"Birth of immortality" by Andrea Alonso, 48x36in, oil on canvas (2016) $1200 | BUY NOW — *"Birth of immortality" by Andrea Alonso, 48x36in, oil on canvas (2016) $1200 | BUY NOW*

Artist, Andrea Alonso — *Artist, Andrea Alonso*

Andrea Alonso’s painting, “The Birth of Immortality,” represents the birth of the tradition of Day of the Dead. The iconic celebrations now occur all around the globe, but started with the pre-Hispanic culture and Aztec mythology. Mictlantecuhtli was a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld. The arrival of Spanish colonialism and the transforming influence of Catholicism brought about a merging of the beliefs that resulted in the Catrina, the Saints Day, and the Day of the Dead.

“The painting also shows that death can occur to any of us, elder and children, rich and poor,” says Alonso. The story is told by the old man of the corner, who lost his wife and is waiting for death to come for him.”

“My style emphasizes the universality of visual abstraction in highly developed compositions of patterns and forms, I try to suggest space within these geometric arrangements, and my main object is try to establish a sense of place within the painting. I think this is not common in most abstract paintings.”

"Solitary thoughts" by Andrea Alonso, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $600 | BUY NOW — *"Solitary thoughts" by Andrea Alonso, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $600 | BUY NOW*

Currently Alonso is one of the many Louisville artists featured in the Alley Gallery public art program sponsored by the Louisville Downtown Partnership and unveiled by Mayor Greg Fischer on May 11, 2017

Alonso was one of the five finalist in ArtPrize Pitch Night in Louisville with the sculpture project “The Hole,” and is or will be exhibiting work in the EKU Center for the Arts, Lexington KY, the Andersonville 14th annual show at Chicago, IL, the “O” Gallery, Nashville TN, 5-0-LOU Gallery and, Tim Faulkner Gallery Winter show 2017, in Louisville, KY. She has paintings featured in Art Yellow Book #2, by CICA Museum, South Korea.

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Age: 31
Education: Architecture degree University of Monterrey, Mexico; MBA in Administration, Rioja University, Madrid, Spain.
Website: http://www.art-ark.com

"Paranoia" by Andrea Alonso, 48x48in, oil on canvas (2017), $950 | BUY NOW — *"Paranoia" by Andrea Alonso, 48x48in, oil on canvas (2017), $950 | BUY NOW*

"The Date" by Andrea Alonso, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $600 | BUY NOW — *"The Date" by Andrea Alonso, 36x36in, oil on canvas (2017), $600 | BUY NOW*

"Winter Storm" by Andrea Alonso, 30x24in, oil on canvas (2016), $260 | BUY NOW — *"Winter Storm" by Andrea Alonso, 30x24in, oil on canvas (2016), $260 |* *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.*

Sculpture

Feature: Falls Art Foundry

Josh Jenkins · June 6, 2017

For many, many years, the Bright Foundry was the primary metal arts foundry in Louisville. Even after founder Barney Bright’s death in 1997, the facility functioned under the stewardship of Barney’s son, Jep Bright until April 2016.

Artists: Matt Weir, Tamina Karem, and Scott Boyer — *Artists: Matt Weir, Tamina Karem, and Scott Boyer*

Matt Weir, Tamina Karem, & Scott Boyer all worked at Bright Foundry, and knowing Jep was thinking of shutting down, had talked to him about purchasing the equipment and opening a new Bronze metal casting foundry on property they intended to lease on Portland Avenue, just across the street from The Table restaurant. They followed through and have now moved the contents of Bright Foundry into that location at 1715 Portland Avenue. They are still sorting things out, but are already working on projects and some small casting contracts.

Barney Bright’s River Horse statue at 6th & Chestnut was, of course, cast at Bright, as was Ed Hamilton’s York statue on the Belvedere, Bob Lockhart’s Robert Bellarmine statue on the campus of Bellarmine University, and many other local sculptures. Over the years there seemed to be plenty of work, so the Falls Art Foundry team are confident about the opportunity for work once they are fully established. But the journey to that result will require a lot of work - and money.

*Building plans by Mose Putney Architect*

The building, with over 55,000 square feet of space, high ceilings, and land allowing for expansion, is ideally suited to the task, but it will require modifications that will run in the neighborhood of $350,000 before the three will have met all of their goals.

Currently, the location satisfies much of the needs for the functioning foundry, with some changes needed in the floor to accommodate furnaces, extension of some interior walls to the high ceilings, and a second double wide door, but the team also has ambitions to develop what Boyer describes as, “our ideal foundry,” (the new building is about 19,000 square feet larger than Bright Foundry). Plans include building an annex to house retail and educational spaces that would enable outreach to the community. “Our long-term vision is for a sculpting campus,” explains Karem.

