Vignette: Laurie Fader - Open Studio Weekend Artist

“Making the painting is a mysterious and compulsive search for an emotional reality.”      – Laurie Fader

Abstract art is a loaded phrase, words that conjure as much misunderstanding as mystery. In the simplest terms, perhaps the best thing we can say is that abstraction is universal - artists tapping into the subconscious to elicit emotional reactions and develop visual relationships through elements of color, shape, and texture. The same equation is typically at work in representational art, but with those elements fashioned within the familiar.

"Big Toe" by Laurie Fader, oil, 48x42in, 2017, $3200

“Unconscious, subversive preoccupations are the driving force behind my paintings,” is how Laurie Fader puts it, “stabilized and excavated through the use of light and woven shapes of color. Making the painting is a mysterious and compulsive search for an emotional reality. Visual touchstones reveal complex psychological and intellectual states, contained within fragile, blistered and bubbled boundaries. It has become a metaphor for our political landscape as well, polarized and charged with dichotomies.”

"Plumage" by Laurie Fader, oil, mixed media on paper, 19x15in, 2017, $2200

Fader came to the abstract. Like so many artists, after years of representational work: “Freed from the perimeters of painting the landscape on site, which caught my interest for twenty years, now color can lead in a way it could not before. And with color comes delight in a different sort of visual and emotional journey.”

Fader is Associate Professor and Chair of Academic Affairs at Kentucky College of Art + Design at Spalding University, where she teaches Drawing II, Color and Design, Color and Design II, and Painting II. Since joining the faculty in 2010, she co-authored the BFA program before becoming Chair in 2011. In addition, she organized a Study Abroad Program and took 3 students to Umbria, Italy.

Earlier this year she finished an Artist’s Residency at Scuola Grafica in Venice, Italy.

Laurie Fader will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio, located in the Germantown neighborhood, will be open the weekend of November 4 and 5. Tickets for Open Studio Weekend will go on sale October 16. Click here for more information.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 60
Education: BS, Honors, New York University, NYC; MFA, Painting, Yale School of Art.
Website: lauriefader@squarespace.com

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"Charted Territories" by Laurie Fader, mixed media on paper, 22x18in, 2017, $2500

"Shroud" by Laurie Fader, mixed media, 13x19in, 2017, $2200

"Diversity" by Laurie Fader, mixed media, 32x28in, 2017, $2200

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

Vignette: Wayne Ferguson - Open Studio Weekend Artist

“Clay is my means of expression. I have made things out of clay since I was 7 years of age.” - Wayne Ferguson

"May Day...Rolling Thunder  Burning B 52 Whistle Lid" by Wayne Ferguson, clay, glaze, 15x8x8in, 2016, $600

Ceramic artist Wayne Ferguson is largely self-taught, holding no formal degree, but a teacher nonetheless, having earned a substantial reputation from a lifetime of experience: “One thing led to another and through a series of fortunate events I became a teacher, involved in artist residencies throughout Kentucky and other parts of the world. I travelled to Mexico and worked with the amazing potters in Mata Ortiz. I was hired on at the Arizona State Museum as an archaeology technician, digging ditches and sifting dirt, on several projects in the Tucson Basin. I would dig clay and fire replica pottery in the courtyard in the Barrio Viejo.”

In recent years, his work has offered satirical political commentary unabashedly liberal in its perspective. Somewhat unusually for a ceramic artist, he belongs among the ranks of current political cartoonists. Ferguson’s targets are historical, local and national.

"Phantom" 9whistle lid) by Wayne Ferguson, clay, glaze, 12x6in, 2016, $400

“May Day...Rolling Thunder Burning B 52” (whistle lid) and “Phantom” (whistle lid) bring memories of horrific incongruously to the form of the teapot, normally a serene and peaceful vessel.

His “Ark Encounter,” meant to mimic an iPhone in referencing the ancient clay tablets of Egypt, and the adorable “Arkasaurus Ocarinas,” both comment on the controversial Ark Encounter theme park in Northeastern Kentucky, which, among other claims, maintains that Noah saved the dinosaurs from the flood.

The reference is unmistakable in the “Turtle Mitch Bourbon Bottle Set,” depicting Kentucky’s most famous current political figure, and Ferguson is in the process of creating an ongoing series of “Trump Shot Glasses,” stating, “I plan on making one for each day he is in office...I pray that I don't have to make more than 365 of these!”

