Vignette: Caroline Waite

A photograph of Caroline Waite in her studio.

"One Small Planet" by Caroline Waite, 10x11x2.5in, tin, paper mache, gouache paintings, model trees, globe, chain. $950 | BUY NOW

Objects are memory in Caroline Waite’s work. Trained as a Printmaker and with experience in Textiles, it should come as no surprise that, when she found herself developing three-dimensional work, the constructions would include repetition. Patterns can be discovered in the recurrence of the objects themselves, culled from her ever-expanding collection (artists were recycling long before it was fashionable or essential), or an even more fundamental echoing of motifs or design elements within the structure of a piece.

 “Things are displayed in my studio, either pinned to the wall or arranged on a surface and eventually a dialogue begins. Once I recognize the potential relationship between these objects, a narrative develops and I get to work.

I love the element of mystery surrounding old objects – the questions as to their meaning, their origin and age – in other words, their “secret lives”.”

In England, Waite taught at Northbrook College, Sussex North East Wales University Telford College, Shropshire. Since moving to the U.S. in 2001, she has lived in Texas and New Mexico but prefers her current home of Louisville, even if two house moves in two years has meant little time for involvement in exhibitions:

"Beauty Beckons" by Caroline Waite, 24x12x2in, forged steel, vintage drafting tools, Nymphenburg German porcelain hand, hand painted panel and various mixed media, $1700 | BUY NOW

“However, new work has been in production with exciting developments including a collaboration with a metal fabricator on forged, steel pieces, allowing me to pursue an interest in wall sculptures.” In an interview on PUBLIC, Waite talked about how the intimacy of her work seems in contrast to the American taste for scale. Perhaps this burgeoning interest in developing larger work is a sign that time in the States is exerting some influence on her.

Waite is currently exhibiting with Tom Pfannerstill at Galerie Hertz in Louisville, Kentucky through December 31, 2016, and she will be participating in Strange Worlds: The Vision of Angela Carter, a major invitational exhibit at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, England, that opens on December 9, 2016.

Hometown: Cookham Dean, England
Age: 57
Education: BA, Honors in Fine Art, Cheltenham College of Art; Art Teaching Degree, Brighton Polytechnic
Gallery Representation: Galerie Hertz (Louisville)
Website: http://carolinewaite.com

"'Sphinx' (detail)" by Caroline Waite, 14x12x2.5in, antique doll, paper collage, wire in antique repurposed frame, $600 | BUY NOW

"Scene Unseen" by Caroline Waite, 24x12x2.5in, forged steel, carved ivory panels, painted panels, vintage drafting tools and other mixed media, $1600 | BUY NOW

"'Miraculous Discoveries" by Caroline Waite, 38x27x3in, large display case of hand constructed and collaged insects (sourced from detailed photographs of preserved insects), dolls eyes, card stock, wire, and magazine paper, $5500 | BUY NOW

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2016 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Vignette: Jonny Gilroy

“Embody” by Jonny Gilroy, steel, twine, root, acrylic, $420  | BUY NOW

Jonny Gilroy is an artist working in a variety of disciplines. He spent a few years in Raleigh, NC as a graphic designer for trade show displays. In his last year he was working in design/production of marketing materials for breweries throughout the southeast. He creates graphics using Wide-Format Inkjet Printing, ICC Color Profiling, Dye-Sublimation Fabric Graphics, Graphic Design, and Photography.

In abstract paintings of vivid colors, Gilroy creates compositions of fluid energy suggestive of human biology. The lines and striations mimic electrocardiograms as well as the organic structure within our bodies, connecting a visual pulse with our own biorhythms. Although grounded in Abstract Expressionism, a movement known for intellectual rigor, Gilroy’s work has a an accessible, almost kitschy quality that makes them paintings with a palpable sense of fun.  

Gilroy also works in three-dimensions, and his sculptures often render line and kinetic energy in a similar fashion, but there is also a representational side to Gilroy’s work involving birds and the forest, and that also finds it way into sculptural work that draws parallels with the abstract pieces.

