Artists Talk with LVA: December 4, 2025

Painter Valtcho Tonov and new Kentucky Opera CEO Ben Robinson discuss the production of All is Calm and Valtcho’s exhibit there on Artists Talk with LVA. Tune in each Thursday at WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com at 10 a.m.

Valtcho Tonov is a mostly self-taught artist born in Bulgaria in 1972. From an early age he was interested in drawing but began to take art seriously at the age of sixteen when his family relocated to Plovdiv.

After moving to the United States in 2001, he soon settled in Louisville, Kentucky. Valtcho has continued his studies under the tutelage of renowned artists such as John Michael Carter, Phil Starke and others. 

Kentucky Opera has appointed Ben Robinson as its new General Director and CEO. An accomplished singer, stage director, and arts executive, Robinson brings creative vision, operational expertise, and a deep commitment to opera as a community-building force. 

For Robinson, the appointment is also a homecoming. He began his professional career as a Kentucky Opera Studio Artist, performing on the stage he will now lead. His mother is from Kentucky, and extended family live throughout the region.Robinson and his husband, bass-baritone Michael Scarcelle, are relocating to Louisville.

Robinson's leadership has emphasized opera's role in fostering community dialogue. At Anchorage Opera, he created a popular concert conversation series that brought together diverse community voices to explore social issues through music. His commitment to building meaningful community collaborations aligns closely with Kentucky Opera's mission, particularly its Awakenings series, which uses opera to bridge divides and spark conversation across the region.

Artists Talk with LVA: March 21. 2024

Valtcho Tonov is a mostly self-taught artist who was born in Bulgaria. He became seriously interested in art at the age of sixteen when his family relocated to Plovdiv.

After moving to the United States in 2001, he soon settled in Louisville, Kentucky. Valtcho 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.

A passionate Plein Air painter, he can be seen painting around Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, and Bulgaria. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of KY. As a full time painter his repertoire includes landscapes, still life, abstract ,sporting and  figurative. He draws inspiration from The Russian School - Repin, Serov, Fechin, etc. , and the American realist painters Sargent, Schmid, Hassam, and many others.  

Artists Talk with LVA: May 25, 2023

Carrie Johns & Anil Vinayakan are both participating in this Saturday's LVA Paint Out at The Louisville Nature Center. We will talk about that and other places their work can be seen. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Carrie Johns is a native of Georgetown Indiana who studied Fine Arts at Indiana University Southeast and Art History at the University of Louisville. On Facebook, she is Carrie Johns Art and you can see her work at Carriejohnsart.com. She recently completed an epic mural for the New Albany Opera House.

Anil Vinayakan studied at Christ College, Kerala, and is an M.D. in Louisville. He is a painter and photographer who has an upcoming exhibit Horses and Places, at Kore Gallery June 1 - 30 with an opening reception on June 3.

On May 27, come watch artists paint at The Louisville Nature Center and Joe Creason Park. Paintings will be for sale after judging at 3:00 pm. Look for us at the tennis courts parking lot.

Artists Talk With LVA: August 25, 2022

Aaron Lubrick opens "Affirmations of Color and Life" at Pyro Gallery on September 2 and invited members of The Allied Drawers Consortium to show with him. He, Noah Howard, & Kevin Arthur join us to talk about it. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

AFFIRMATIONS OF COLOR AND LIFE & THE ALLIED DRAWERS CONSORTIUM: PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS

September 2 through the 25th at Pyro Gallery

“Affirmations of Color and Life” are recent painting of Aaron Lubrick. Lubrick’s work depicts many scenes from his daily interactions of being an art teacher, father, and artist. Finding moments of color orchestrated within compositions of playgrounds, construction scenes, and still-lifes. Lubrick relies on symbolism and an overall sense of gesture to make his paintings feel fresh and alive.

