The Community Foundation of Louisville, in partnership with Louisville Visual Art, has presented Louisville-based artist and printmaker, Adrienne Miller, with the fifth annual Mary Alice Hadley Prize for Visual Art. The $5,000 award is an opportunity for local artists to enhance their careers through a targeted enrichment experience.

Miller will use the prize to research the landscape and art historical influence of the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. The two week trip will cover close to 2,000 miles in a loop through the Four Corners region and will include a variety of stops, including several different pueblo ruin sites, printmaking studios in Albuquerque, The Georgia O’Keefe museum and archives, several National Parks, energy vortexes in Sedona, and several large earth works in the region.

"Keep Out/ Stay In" by Adrienne Miller, 16x20in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2016), $600 | BUY NOW — *"Keep Out/ Stay In" by Adrienne Miller, 16x20in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2016), $600 | BUY NOW*

“I want the experience to be transformative and immersive so that I come away feeling as though the experience really was a tipping point for me,” said Miller of the Hadley Prize enrichment experience. “I want to return to Louisville renewed to create a whole new body of work.”

*"Come With Me Into The Void" by Adrienne Miller, 16x20in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2016)*

Miller’s images are hybrids of the representational and abstract that explore the human experience of constructed space. “Within the tradition of landscape art, the term picturesque refers to a view where the human presence is apparent,” states Miller. “We are often presented with a view or vista for our consideration. When viewing a landscape we are allowed to be objective, but when viewing ourselves, does that perspective change?”

“Within the delicacy of the Mylar drawings, I am beginning to break apart the environments into tiny details such as potted plants, ladder rungs, or the tilt of a roof line. For me, the landscape I embody on a daily basis is the idea of the home, an interior and much more intimate space. In some, the details explain a building interior while in others it appears to be just outside, similar to a residential yard space. The fluttering of the Mylar layers serves to remind the viewer of the constant state of change these sort of psychologically charged places experience. Through changes in perspective and unrealistic coexistence, the work encourages the viewer to address their own environments as well as themselves.”

"Man Made Islands" by Adrienne Miller, 32x40in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2017), $1200 | BUY NOW — *"Man Made Islands" by Adrienne Miller, 32x40in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2017), $1200 | BUY NOW*

The $5,000 M.A. Hadley Prize is awarded from the George and Mary Alice Hadley Fund at the Community Foundation of Louisville. The endowment was established in 1991, and it supports the arts and humanities, particularly visual arts, crafts, theater and the Louisville Free Public Library. The award is a partnership between the Community Foundation of Louisville and Louisville Visual Art, which managed the application process.

Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Education: BFA, Studio Art with an emphasis in Photography, Murray State University / MFA, Studio Art with an emphasis in Printmaking, Northern Illinois University
Website: http://www.adrienne-miller.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ay_dree_un/

*"Man Made Islands (detail)" by Adrienne Miller,*

"Maintaining the Overgrowth" by Adrienne Miller, 32x40in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2017), $1200 | BUY NOW — *"Maintaining the Overgrowth" by Adrienne Miller, 32x40in, acrylic gouache and colored pencil on mylar (2017), $1200 | BUY NOW*

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Painting

Vignette: Hillary Cox

Josh Jenkins · April 20, 2017

*"Friends" by Hillary Cox, 24x12in, gouache on canvas (2017)*

There has always been a strain of emotionalism in Modern Art. With the ubiquity of psychoanalysis in the 20th Century, painting became, for many, a direct conduit for expressing the dark and complex currents of human feelings. The plasticity of paint mediums seem ideally suited for cathartic – only one step away from the profoundly elemental aspect of finger painting.

Hillary Cox is a self-educated painter who understands that quality in her much of her own work: “My art is somewhat representative of my thoughts and how I feel, touching on aspects of mental illness, mixed with the aspect of darkness and horror. I believe it is a very interesting thing to explore and indulge in the shadows of your mind, but is also good to learn how to appreciate the light.”

“Although I make a large amount of dark art, I also like to make fan art and cute things sometimes when I am feeling a little brighter. I work mostly in the realms of macabre and illustrative art, dipping into influences from nature to anime. My preferred materials are gouache on canvas, or watercolor pencil and ink on paper. I also enjoy working on digital platforms such as Manga Studio Pro.”

Cox is a 2016 St. James Court Art Fair Scholarship Recipient.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 23
Website: http://www.hillarycoxart.storenvy.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilharibo/

*"Papillonsm" by Hillary Cox, 8x10in, gouache on canvas board (2017)*

*"Tête Dans Les Nuages" by Hillary Cox, 16x20in, gouache on watercolor (2017)*

*"Tailler" by Hillary Cox, 16x20in, gouache on canvas (2017)*

*"Le Petite Souris" by Hillary Cox, 8x10in, gouache on canvas board (2017)*

Illustration, Drawing

Vignette: Darrenn Canton

Josh Jenkins · February 2, 2017

*"Guardian of the Ramparts" by Darrenn Canton, 14x24in, watercolor, colored pencil, gouache (2016)*

Fantasy art is often viewed pejoratively by the ‘fine art’ world, yet it is often highly inspirational to young, aspiring artists. Darrenn Canton was such a young artist, and his ambition drew him towards the worlds of commercial illustration and a desire to illustrate children’s books.

*"Krampusnacht" by Darrenn Canton, 9x12in, watercolor & colored pencil (2016)*

“I'm a weirdo who likes to draw and paint monsters. I specialize in cartooning, children’s book art, and fantasy illustration. My work emphasizes character and wit, and tries not to take itself too seriously.”