“Reinvent” by Jonny Gilroy, steel, twine, acrylic, shipping tube, stick, tape, $550 | BUY NOW

 "Inspiration comes from recognizing the sense of feeling and acting upon the energy it creates. I like to describe that energy in the form of art that emits from a feeling. I feel colors, lines and shapes. These forms arise from different life experiences. I put them together into art to make sense of that experience."

Gilroy has exhibited extensively in the northeast, and has recently relocated to Lexington, Kentucky

Age: 30
Hometown: Olean, New York
Education: BA, State University of New York at Genseo
Website: 

“Unravel” by Jonny Gilroy, black walnut, steel, acrylic, $350 | BUY NOW

“Refraction” by Jonny Gilroy, black walnut, acrylic, dowels, $520 | BUY NOW

“Resonate” by Jonny Gilroy, black walnut, tape, wire, steel, acrylic, $280 | BUY NOW

 “Attach” by Jonny Gilroy, birch board, driftwood, twine, acrylic, burlap, $380 | BUY NOW

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2016 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Q&A: Artist David Iacovazzi-Pau

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"People need to be educated about the value of art." — David Iacovazzi-Pau

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David Iacovazzi-Pau: Photo by Michael Brohm

David Iacovazzi-Pau’s work focuses on the human figure and is a visual diary of the people he encounters. His series reveal different aspects of the sitters and the link between their physical appearance and personality. “My aim is to portray idiosyncrasies and evoke the mood of the subject in order for the portrait to have an accurate likeness and affect. The work reflects what I sense about a person and is a documentation of my community.” 

Born 1978 in Luxembourg, Iacovazzi-Pau began his education in fine arts from the age of 15 in Belgium. He later attended the Centre Académique des Arts in Luxembourg and immigrated to the United States in 1997, studying at Indiana University Southeast. He currently lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky.

When did you first think you would be an artist?

I don’t recall a specific time or moment. Over the years I gradually felt I was one. It was obvious early on that I was not going to be a mathematician …

If you could do anything else but make art, what would it be?

Probably something related to art history. Then again running a vineyard could be fun too.

"Little Miss Flint" ("Conversation with Teddy Abrams" Series) by David Iacovazzi-Pau, 12x8.5in, Ink drawing and inkjet on paper (2016)—5999 ink lines representing the amount of children that were affected by lead in Flint's tap water.

What frightens you the most?

Crowd manipulation, albeit interesting, is frightening. I also have a phobia of reptiles, especially snakes. 

What is your favorite music to listen to when making art?

That varies, a lot of jazz and classical. Sometimes I turn on the French news for a while. And sometimes silence seems to be my preference.

Favorite movie?

A Pure Formality by Giuseppe Tornatore, starring Roman Polanski and Gérard Depardieu.

What are you reading right now?

“Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch", and the Philip Guston Retrospective (2003) catalogue.

"Self Portrait with Maya (in the studio)" by David Iacovazzi-Pau, 30x24in, oil on paper (2016)

If you were given a $100,000 what would do with it?

I'll let you know when I get the $100,000.

What advice would you give a young artist just out of college?

I would encourage them to see as much artwork as they can whether it's in museums, galleries, or studios. Contemporary art as well as historical are fabulous sources of inspiration. Also, don't worry about fitting in, paint for yourself and make artwork that excites you. 

What does art mean to you?

Art means different things to me. I was lucky to be encouraged to draw and paint from a young age, so it has become a way of life. As an artist I’m working within my own means and in the process there's self-doubt, frustrations and disappointment but in spite of it all, I enjoy working things out in a painting. It gives me a sense of freedom and purpose when I'm engaged with it.

"Teddy #2" ("Conversation with Teddy Abrams" Series) by David Iacovazzi-Pau, 24x18in, graphite on paper (2016)

If you could have a talent that you currently don't already have what would it be and why?

Having the skills to be an eloquent orator would be my first choice. It makes things a lot easier if you are able to articulate your thoughts well. 

How do you feel about the local art scene in Louisville? Would you change anything about it?

