Vignette: Sharon Ramick

“I like crazy. Unique. Different. Unusual.”
– Sharon Ramick

"Queen Ilana" by Sharon Ramick, ceramic, 4.5x22x3.5in, 2017 POR

Eccentric, colorful figures are found in the ceramic work of Sharon Ramick. Decorous harlequins of varying emotional tenor – some seen benign, while others carry at least a glint of malice in their levity. Part of their particular appeal is that the heads are perched precariously at the top of a pillar-like body, and never ramrod straight; they sway and lean as if they never quite mastered the art of walking on stilts, or as if they are about to be taken by the wind. 

“I’m sure a lot of folks get locked-up for my kind of crazy,” explains Ramick. “But I like crazy. Unique. Different. Unusual. I create crazy pieces that usually allow me to collect smiles. I like smiles and getting them from someone who views my art works kind of like a spell on me. I get a mental ‘high’ from their enjoyment of my artwork. And then the connection is made.”

If Ramick’s optimistic sense of whimsy appears to lack gravitas, it seems that is entirely the point. “I like to use a lot of colors, exaggerate features, create quirky, fun pieces that catch the eyes and make one think. I want to make the world a happier place where communication is easy, and connection to others creates a community that is open, accepting, and excited about our continued evolution.”

If all art is essentially unfinished until it elicits a reaction from the viewer, it could be argued that Ramick’s desire to inspire inclusion and diversity may now be considered meaningful.

"Peppajack" by Sharon Ramick, ceramic, 3.5x11x3.5in, 2017, POR

Ramick just participated in the Louisville Clay Member Artist Show at Mantle Gallery, the Louisville Clay Member Artist Show at AA Clay Studio and Gallery, and her work is included in the exhibit “Get Ready, Get Set: Multiples in Clay” at the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, Kentucky through February 24, 2018.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: University of Louisville and Jefferson Community College. Associate Degree in Arts.
Facebook: clayhandsinky
Instagram: @clayhandsinky_t
Gallery Representation: Kentucky Artisan Gallery, AA Clay Studio and Gallery, Mantle Gallery, Grayson Gallery and Art Center

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"King Larry" by Sharon Ramick, ceramic, 4x21.5x4.5in, 2017, POR

"Blue Mime" by Sharon Ramick, ceramic, 3.5x20x3.5in, 2017, $130

"Mommashrayla" by Sharon Ramick, ceramic, 3.75x22x3.75in, 2017, POR

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

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Vignette: Shae Goodlett

“Humor has always been at the forefront of my work." - Shae Goodlett

"Forever Endeavor" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Wood, 4ft x 2.5ft, 2017, $300

Shae Goodlett brings humor and a youthful, gleeful energy to his art that is infectious and bright – even when it tiptoes around darkness. He brings together pop culture and everyday life in ways that are instantly familiar and relatable, and Goodlett finds the fun in every simple detail. “Humor has always been at the forefront of my work,” he says. “Creating imagery that evokes laughter is something that I strive for, as it can serve as a means of connection between two anonymous parties: artist and viewer.”

"Brain Freeze" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Wood, 4ft x 2.5ft, 2017, $250

After graduating from Bellarmine last spring with BAs in Painting and Digital Arts Technology, Goodlett is currently a first-year graduate student at the University of Louisville, enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at the Hite Art Institute with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. He also recently wrote and illustrated his first book for all ages, “What the Moon Saw on Halloween”. Additionally, he often draws amazing donuts.

He refers to the cartoons he grew up watching when he says he uses amusing subjects to present more serious ideas that comment on what’s being discussed around him. He filters these concepts through his personal views to comment at times on politics, religion and other weighty topics through his art.

“I feel that an artist’s work serves as a reflection of his or her soul, built by the creator’s personal past experiences,” he continues. “To be able to apply that to various current events, cultural movements, and conversations in contemporary society is essential to the work of a modern artist.”

He says there is nothing he is more passionate about than his art. He hopes he can find ways to offer new perspectives to viewers of his work. What he wants each viewer to take away, more than anything else, is “how much art-making means to me. The joy and excitement that is brought to my life through each project is something that I will forever be thankful for.”

Hometown: Crestwood, KY
Age: 23
Education: BA in Painting & BA in Digital Arts Technology, Bellarmine University (May 2017)
First year MFA candidate at the University of Louisville's Hite Art Institute: Studio Art & Design. Concentration: Painting & Drawing
Website: shaedraws.com
Instagram: @shaegoodlett

The artist in his studio.

"POP Gothic" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Plywood, 4ft x 2ft, 2017, $450

"Untitled 2017" by Shae Goodlet, Acrylic on Plywood, 4ft x 2ft, 2017, $450

"POP Gothic II" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Plywood, 4ft X 2ft, 2017, $300

"Take Another Little Pizza My Heart Now, Baby" by Shae Goodlett, Acrylic on Plywood, 3ft x 4.5ft, 2017 SOLD

Written by Peter Berkowitz. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art.
All rights reserved.