There is a long tradition of escapism and the fantastic throughout art history. Religious imagery embraces the sacred and profane, and Canton’s gargoyle, perched upon a battlement, recalls such classical antecedents as much as comic culture, as does his depiction of a voracious-yet-still-jolly Krampus; a resurgent holiday figure drawn from the same European traditions that gave us Saint Nicholas. The light tone that Canton brings to bear does not obscure that connection.

Canton is still relatively new to Louisville, though he has fallen in love with the city's art scene and hopes to be more active in the future, while he continues to move forward in his goals of, “…writing stories and telling tales to stoke the fires of the imagination.” Canton is a frequent visitor to comic conventions around the Ohio Valley region, including Derby City Comic Con in June, and his work will be on display at the Fantasy and Science Fiction convention ConGlomeration April 7-9 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Louisville.

Hometown: Washington, DC
Age: 30
Education: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Illustration Academy, Richmond, VA
Website: http://www.dcantonart.com

"Gone Fishin'" by Darrenn Canton, 10x14in, ink, watercolor & gouache (2013), $200 | BUY NOW — *"Gone Fishin'" by Darrenn Canton, 10x14in, ink, watercolor & gouache (2013), $200 | BUY NOW*

"Breakfast'" by Darrenn Canton, 9x12in, ink, watercolor & gouache (2013), $150 | BUY NOW — *"Breakfast'" by Darrenn Canton, 9x12in, ink, watercolor & gouache (2013), $150 | BUY NOW*

*"Blue-Haired Meanie'" by Darrenn Canton, 9x12in, ink, watercolor & colored pencil (2017)*

Drawing

Vignette: Mike McCarthy

Josh Jenkins · January 10, 2017

“Loyal” by Mike McCarthy, 5.25x7.75in, hand colored print (#1), $40 | BUY NOW — *“Loyal” by Mike McCarthy, 5.25x7.75in, hand colored print (#1), $40 | BUY NOW*

Mike McCarthy is a sculptor who works primarily with stone, but the restlessness that is familiar to most artists, combined with recent travels that included the inevitable time in airports and hotels prompted him to begin sketching again on paper. “On my first trip out of town, I brought 2 small rocks to carve while in the hotel,” he explains. “Needless to say, the dust that is created from carving, even with just files, was too much. So I put the stone away and got out my sketchbook.”

This “Hotel Series” uses subject matter consistent with McCarthy’s three-dimensional work: animals – lions, horses, birds…but the highly developed sense of form is deemphasized to make room for linear pattern and a dense, collage-like layering of visual elements.

“I started doing just sketches, but soon those sketches turned into different collages and completed drawings. These drawings were either pen and ink or pencil, but all of them are black and white. I really liked the collages but many times the details would get a bit confusing; I needed a way to help clarify the elements. I decided color might be an option. Color has always intimidated me, because I am color-blind. In fact, the only time I ever received an F in school was for painting a figure green that I was totally convinced I had painted the correct color.

“Koi Pond” by Mike McCarthy, 8x10in, hand colored print (#2), $65 | BUY NOW — *“Koi Pond” by Mike McCarthy, 8x10in, hand colored print (#2), $65 | BUY NOW*

But I know it really helps people differentiate objects. I decided to just randomly fill in different parts of the drawing with what ever color pencil I picked up and not worry about if it was the “right” color. Many times, I only know things are different colors because the pencil says so. Much of the color looks the same to me. I wasn't sure how the process would work so I decided to have some prints made of the original black and white drawings done so I wouldn't ruin them and then add color to the prints. The cool thing is that I can experiment with a variety of different colors on the same drawing. If I don't like one, I don't have to start from scratch. It has been an interesting experience to see the reaction.”

“Butterflies!” by Mike McCarthy, 8x10in, hand colored print, $65 | BUY NOW — *“Butterflies!” by Mike McCarthy, 8x10in, hand colored print, $65 | BUY NOW*

McCarthy doesn’t apologize for his color choices, nor should he; subjective use of color is a tradition of modern art since the beginning of the twentieth century. These drawings have a free and spontaneous quality that combines assured craftsmanship with a renewed sense of discovery. If one of the unspoken goals of the adult artist is to reawaken a child-like sense of discovery, McCarthy’s exploration of an approach that is a distinct contrast from his better-known work seems to succeed in part by doing exactly that.

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Age: 49
Education: BA in Fine Arts, Bellarmine University
Gallery Representative: PYRO Gallery and Revelry Boutique Gallery (Louisville), KY Artisan Center (Berea)
Website: http://www.mikemccarthysculptor.com

“Bird Collage” by Mike McCarthy, 9x14in, hand colored print (#2), $75 | BUY NOW — *“Bird Collage” by Mike McCarthy, 9x14in, hand colored print (#2), $75 | BUY NOW*

“Horse Collage” by Mike McCarthy, 7x9.5in, hand colored print (#5), $50 | BUY NOW — *“Horse Collage” by Mike McCarthy, 7x9.5in, hand colored print (#5), $50 | BUY NOW*

“Dog Collage” by Mike McCarthy, 8x10in, hand colored print (#2), $65 | BUY NOW — *“Dog Collage” by Mike McCarthy, 8x10in, hand colored print (#2), $65 | BUY NOW*

pencil

Vignette: Adrienne Miller

Vignette: Hillary Cox

Vignette: Darrenn Canton

Vignette: Mike McCarthy