The Allied Drawers Consortium will also be represented in September at Pyro Gallery. Each artist will have one figure drawing represented and one personal piece of art. Aaron Lubrick was a founding member of The Allied Drawers Consortium. The following member artists have been drawing together for 5 years now: Noah Howard, Colleen Clines, Maggie Clines, Richard Sullivan, Kevin Arthur, and Aaron Lubrick.

Vignette: Lynn Dunbar Bayus

“Painting is my divine connection with nature” – Lynn Dunbar Bayus

"Twisting the Night Away" by Lynn Dunbar Bayus, Oil canvas paint, 20x60in, $3500

Lynn Dunbar Bayus is not alone in realizing a spiritual relationship with nature through painting. Idyllic days of painting free from the elements is a rare occasion, with wind rain, dust - temperatures too far down or to far up on the barometer. The plein air artist works quickly against the vagaries of the constantly changing light, hoping to capture the ephemeral experience of one moment in one place. A sense of place is the inarguable gold standard of any landscape artist, and finding a fresh point-of-view is the challenge.

One way in which Bayus has done that is to work from aerial photographs of the landscape along the Ohio River. Although there is charm and abundant color of her closer views of gardens, racehorses, and other subjects, there is another kind of visual power in the aerial compositions, more expansive and philosophical in their attitude. They allow a perspective nearly devoid of the footprint of humanity, one in which time and the elements played a crucial role in shaping the relationship between land, water, and sky. It is also an opportunity for us to consider for a moment the primeval aspect of the landscape and the humility we should feel in the grand scheme of things.

"Crested Butte Barn and Cows" by Lynn Dunbar Bayus,  Oil on canvas, 8x10in, POR

The more common view of buildings and livestock that we see in “Crested Butte Barn and Cows” is prosaic, falling somewhere between the majesty of the river seen from above and the grounded, eye-level scenes of horse and jockey, or visitors to the racetrack. The former captures a scene that might be from any point in the last 200 years, while latter is of a fleeting moment in the now, tied to fashion and special occasion.

In September Bayus will be part of two exhibits with Louisville Visual Art. September 23 through November 4 Louisville Artists: Carry On will be on view at the LVA building, with a reception Sunday, September 23 from 3-5pm. Then the LVA Juried Exhibit in the 2018 Portland Art & Heritage Fair will take place on Saturday, September 29. The exhibit will be available for viewing at the Marine Hospital from 11am-5pm. Jury prizes will be awarded at 2:00pm.

Bayus will be once again be participating in Open Studio Weekend (OSW), presented by LVA and the University of Louisville's Hite Institute. For 2018, OSW is scheduled for November 3 & 4 from 12-6pm. You can purchase tickets here.

Bayus’ artwork is featured on the 2018 Kentucky Derby and Oaks Posters available at Churchill Downs, and will be featured on the 2018 Holiday Edition of Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Other awards include Award of Merit 2016, Owensboro Museum of Art, Science and History, Grand Prize Portland Heritage Arts Show 2014, honorable mention at the Salon International 2013, the 2012 Purchase Prize from the Owensboro Museum of Art, and the 2011 Grand Prize from the Louisville Women's Club, and work is featured in the September 2017 Plein Air Magazine, and in American Art Review.

Memberships include Signature Status of American Impressionist Society, Indiana Plein Air Painters and Painters of the Bluegrass.

Hometown: Gary, Indiana
Education: MSSW, University of Louisville; BA in Visual Design, Purdue University
Website: http://dunbar-art.com/
Gallery Representative: Point Gallery, Prospect, Kentucky; Kentucky Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky

Scroll down for more images

"Belle and Lincoln Bridge" by Lynn Dunbar Bayus, Oil canvas paint, 18x18in, $1200

"Vine Street after Rain" by Lynn Dunbar Bayus, Oil on canvas, 5x7in, 2018, POR

"Black Eyed Susans" by Lynn Dunbar Bayus, Oil on canvas, 12x24in, 2018, POR

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved. In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville.

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