"Turtle Mitch Bourbon Bottle Set" by Wayne Ferguson, clay, glaze, 10x6in, 2017, $425

Ferguson has a show scheduled for March 2018 at the Ohr - O'Keefe Museum in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was a Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellow, and his work can be found in these Permanent Collections:

The Kamm Tea Pot Collection
Reverend Al Shands Collection
Berea College Collection

Wayne Ferguson will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. His studio, located in the Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center, will be open the weekend of November 4 and 5. Tickets for Open Studio Weekend will go on sale October 16. Click here for more information.

Hometown: Bellevue, Kentucky
Age: 70
Education: Attended the University of Kentucky.

"Arkasaurus Ocarinas" by Wayne Ferguson, clay,glaze, 6in long, 2017, $50 (each)

"Ark Encounter" by Wayne Ferguson, clay & stain, 6x4in, 2016, $75

"Trump Shot Glasses" by Wayne Ferguson, clay, glaze, 3.5in tall, 2017, $40

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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

Vignette: M.J. Kinman

“Fire, the most dramatic of the four elements. You can't make excellent bourbon without it.”    – M.J. Kinman

"Char #4" by M.J. Kinman, Hand-painted cotton; poly batting; poly thread, 48x81in, 2017, $6500

M.J. Kinman creates fiber art compositions of geometric shapes in kaleidoscopic patterns. In her Bourbon Diamonds Series she captures the fire and brilliance of Kentucky's iconic spirit, with each piece inspired by a particular label from Kentucky’s most famous export. For example, “Char #4” recognizes Old Forester bourbon's heritage of crafting their barrels themselves, a process that requires setting the new oak aflame. 

“Bourbon isn't bourbon without fire,” explains Kinman.“Unless the interior of a new oak barrel is allowed to burn, there can be no blackening and crackling of the wood. Those tiny cracks invite the whiskey to penetrate the oak during the hot, lazy Kentucky summers, providing it's amber and smoky tones.” 

“I make the biggest diamonds in the world…but instead of working with the hardest substances on Earth, I work with the softest. For the past 20 years, I’ve used fabric and paint to create larger-than-life portraits of colored gemstones. My goal is to find a stone’s personality – the story of light and color – encased within. This work, part of my Bourbon Diamonds series, celebrates the importance of fire in the making of Kentucky bourbon.”

"Fire & Ice" by M.J. Kinman, Hand-painted cotton; poly batting; poly thread, 82x50in, 2017, $7500

Kinman will be showing at the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska, January 2 through 30, 2018. There will be an Artist’s Reception on Friday, January 12.

M.J. Kinman will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio, located in the Clifton neighborhood, will be open the weekend of November 4 and 5. Tickets for Open Studio Weekend will go on sale October 16. Click here for more information.

Hometown: Hastings, Nebreska
Age: 55
Education: Bachelors of Social Work (BSW), Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, Ohio; Masters in Social Work (MSW), University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan
Website: www.mjkinman.com
Instagram: mjkinman709

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"Angel's Share" by M.J. Kinman, Hand-painted cotton; poly batting; poly thread, 58x58in, 2017, $5500

"Devil's Due" by M.J. Kinman, Hand-painted cotton; poly batting; poly thread, 53x78in, 2016, $7500

"Blush" by M.J. Kinman, Hand-painted cotton; poly batting; poly thread, 85x55in, 2014, $7500

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved

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

Vignette: Claudia Hammer - Open Studio Weekend Artist

Beauty In Everyday Objects

"General Electric" by Claudia Hammer, 20x20in, 2017

The Greeks saw the divine in themselves and depicted the gods in human form, and for thousands of years it was deemed that art should only celebrate the extraordinary. Eventually artists found grace and beauty in the common people in society, and Modern Art found worthwhile subjects in the mundane and ubiquitous. Think of Pop Art’s fascination with media and advertising.

Claudia Hammer has a considerable reputation for painting portraits, and the human figure, but more recently she has turned her attention to static objects.
“Drawing or painting the figure has always been a pleasurable challenge,” says Hammer. “However, in the last few years I have really have been loving the still life. I seek the beauty in everyday objects like coffee cups, scissors, marbles, crossword puzzles, bottles, and appliances. In focusing on these items I hope to show gratitude for the overlooked but useful things that engage us in life.”