The amount of local artists is increasing and they are good. The problem is that there are just not enough buyers to sustain it. Galleries will close and artists will continue to struggle (nothing new here) but also move away as long as we don't see any changes. People need to be educated about the value of art. They will then in turn invest in the local visual art scene. 

A photo from David's studio (2016)

Has your style changed or evolved over the years? If so what do you think influenced this?

Yes, it did. Probably because of being exposed to different styles and new artists. Also, making mistakes can take you to uncharted territories; you can learn and grow from it. I like to think that I did. But I think progress and change mainly comes from working. Chuck Close has a great quote, "Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work."

What do you feel is your greatest flaw? 

I tend to obsess over things and I can be stubborn, that's the Breton in me.

Name: David Iacovazzi-Pau
Hometown: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Age: 37
Education: Centre Académique des Arts in Luxembourg and Indiana University Southeast
Website: http://www.davidiacovazzipau.com/
Gallery Representative: Swanson Contemporary Gallery

"Teddy #3" ("Conversation with Teddy Abrams" Series) by David Iacovazzi-Pau, 24x18in, oil on paper (2016)

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2016 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Vignette: Tom Pfannerstill

"Ali Center and River West" by Tom Pfannerstill, 30x45in, acrylic on canvas (2016)

Artists are sometimes magicians, creating illusions of space and time. Tom Pfannerstill’s “From the Street” series appear to be trash, candy boxes, fast food cups, oilcans, violently pressed flat by the heavy tread of delivery trucks. The artist finds these items in the street and alleyways, but this is not what you see on the gallery wall. Pfannerstill recreates each cast-off container as carved wood sculptures painted with acrylics.

It is a highly successful trompe l’oeil effect. The notion of picking any of these up by hand in the alley might be distasteful, but the seductive desire to touch the sculptural replication is difficult to control, even if only to verify that they are indeed not the flattened and filthy ‘real thing’. Pfannerstill applies the same approach to recreating objects from around his studio “They have been altered, bent, folded and scarred,” explains the artist, “ …in a word individualized. They touch on issues of commercialism and consumerism, but are mostly intended to be subtle reminders of the temporality of all things.”

"Spring Street Tavern" by Tom Pfannerstill, 19.25x24in, acrylic on canvas (2016)

Pfannerstill is most renowned for the painted sculptures, but actually is identified through several different styles and medium. “The work changes often, but I find myself returning again and again to several major areas of investigation; three-dimensional still life, found object works, a series of the human head (in this case, mine), quilts and quilt patterns using un-quiltlike materials, blue paintings, and of late black paintings.”

Now, inspired by flying out of NYC at night, Pfannerstill hs been immersed in a series of paintings of cities at night; darkness punctuated by points of light. The work is not like anything people are familiar from this artist, which is why he is particularly excited about them. 

Pfannerstill currently has a show in Nashville Tennessee at the Cumberland Gallery. He will also be exhibiting with Caroline Waite at Galerie Hertz in Louisville, Kentucky November 13 through December 31, 2016.

Hometown: Louisville
Age: 64
Education: BFA, Western Kentucky University, 1975; School of Hard Knocks, 1975-present
Gallery Representation: Galerie Hertz, Louisville; Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN; Jonathan Novak Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA; Ellis-Walker Gallery, Bowling Green, KY; Sager-Braudis Gallery, Columbia, MO
Website: http://www.tpfannerstill.com

"On the Road #2" by Tom Pfannerstill, 24x34in, acrylic on canvas (2016)

"On the Road #3" by Tom Pfannerstill, 20x30in, acrylic on canvas (2016)

"Brillo" by Tom Pfannerstill, acrylic and/or enamel on carved basswood (2016)

"Eggo" by Tom Pfannerstill, acrylic and/or enamel on carved basswood (2016)

"Ultimate Lemons" by Tom Pfannerstill, acrylic and/or enamel on carved basswood (2016)

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2016 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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Curatorial Spotlight: Ann Stewart Anderson

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“I believe that I’m here to create in a world that’s falling apart.”