*Artist, Tamina Karem with one of her recent pieces*

Between them, the trio can boast 40 plus years of experience working at Bright Foundry, and offer what Weir describes as, “a diversity of experience in materials and practices,” positioning them to be a full-service operation for artists in the area. “All foundries are collaborative efforts run by artists or, at least, craftspeople,” states Boyer, as he explains that the artists working to caste a bronze piece have a significant impact on the final result, often as much as 1/3 of the surface might change during the process. The observation underscores the importance of the relationship sculptors develop with a specific foundry. Bright Foundry enjoyed a strong reputation with artists, a reputation that Boyer, Karem, and Weir helped build and hope to carry over to Falls Art Foundry.

Artist, Matt Weir at work in Falls Art Foundry — *Artist, Matt Weir at work in Falls Art Foundry*

The technique of lost-wax casting is complicated. Weir breaks it down to nine stages, each of which contains several steps. Although all three have university educations, they learned the technique working at Bright. Because there is no academic foundry in Louisville right now, the opportunity to demonstrate the technique is important. It is older than one might assume, with the oldest known examples being the objects discovered in the “Cave of the Treasure “(Nahal Mishmar) hoard in southern Israel, and which belong to the Chalcolithic period (4500–3500 BC). Conservative estimates of age from carbon-14 dating date the items to c. 3700 BC, making them more than 5700 years old.

The Falls Art Foundry team currently rent the building with an option to purchase, and they seem nothing if not committed, so the smart money is on them following through and realizing their dream.

On June 2, it was announced that Louisville Visual Art would bestow the 2017 Barney Bright award of $1200 to Falls Art Foundry.

(Editor’s note: an interview on LVA’s PUBLIC, broadcast on WXOX-97.1 FM on 12.16.16, was used as a source for this article.)

This Feature article was written by Keith Waits.
In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, www.Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville.

Painting

Q&A: Joshua Jenkins

Josh Jenkins · June 2, 2017

Joshua Jenkins is a Louisville based painter and a recipient Great Meadows Foundation grant. He currently has work on display at several locations tonight including at the re-opening of the Butchertown Social (formally known as Louis’s The Ton). He will also have works on display in the group exhibit Queer Voices at OPEN Community Arts Center and he will also be apart of a group pop up show at 209 S. 5th Street, Louisville, KY 40202 along with fellow artists, Sunny Ra & Anne Austin. He is on the staff of Louisville Visual Art.

*A much younger Jenkins working on a painting in his college studio (back in 2008).*

When did you first think you would be an artist?

I think I've known I would be an artist to some degree since I was a pre-adolescent. I've always had an interest in art, but more particularly with drawing and in cartoons. I remember when I was around twelve years of age that I wanted to become a great comic artist like Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) and during early high school years become a creature concept artist. I didn't really get into "fine art" until my senior year of high school and didn't really think about being an actual artist until my mid college years—where I quickly built up the confidence to start calling myself one.

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

If I had ANY musical talent I would quite easily pursue a life as a musician, but unfortunately for me I lack that skill to a great degree. I couldn't sing if my life depended on it and I have horrible rhythm. In high school I tried just about every rock instrument, but sucked miserably at each one.

"When Lovers Sleep" by Joshua Jenkins, 48 x 36 x 1.5 in, Acrylic and mixed media (2015) — on display at the Butchertown Social — *"When Lovers Sleep" by Joshua Jenkins, 48 x 36 x 1.5 in, Acrylic and mixed media (2015) — on display at* *the Butchertown Social*

What challenges you more than anything?

Coming from a dysfunctional and low-income family my life has always been challenging. I've always had a bit of a big ego and for some reason have always had high standards for myself. So I think what challenges me is ultimately myself—to always do and be better than where I came from. I've also always had this drive in me to prove everyone wrong that ever told me I couldn't do this or couldn't have that.

In particular to art itself: when I see other artists succeed in life or in their work I immediately think to myself - if they can do it then so can I. This mind set constantly pushes me to do better as an artist. As soon as I feel comfortable in my art process I immediately want to push myself back into the uncomfortable zone, because I think that is where true challenge lives.

You just returned from a trip to Los Angeles funded by A Great Meadows Foundation grant What were your impressions of L.A. as a city and/or arts community?

I never imagined L.A. to be so big and spread out like it is. It's definitely different than most North Eastern cities that I'm used to and the complete opposite of the "Big Apple". This was my first trip to the West Coast in general let alone to L.A. For some reason I thought it would be a little more laid back, more glamorized and way more artsy than what I found it out to actually be (thank you movies & television for letting me down again!) Traffic was miserable and a lot of the people seemed to give off this "judgy" or competitive vibe. Granted, I only visited for a week and had my own agenda and schedule to keep up with. So, it's probably not fair of me to judge so quickly. I will attest that the weather was absolutely perfect though—and the plant life was out of this world. (I really enjoy plants.)

