“I believe in the beauty of ordinary subjects.” — Valtcho Tonov

"Greece" by Valtcho Tonov, 10x20 in, oil on linen panel (2016), $700 (comes in gold plein air style frame)| BUY NOW — *"Greece" by Valtcho Tonov, 10x20 in, oil on linen panel (2016), $700 (comes in gold plein air style frame)| BUY NOW*

Even though Valtcho Tonov has no formal, institutional diploma, through private lessons and countless workshops he has been relentless in pursuing a personal course of study in painting. For many years he practiced painting the figure from life in a class setting and the landscape en plein air.

“As my experience accumulates as an artist during the years I understand that it's important to convey feeling with my art and relate in a profound way to the viewer. I believe in the beauty of ordinary subjects. I consider myself an abstract impressionist, however my style varies depending of my mood and the way I start a new painting.”

"Cherokee Park Path" by Valtcho Tonov, 12x16 in, oil on linen panel (2016), $700 (comes in plein air style dark frame) | BUY NOW — *"Cherokee Park Path" by Valtcho Tonov, 12x16 in, oil on linen panel (2016), $700 (comes in plein air style dark frame) | BUY NOW*

We see the different moods in “Cherokee Park Path”, which perfectly captures the unique winter light on the snow, everything crisp and clear under the brilliant sun, of how the equine forms in “Southern Horses” seem rooted to the earth as if the are plants awaiting harvest, and is there an image more evocative of moodiness than a view of the skyline distorted as if being witnessed through a rain-streaked window in “Louisville Winter”.

This is what a painter does; working with one of the most plastic and expressive of mediums, the artist is able to communicate a heightened perception of the world, forcing us to look harder at our own environment and the aspects of nature that we too easily take for granted.

"Mc Neely Lake, Louisville" by Valtcho Tonov, 12x16in, oil on linen panel (2016), $700 (comes in plein air style dark frame) | BUY NOW — *"Mc Neely Lake, Louisville" by Valtcho Tonov, 12x16in, oil on linen panel (2016), $700 (comes in plein air style dark frame) | BUY NOW*

Tonov is a member of Oil Painters Of America and the Plein Air Painters of Kentucky. After moving to the United States in 2001, he eventually settled in Louisville, Kentucky. Tonov has continued his studies under the tutelage of renowned artists such as John Michael Carter, Phil Starke, and others. He is part of an ongoing uninstructed figurative drawing/painting workshop at Mellwood Art Center in Louisville.

Hometown: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Age: 44
Education: self-taught but studied with John Michael Carter & Phil Starke
Website: http://www.vptart.co

"Louisville Winter" by Valtcho Tonov, 20x24 in, oil on canvas (2017), $900 (not framed, finished sides) | BUY NOW — *"Louisville Winter" by Valtcho Tonov, 20x24 in, oil on canvas (2017), $900 (not framed, finished sides) | BUY NOW*

"Southern Horses" by Valtcho Tonov, 11x14 in, oil on linen panel (2016), $600 (comes in gold frame) | BUY NOW — *"Southern Horses" by Valtcho Tonov, 11x14 in, oil on linen panel (2016), $600 (comes in gold frame) | BUY NOW*

Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more. — *Are you interested in being on Artebella?* *Click here* *to learn more.*

Photography

Vignette: Judy Rosati

Josh Jenkins · January 23, 2017

"Buffalo (Custer)" by Judy Rosati, 16x20in, hand colored silver gelatin photograph (2015), $125 (matted & framed) | BUY NOW — *"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 — *"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 — *"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 — *"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)*

Painting

Vignette: Jessica Olberz Singleton

Josh Jenkins · December 6, 2016

"Spinning Sun" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 24x24in, acrylic on canvas, $85 | BUY NOW — *"Spinning Sun" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 24x24in, acrylic on canvas, $85 | BUY NOW*

When a layperson ponders what makes an artist, they might begin by considering that is simply a matter of perspective, and also the ability to hold a perception and explore it; a search for insight and understanding of our existence within the world around us. It is the thing that makes an artist stop and investigate a rain puddle, or find the gentle passing of time marked by nature as prosaic, and then find some way to capture that impression through creative expression.

In her artist’s statement, Singleton explains, “I remember my shock and amazement the first time I saw the clouds move. I was five years old. I learned to slow down, be still, and look more closely. Taking that time today, I see and hear things that seem to come out of nowhere. Just last week I found a tiny, perfectly preserved frog skeleton beneath the seat of my car. It fits on a penny with room to spare. What are the odds?”

“Nature brings me to my senses and my senses remind me that I am in (and of) this world. And, so, inevitably I bring nature into my studio to spend more time with the leaves and the flowers. In my studio, I enjoy the sensory experience of mixing colors and moving them over the paper or canvas and watching how, with time, something new emerges.”

"Diamonds" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 10x14in, watercolor and ink, $50 (unframed) | BUY NOW — *"Diamonds" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 10x14in, watercolor and ink, $50 (unframed) | BUY NOW*

The importance of memory and sensory experience in Singleton’s work relate to time itself; the most underappreciated material in an artist’s toolbox. It plays a role in any artist’s process but is rarely acknowledged.

Singleton is also a photographer and a yoga instructor, and her painting includes mandalas that tie more obviously into health and wellness, but all of the artist’s work is inextricably connected to the harmony of nature. It clearly represents an important aspect of her spirituality, and in 2011 she opened The Trilliquin Center, where she teaches varying levels of yoga, including Gentle, Iyengar and Restorative Yoga, as well as art workshops and community events.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 40
Education: BA, University of Louisville, 2000, majored in Fine Arts with a concentration in Drawing, minored in Psychology and Women's Studies.
Website: http://jessicaolberz.com

"White Mandala on Plaid Wash" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 12x16in, watercolor and gouache, $80 (framed) | BUY NOW — *"White Mandala on Plaid Wash" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 12x16in, watercolor and gouache, $80 (framed) | BUY NOW*

"Four Circles" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 10x14in, watercolor and ink, $50 (unframed) | BUY NOW — *"Four Circles" by Jessica Olberz Singleton, 10x14in, watercolor and ink, $50 (unframed) | BUY NOW*

Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more.

framed

Vignette: Valtcho Tonov

“I believe in the beauty of ordinary subjects.” — Valtcho Tonov

Vignette: Judy Rosati

Vignette: Jessica Olberz Singleton