"15 More Minutes" by James Bixler, 14x11in, relief print (2015), $100 | BUY NOW — *"15 More Minutes" by James Bixler, 14x11in, relief print (2015), $100 | BUY NOW*

“My affinity for the color black started when I started growing into myself,” states James Bixler. “I realized recently that my attraction to the color noir was because it is a grounding, calming color. It should come to no one’s surprise that I utilize black in most of my artwork.”

"Self Portrait" by James Bixler, 12x9in, digital media print (2015), $100 | BUY NOW — *"Self Portrait" by James Bixler, 12x9in, digital media print (2015), $100 | BUY NOW*

Included here is a self-portrait that shows Bixler emerging from liquid black; inky, impenetrable, and leaving a film on his skin, the image recalls at least one famous portrait of an African American immersed in milk, - a negative reversal of sorts. It somewhat obfuscates racial identity, blurring the lines of pigmentation by removing color and forcing the viewer to rely on the supple tones and textures of the black, white, and gray tones of the photographic medium.

The play of the viscous black liquid on Bixler’s skin also reminds us that he is a Tattoo Artist at Uncle Bob's Tattoo Studio and Body Piercing in Clarksville, Indiana. It should not be surprising that a working tattoo artist would study fine art, since the medium, once considered, at best, subversive, or, at worst, cheap and trashy, has become more and more accepted in the mainstream culture, with 1 in 5 Americans sporting one or more examples of skin art, and tattoo parlors now as likely as not including a gallery space.

The dense black also dominates Bixler’s upside down Ouija board print, which, alongside his drawing of a gracefully ‘unraveling’ human skull, is suggestive of the occult, and a preoccupation with the ephemeral spirit that once resided in the latter, and may communicate with us through the former; themes of identity and mortality that never feel exhausted because there is never a definitive answer.

Age: 26
Hometown: Scottsburg, Kentucky
Education: BFA candidate, Painting and Drawing, Kentucky College of Art and Design (KyCAD), Spalding University, Louisville, Kentucky

"Untitled" by James Bixler, 19x15in, dypoint print (2015), $100 | BUY NOW — *"Untitled" by James Bixler, 19x15in, dypoint print (2015), $100 | BUY NOW*

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Photography

Vignette: Probus

Josh Jenkins · January 4, 2017

"Cherokee Park Tree Study #2" by Probus, 11x14in, silver gelatin print (2016) | BUY NOW — *"Cherokee Park Tree Study #2" by Probus, 11x14in, silver gelatin print (2016) | BUY NOW*

Once photography fought for legitimacy in the art world, but we have long ago come to understand that its heightened realism allows the viewer to see the world with better eyes. The sensory experience of nature, the light and sound, are uniquely captured in the deep and complex range of silvery tones in these images from Probus. Drained of color, the textures and tone are pronounced. Whether the bleakness of winter trees in the woods, a somber row of headstones, or the bucolic aspect still present in the sun-drenched creek, somehow we witness them anew.

“I have always been fascinated by the passage of time and movement in a medium which does not allow either,” states Probus. “Initially I found rural abandoned homes as the perfect venue to explore this premise with self-portraiture. In the last 10 years, I have chosen to alternatively use both view cameras and pinhole. Lately I have found that the pinhole cameras provide an avenue to my previous explorations.”

"Cherokee Park Tree Study #1" by Probus, 11x11in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW — *"Cherokee Park Tree Study #1" by Probus, 11x11in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW*

The artist’s concern with the passage of time eluding the static, ‘frozen’ aspect of photography may be misplaced, for surely time is a measurable element in these images. The astonishing depth in these, with their far horizons, limitless forest, and dramatic point-of-view, suggest the expanse of landscape that developed over millions of years, the change of the seasons that, in part, determine the perception of existence, and the graves that remind us of our mortality - our finite time.

Permanent Collections:
Cathedral Heritage Foundation, Louisville, KY
Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, KY
Jefferson County Medical Society, Louisville, KY

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 56
Education: BA with Honors, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 1988; The Fine Print, John Sexton Photographic Workshops, 1997
Website: http://www.probusphotos.com

"Destin Harbor, Destin FLA" by Probus, 11x14in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW — *"Destin Harbor, Destin FLA" by Probus, 11x14in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW*

"Kentucky River, UZ, KY" by Probus, 11x11in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW — *"Kentucky River, UZ, KY" by Probus, 11x11in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW*

"Veterans Day at Cavehill Cemetery" by Probus, 11x11in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW — *"Veterans Day at Cavehill Cemetery" by Probus, 11x11in, silver gelatin print (2016), $300 | BUY NOW*

tones

Vignette: James Bixler

Vignette: Probus