language that I learned later in life, and so demands a more considered approach. With the elaborate preparation that oil painting requires, I work in this medium when I feel very deeply about a subject and pastel is too ephemeral to convey the depth or complexity of the subject. Armed with these media, I feel as though I can interpret the subjects that touch my soul.”
Matisoff will be one of the featured artists in the Fall Equine Show at the Brown Gallery in the Brown Hotel. The show will be on display from September 1, 2017 through January 1, 2018.
Hometown: Oak Park, Michigan Education: BA in Psychology from California State University-Northridge; Studied art at the Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, California) Gallery Representation: Jessie's Art Gallery and Custom Framing (Frankfort, KY) Website:http://www.sharonmatisoff.com/
"Before the Race" by Sharon Matisoff, 19x36in, pastel on sanded paper (2017)
"Wild Blue" by Sharon Matisoff, 24x24in, oil on canvas (2017)
"Buffalo (Custer)" by Judy Rosati, 16x20in, hand colored silver gelatin photograph (2015), $125 (matted & framed) | BUY NOW
Hand coloring black & white photographs may seem quaint or old-fashioned, yet in a time when we are inundated with digital imagery in our every waking moment, the virtues of such an approach are not difficult to understand: occasionally we need to rest our overexposed, weary eyes. Judy Rosati’s use of the technique has the effect of allowing us to view the busy world in slow motion and ponder what it must have been like before we were swallowed up by the media age.
"Old Faithful (Yellowstone National Park)" by Judy Rosati, 16x20in, hand colored silver gelatin photograph (2015), $125 (matted & framed) | BUY NOW
Rosati’s approach has shifted recently to an even more informal, subjective use of color that introduces abstraction to what are determinedly representational images. In “Old Faithful” the familiar geyser in Yellowstone National Park is less tourist image than a study that blurs the distinctions of the natural world, rendering the kinetic motion as a surreal curtain being drawn across our field of vision, the subdued tones evoking nostalgia while simultaneously reducing depth and dimensionality.
Rosati shoots both film and digital, but her hand-colored photographs are printed from film negatives. “After the print is made, I use Marshall's Photo Oils and Prisma pencils, “ she explains. “My attempt to personalize my interpretation of the subject matter is evident by the spontaneous use of color, as well as the retention of some of the natural aspects of the original black, white and gray areas. No two photographs are exactly alike, making each one unique.”
"Geese in Winter" by Judy Rosati, 16x20in, hand colored silver gelatin photograph (2016), $125 (matted & framed) | BUY NOW
The artist is the owner of Judy Rosati's Fine Arts Photography LLC, a juried member of Louisville artisan's Guild--co-liaison (photographer) to web curator, Jury committee member; scholarship committee juror. Rosati is a Juried member of Kentucky Crafted--regular juried artist in Kentucky Arts Council shows, and an Artist member of Louisville Visual Art. She was a digital photography Instructor in Bellarmine's School of Continuing & Professional Studies for 11 years, and still gives private digital photography instruction.
Rosati’s work will be a part of the Kentucky Arts Council exhibit, Kentucky Visions at The Capitol, January-March 2017.
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky Age: 72 Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Art education; Health & Physical education), Western Kentucky University; Master’s Degree in Arts Education, Eastern Kentucky University Gallery Representative: Edenside Gallery (Louisville) Website:http://www.judyrosatiphotography.com/
"Wildflower Walk in the Parklands" by Judy Rosati, 16x20in, hand colored silver gelatin photograph (2016), $125 (matted & framed) | BUY NOW
"Parklands of Floyd's Fork in Winter" by Judy Rosati, 16x20in, hand colored silver gelatin photograph (2015)