There is a thick layer of nostalgia over the objects Hammer chooses to paint. How many of the current population has ever seen an old-style, black rotary telephone? We have fancier electric mixers in today’s kitchens, but the sleek, mid-20th century design of the one we see here is classic. It might give us a warm feeling to remember our grandmother’s kitchen or grandpa’s workbench, but could it be possible that the utilitarian tools of their day were actually this beautiful? Hammer renders the objects with a sufficient degree of realism to impress us with her technique, but there is also an atmosphere, crafted from evocative background textures and a sophisticated sense of light, that places these things in the realm of misty memory.

"Old School Communication" by Claudia Hammer, oil on wood, 20x20in, 2017

Hammer will be showing at PYRO Gallery, where she is a member, with Mary Dennis Kannapell. The exhibit, called Modern Muse is scheduled for April 12 - May 26, 2018.

Claudia Hammer will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio, located in the NuLu neighborhood, will be open the weekend of November 4 and 5. Tickets for Open Studio Weekend will go on sale October 16. Click here for more information.

Hometown: New Albany Indiana
Age: 67
Website: http://www.claudiahammer.com/
Instagram: Claudia Hammer
 

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"Singer Sewing No2" by Claudia Hammer, oil on panel, 20x20in, 2017

"Tools and Orbs working together" by Claudia Hammer, oil on panel, 24x30in, 2017

"Old School Communication" by Claudia Hammer, oil on panel, 20x20in, 2017

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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

Vignette: Dawn Middleton - Open Studio Weekend Artist

“I spend a lot of time ruminating and then I create.” – Dawn Middleton

"Shell with Branches" by Dawn Middleton, pendant size is 3x4in, 2016

Dawn Middleton is an art jewelry designer and fabricator who hand fabricate each piece out of sterling silver, gold, bronze, semi-precious, precious stones, and found objects. She finds inspiration in the organic forms and lines of her natural surroundings.

"Shell with Aquamarine Necklace" by Dawn Middleton, 2x3in, 2016

Of course, this is true of so many artists and artisans, and that they bend and shape metal to reflect such an aesthetic is always remarkable. Middleton lets the chosen stone lead the design, so that the Shell Aquamarine Necklace we see here envelopes the delicate shell in tender, scalloped folds, while the stone below it is set a bit more traditionally, yet its weight, appropriately positioned beneath the lighter shell, anchors the design.

Middleton’s origins as an artisan might seem surprising: “Interestingly, it was Ford Motor Company that nurtured me early on. For 14 years, I worked in Ford’s body shop, part of that time as a welder. I left when the company downsized, and from there I took personal responsibility for my growth. I studied interior design for four years, and those studies helped me understand that I could produce artful objects by applying the shapes, colors and textures of nature to jewelry design.”

“This passion and my skill were enhanced through metal smith classes. That changed my desire to bring into this world something special. I am inspired by my natural surroundings, and I love gardening and being one with nature, and my jewelry designs reflect that special part of me.” I have been metal smithing for only five years, and like the right plants, in the right soil, in the right sunlight, with the right amount of rain, my growth and the results have been evident.”

Middleton feels a profound spiritual element in her creative process, and a communal pride with her fellow artisans. “When I light up the torch, design ideas flow to me as I go through the process, and inspiration spills out from my soul. I am blessed to be working in my in-home studio, where I spend four to five days a week on my craft, always giving gratitude for the wonderful abundance that is all around. My Hoosier landscape inspires me every day during every season, leading me to why being an Indiana Artisan is important to me. I wanted to represent the state I live in with my creations and get to know other Indiana Artisans. I am proud that my work represents Indiana, and personally I feel blessed to be a part of a great organization focused on what is flowing from very creative people.”

Dawn Middleton will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio, located in Greenville Indiana, will be open the weekend of November 4 and 5. Tickets for Open Studio Weekend will go on sale October 16. Click here for more information.

Hometown: Tacoma, Washington
Education: Bachelor Degree in Interior Design and Associates Degree in Computer Science.
Website: dawnmiddleton.com
Instagram: dawnmiddleton/

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"Fire Goddess 2 Necklace" by Dawn Middleton, 3x4in, 2016

"Sea Glass Rose Branches Sapphire Necklace" by Dawn Middleton, pendant is 2x3in, 2016

"Peruvian Opal, Pearl and Peach Branch Necklace" by Dawn Middleton, 3x4in, 2016

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved

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