*Jenkins (on the left) viewing a painting in the "Kerry James Marshal: Mastry" exhibition at the MOCA in downtown LA.*

In regards to the city's art community; There were definitely plenty of public murals scattered around the city, along with street art, but for some reason or another I didn't get any sense of an "arts community". Clearly the city is home to some amazing museums and galleries, but I felt like there was a great disconnect between them all. Maybe it was the distance? Maybe I didn't spend enough time in the city? I'm not sure, but all I do know is that, having visited other big cities, I really didn't seem to get the vibe of a "scene" there. But then again I was only in L.A. for a week, so who am I to say?

Did you encounter any celebrities? If you could meet any celebrity who would it be and what would you ask them?

I walked past a person that looked like a hipster-girl who I may have seen on an indie film or that could have appeared on HBO's Girls, but then again most hipsters these days all look alike. Overall, no celebrity encounters for me. I'm not one to be in awe over a celebrity anyways and I didn't really keep an eye out for any. If I did come in contact with one though I would probably want to ask them if they liked art and if so, would they be interested in buying some of mine—like a true hustler.

"Sunbathers" by Joshua Jenkins, 24 x 24 x 1 in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2017) — on display at the "Queer Voices" exhibition at OPEN Community Art Center — *"Sunbathers" by Joshua Jenkins, 24 x 24 x 1 in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2017) — on display at the "Queer Voices" exhibition at OPEN Community Art Center*

How important is the community you live and work in? Do you think about relocating?

I moved to Louisville in 2011 and never planned on staying, but this city grew on me very quickly. Over the more recent years I have set permanent roots here. A community is important to have if you want to thrive and want to pursue your dreams. Louisville has just that. It has the small town feel that is comforting and missed when living in bigger cities. I've found it so easy to connect with people here. More importantly I have seen such an impressive growth and evolution in just the past five years that it excites me to be apart of Louisville. The sky is the limit for this city!

"Staubling Nonsense" by Joshua Jenkins, 48 x 36 x 1.5 in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2013-2014) — on display at the Butchertown Social — *"Staubling Nonsense" by Joshua Jenkins, 48 x 36 x 1.5 in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2013-2014) — on display at* *the Butchertown Social*

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

The local art scene here has definitely grown since I first moved here. I'm excited about the advancement in the Portland area and think it has the potential of becoming a great arts district. There does seem to still be a bit of disconnect amongst the arts community as a whole, but I have hope it will all come together soon.

If there was anything I would change about the local art scene is with its consumers. Everyone wants pretty pictures of the Kentucky cityscapes/landscapes, of horses, and/or of bourbon memorabilia. I love all of those things too (minus the horses), but there is so much talent in this city and it's being washed over with the constant demand for lackluster art. I think it's up to the galleries & businesses that showcase local art to be the ones to change the consumers mines by showcasing art that isn't just pretty to look at. I think it would then encourage a lot of artists to work on the pieces that they really want to work on. Every artist has their own voice and they should have the opportunities to showcase it prominently.

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

If I really want to get inspired I usually need something with a heavy bass, but generally when I'm creating art I listen to everything and anything; from Indie/Folk to New Orleans inspired Jazz to Electronic to Oldies to 90's Rock/Alternative to Classic Blues to Hip-Hop/Pop music. Needless to say all music inspires me.

What advice would you give a young artist just out of college? Tell us about an important moment of transition for you as an artist?

Despite the pressures from family, work, and society just don't let your art practices get away from you. I think it's very easy for artists to quickly "give up" on their art after college, because of the lack of opportunities and the pressures of "getting their career started". Life is to short to be spent behind a desk the rest of your life. I believe the twenties are key years for inspiration, exploration, and for living life to it's fullest. Take advantage of your youth while you have it. You can sit in a chair at a "real job" when your back starts hurting because your age caught up to you.

Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
Education: BA Graphic Design minor in Studio Art, Marist College
Website: h ttp://www.joshuajenkinsart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuajenkinsart/

*"Caught In A Moment Of Stillness" by Joshua Jenkins, 36x24x1.5in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2017) — On display in the group pop up show at 209 S 5th St*

"Gray Face" by Joshua Jenkins, 20 x 20 x 1 in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2017) — on display at the Butchertown Social — *"Gray Face" by Joshua Jenkins, 20 x 20 x 1 in, acrylic and mixed media on canvas (2017) — on display at the Butchertown Social*

Painting

Vignette: Carol Jones

Josh Jenkins · May 31, 2017

“After 38 years of nursing people back to health, I now apply that care and tender touch to my paintings” — Carol Jones

There is a phrase – the healing arts, that applies specifically to the practice of medicine, but we might as easily use it as a descriptive for the therapeutic value of making art. Beginning in the early 20th century, art sought to challenge, provoke, and even agitate, but the contemplative aspect of painting has stood the test of time.