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A photograph of Ann Stewart Anderson. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis Photography for LVA

I’ve known Ann Stewart and her work much of my adult life. As I got to know her work, I admired it for its visual accessibility and its conceptual complexity. Her resume of accomplishments and milestones is pages long. Over the past several weeks, I’ve read what others have said about her work, what she’s said about it, and looked at images of pieces I remember, along with ones I’ve never seen. This process has only increased my admiration.

Recently, she and I had a conversation in her studio that ran the gamut from homemade paper dolls to theologian Paul Tillich’s assertion that myths express truth. 

In our conversation, Ann Stewart talked about her father, a Presbyterian minister who studied architecture in college, built a playhouse for his three little girls, and had the courage to stand up publically for civil rights in a time when most other white ministers steadfastly kept their seats; and her mother, an artist who nurtured her daughters’ creativity with easels and paints in the sunroom, building supplies outside, and the steady encouragement to imagine.

Her parents were bedtime story readers, letting the girls take turns picking the book. When it was Ann Stewart’s turn, she always picked Greek mythology, tales of valorous men in war and the women whose lives intersected their personal and public battles. 

Dolls hanging in Anderson's studio. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis Photography for LVA.

After graduating with honors from Wellesley with a BA in art history, Ann Stewart got a job as a secretary to the Assistant Director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. With additional odd jobs and what she saved (proudly recalled) from her $2,700 a year job, she paid her own way through graduate school, earning a degree in painting from The American University.

Although she began her career in art as a painter, early collaborations with friends like potter Sarah Frederick and fiber artist Lida Gordon offered opportunities to experiment with other media. Her first big collaboration came when the Louisville Visual Art Association chose Ann Stewart as one of five artists for its “Collaborative Effort” show. The only condition was they needed to pick an artist from outside the region to work with.

But whom would she ask? “Somebody suggested Judy Chicago,” Ann Stewart recalls. At that time, Chicago was gaining a national reputation as a feminist artist with The Dinner Party. So Ann Stewart wrote a letter and sent some of her work. Miraculously, Chicago called. 

“What do you want to do?” Chicago asked.

A close look at Anderson's studio's desk. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis Photography for LVA

Ann Stewart recalls feeling unprepared. “When she was on the phone, I had to say something, so I just said ‘menopause.’”

And that was the birth of the Hot Flash Fan project, a giant multi-media collaboration that eventually included work by over 50 artists and helped bring menopause out of the shadows and away from silly euphemisms like, “the change.”

Throughout her career, Ann Stewart’s subject has been women and the sustaining rhythm of their ordinary days. Her goal has always been to see women as subjects, not as objects. “That opens the possibility for other women to identify with the women in my work. I don’t paint portraits. I make up these women and somebody will say, ‘That reminds me of so-and-so,’ or the situations will remind them of themselves. Only women can do that. I admire male artists and have been influenced by the painting of Matisse, Bonnard and Max Beckmann, but I think there’s something significant about a woman artist being able to see something and identify with other women.”

But she’s also been a thoughtful artist, one who reads widely, assesses dispassionately and, for much of her life, kept an ongoing journal about her work: a conversation of ideas, technical struggles, connected and disconnected thoughts.

"Esther" by Ann Stewart Anderson, 14x12in, paper mosaic (2016)

It’s Ann Stewart’s point of view that makes her work so provocative. In one series, she creates women in conversations. “It’s the kind of thing women are criticized for,” she says, “nattering, gossiping, but it’s how people learn things. It’s how the important things of life are passed on.” 

Her point of view sometimes reveals a wicked sense of humor, too, like the Ugly Bride series, and the Reject project that she put together at a time when she wasn’t being accepted in shows. “I got depressed,” she says. “Nobody wanted my work. It was going on too long and I decided I had to do something, so I created an art project.” By following the steps to enter a juried exhibit--excruciatingly well known by most artists—she made a point of attempting acceptance in twelve shows. The project culminated in a gala at Louisville Visual Art (LVA) when their home was the Louisville Water Tower, where all her rejection letters were displayed.