Carol Jones was a medical professional who occupies her time now painting, and, for her, making art is a process that echoes her work as a nurse: “As a retired registered nurse, I paint for fun and relaxation. Going into my studio and putting on my uniform, now a painter's smock, I smile as I look at the blank piece of board from my local hardware store. I visualize what the finished product will look like after being massaged with brushes and oils. After 38 years of nursing people back to health, I now apply that care and tender touch to my paintings. Each painting is special, just like my patients were, with its own special needs. I have to step back to study and diagnose what would bring more beauty to the piece - a little stroke of color here or a bold push of texture there. And when it's finally ‘well’, I take joy in sending it out into the world.”

"Drapes" by Carol Jones, 24x30in, oil on board (2012), $600 | BUY NOW — *"Drapes" by Carol Jones, 24x30in, oil on board (2012), $600 | BUY NOW*

"Reflections in a Pinwheel" by Carol Jones, 18x24in, oil on board (2015), $500 | BUY NOW — *"Reflections in a Pinwheel" by Carol Jones, 18x24in, oil on board (2015), $500 | BUY NOW*

Like so many artists, Jones pursues a personal course of study, continually taking workshops and studying under nationally known artists such as Charles Gruppe, Caroline Jasper, Robert Hoffman, Cindy Overall, Lori Putnam, Roger Dale Brown, and Dominic Vignola. “Just as with the continuing education courses I took in nursing, each class gives me wonderful new ideas and techniques.”

Jones enjoys painting landscapes, but it is in the near-abstract imagery of her fabric studies that we see qualities of care and nurturing that seems to express her process and aesthetic. They are quiet, but filled with compassion.

Hometown: Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Age: 67
Education: BSN
Website: http://www.caroljonesart.com

"Evening Sail" by Carol Jones, 24x30in, oil on board (2017), $500 | BUY NOW — *"Evening Sail" by Carol Jones, 24x30in, oil on board (2017), $500 | BUY NOW*

"Irish Fishing Village" by Carol Jones, 22x28in, oil on board (2011), $500 | BUY NOW — *"Irish Fishing Village" by Carol Jones, 22x28in, oil on board (2011), $500 |* *BUY NOW*

Photography

Vignette: Sid Webb

Josh Jenkins · May 30, 2017

“I think of art as making a statement about the artist’s time and place and/or turning points in techniques and tools that give the next generation of artists a new outlook.” — Sid Webb

"Skipping" by Sid Webb, 10x27in, photograph (2011), $89 | BUY NOW — *"Skipping" by Sid Webb, 10x27in, photograph (2011), $89 | BUY NOW*

Sid Webb creates in a variety of mediums, and today we see some of his photographs. “I have taken nearly 100,000 photographs,” claims Webb, “and although I am tempted by beaches, mountains, sunsets, and sunrises and their breath-taking beauty as much as anyone, I rarely find lasting substance in such images. We can count the significant landscape photographers on one hand. Landscape painters fare a little better because technique and interpretation come into play.”

Webb prefers people as subjects for his camera. Here we see a young boy approaching a large 17th-century canon at Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine with appropriate trepidation, sheepishly inching his foot forward, a look eager anticipation mixed with supreme caution on his face. The shot is from a distant, raised point-of-view, and if the child had a clue he was being photographed, would he have been so expressive?

"Cigar Roller" by Sid Webb, 11x17in, photograph (2013), $45 | BUY NOW — *"Cigar Roller" by Sid Webb, 11x17in, photograph (2013), $45 | BUY NOW*

The locations here cover a range of territory, from Germany to Portugal, and Webb’s camera finds the ordinary, universal truths of people instead of the divisive artificial barriers that arise from nations and politicians. Webb sees people experiencing the wonders of the world as a respite from their normal, daily existence.

“It is my feeling that about 80 percent of creating art is the process of making it,” says Webb. “By which I mean just being focused and absorbed in the process of creation. Another 15 percent or so has to do with skill and craft, and 5 percent is drawn from our sensitivity to the world around us and how finely tuned we are to form and balance and color. Somewhere in this mix is a bit of rational thinking and reasoning that lead us in deciding subject matter and content. Generally, artists are thought of as being creative and original. And artists think of themselves in those terms, too.”

Hometown: Lexington, KY
Education: Majored in journalism and political science, University of Kentucky; Atlanta School of Art (High Museum)
Website: http://www.sidwebb.com/

"Boys and Guns" by Sid Webb, 11x17in, photograph (2014), $45 | BUY NOW — *"Boys and Guns" by Sid Webb, 11x17in, photograph (2014), $45 | BUY NOW*

"Fairy Dust" by Sid Webb, 11x17in, photograph (2013), $45 | BUY NOW — *"Fairy Dust" by Sid Webb, 11x17in, photograph (2013), $45 | BUY NOW*

Vignette: Andrea Alonso