“The theme was ‘lemonade from lemons.’ Everything was yellow, and I put up all my rejections on a big wall and invited everybody else to stick theirs on, too, and then I gave ribbons for the best and worst rejections.” Although it was not part of the plan, the mojo worked. After that show—she started getting accepted again.

In her artist’s statement, Ann Stewart says her work is “characterized by dynamic ambiguity.” You can see that in the planes and angles of her “broken dish” women, or in those whose faces are partially hidden—under the brim of a hat, behind a veil or sunglasses, or the old women in extravagant dress and accessories. “You have to fill in the spaces yourself,” she says.

Various works hanging in Anderson's studio. Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis Photography for LVA.

One of the most satisfying experiences she’s had as an artist came with a series depicting the relationship between mother and daughter from the time the mother was pregnant until the day her daughter stood by her mother’s flower draped coffin. At the time, this work was displayed through LVA at Louisville International Airport. One day, Ann Stewart got a call from LVA telling her a woman had called, wanting to talk with her. She assumed the caller wanted to purchase her work, but as Ann Stewart recalls, “It was even better.”

“Are you the artist?” the woman asked.

When Ann Stewart said yes, the woman told her she’d never talked to an artist before but, ”’I was at the airport between planes when I saw your work. My daughter and I were having a big fight, but after I saw your work I was moved to reconcile with her.’ I tell that story to a lot of artists—it’s easy to feel guilty for ignoring social ills, but we don’t really know how our work affects people. “

"Sun Stand" by Ann Stewart Anderson, broken dish mosaic (2008) NFS

Throughout her life, she’s been blessed with having good jobs to “support my habit,” she laughs. For her, there’s never been a question of how to balance making a living with making art. “Art has always come first. I always had a studio because making art is what I do.” Even marriage to Ron Mikulak, food writer and retired Food Editor for the Courier-Journal, has not created the tension some artists experience trying to balance home with making art. “I’ve been lucky. Ron cooks and I make art. When I’m working in the studio, he’s creating in the kitchen, where he loves to be. And when I come out of the studio, there’s a beautiful meal on the table.” 

Her work has tended to follow the chronology of her life. Today, she’s working on “old women” and, most lately, a series she calls the Teffubud Sisters. 

“I was working on the broken dish women, and I was getting really tired having to be in a mask breaking dishes. It was a big mess.” A friend gave Ann Stewart a book about paper mosaics. “I thought, ‘I’d like to try that,’” so she began hunting through some old art magazines she’d tried unsuccessfully to sell at a yard sale for material to use in mosaics. “I discovered I loved working with paper and scissors.”

"Discord (Women and War)" by Ann Stewart Anderson, 46x40in, oil on canvas (2010)

That change of medium was fortuitous when she and her husband moved into a condominium where she couldn’t work with oil paints any more because of the fumes, and still more so later when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “There are some things I can’t do, but fortunately, I can still cut.”

The Teffubud Sisters were born from a picture of a grotesque man by artist Jean Dubuffet that Ann Stewart discovered in one of the art magazines. Each sister’s face takes its basic shape from the Dubuffet “parent,” but after that the ridges, lines and contours of each woman—and her adornments—belong to her alone. 

Parkinson’s has forced other accommodations. The most painful? - The fact that she can’t write any more. As she tells me this, Ann Stewart points to a long row of books and notebooks on the top shelf in her studio. “I’ve always journaled about what I’m doing—and I can’t any more. That’s really hard.”

So how does she look at her art now? “I don’t think being recognized is the most important thing anymore. I want to be like Renoir—and this story might be apocryphal—but he’s supposed to have painted on the day he died. That’s what I want to be. I want to keep creating.” 

Today, she says, that’s more important than ever. “I believe that I’m here to create in a world that’s falling apart. Creative energy is the only counter to all the destructive energy out there. That’s why it’s so important for all of us.”

"Phoebe" by Ann Stewart Anderson, 14x12in, paper mosaic (2015)

"Millie" by Ann Stewart Anderson, 14x12in, paper mosaic (2016)

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This Feature article was written by Sarah Yates.
Sarah Yates is a writer who lives and works in Louisville, KY.

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