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Vignette: Carrie Johns

“I trust my instinct and try not to let expectations distract me." - Carrie Johns

"Wave" by Carrie Johns, oil, 24x24in, 2017, POR

Probably most laypersons – people who never draw, paint, or sculpt, can at least imagine making art in traditional forms; perhaps many such people at least doodle absentmindedly. But to create complex linear drawings with a toy we can all remember from our childhood seems most amazing. The Etch A Sketch, with its two analog knobs, one to control vertical movement and one for horizontal, would appear to be extremely limiting, but Carrie Johns proves that only the limits of our own patience  hold us back from realizing the full potential of the instrument.

"Reflecting Sphere (Escher)" by Carrie Johns, Full size Etch-a-Sketch, 2016

Of course, Johns uses the more traditional tools: paint and a brush, as well as many others, in the making of her art. And she meaningfully explicates why she is an artist: “Art has always been a friend. It makes sense to me; it has helped me through hard times, and is there for me to escape into when I am feeling out of control.”

I create realistic art because I feel like I can take a take a subject and have control over it, bring out the beauty in it that no one else may be able to see. I want my art to elicit a feeling of wonder. Wonder is such a childlike emotion, one that can make us feel hope, cause us to dream, and to see the beauty in the mundane. I believe my duty as an artist is to create a spark in people who are feeling disillusioned or depressed. I want to give people that sense of wonder they had as a child.”

Carrie Johns with her 2015 Gallopalooza horse.

“So much beauty can be found all around us and I think an artist’s job is to bring that beauty to people who can no longer see it. One way I have been able to do that is through public art. Public art is a great way to reach people who may not have access to art or who may not actively be seeking it out. I try not to limit my art to a specific genre or medium. I enjoy making all types of art: painting, drawing, signage, calligraphy, or even drawing on an Etch-a-Sketch.”

“I trust my instinct and try not to let expectations distract me. Color, light, and detail, however, are essential in my artwork and always present. I draw influence from the simple things in life: my children, pets, a simple flower, a couple in love, or a great work of art. There is so much that is still beautiful and joyful in this world, and in my own humble way, I want to be able to share this beauty with those who can no longer see it.”

In 2015 Johns won Best in Show Award for Gallopalooza, and just this year she was awarded First Place in the LVA Plein Art Paint Out at Botanica’s ReGeneration Fair.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BA, Art History, University of Louisville
Website: http://carriejohns.wixsite.com/painting
Instagram: @hotlines_art

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"Julie" by carrie Johns, acrylic, 12x12in, 2017

"Great Wave (Hokusai)" by Carrie Johns, Full Size Etch-a-Sketch, 2016

"Play Ball" by Carrie Johns, graphite, 16x20in, 2017, POR

"Frosty Mug" by Carrie Johns, acrylic, 5ftx3in, 2017

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

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Vignette: Julia Davis - Open Studio Weekend Artist

Never Trust A Smiling Face

"Remember Me" by Julia Davis, oil on canvas, 72x37.75in, 2017, $3000

In Julia Davis’ painting, “Remember Her,” a dead and decaying flower still stands in potted soil, but planted next to it is an artificial, linear symbol of a flower. Not the plastic artificial flowers found in municipal spaces that deceive our ideal of beauty, but a graphic element designed to represent an organic, living thing as a mockery of its spent life force. Like a garish neon sign installed as a tombstone, it cruelly echoes the memory of the thing that has passed.

The same effect is present in “She’s Been Gone Awhile Now,” only now the subject is a pair of leather boots. While not organic, the title seems to reinforce a sense of loss, the boots perhaps a favorite pair of the departed. There is a child-like perspective on loss at work here. Small children, especially, would take notice of footwear from their low vantage point, playing in the grass as the boots pass by.

So the images connect powerfully to memory, and particularly the randomness of that phenomenon. We recall such details from as long as a lifetime ago: single items, smells, the ephemeral quality of nostalgia, and a heightened sense of place.

In her statement, Davis explains: “…she is engaging the viewer and providing visual clues to decipher commonly used phrases, for example, ‘never trust a smiling face’, ‘big fish in a little pond’, ‘stop and smell the flowers’, etc. By using graphic symbols over the realistic depictions of her subject, she is providing a visual riddle for the viewer to easily decipher.”

The theme itself is not random, as these images are created through the lens of Davis’ own grief for her deceased father and the introduction to the inevitability of loss that must be faced in adulthood. Many of her paintings are executed on a large scale, “so that the viewer can relate to the same confrontation of death that was presented to her.”

"Super Fresh Banalities" by Julia Davis, oil on Canvas, 20x24in, 2017 $800

Yet Davis’ humor is also on ample display in “Alternative Facts”, in which she plays with scale and proportion in her depiction of an orange clown fish that seems to be posing, perhaps even preening, for the viewer. While even the paintings involving death and loss are never lugubrious, her fishbowl scene is the height of accessibility in contemporary art.

Davis is currently a teacher in Louisville Visual Art (LVA) Children Fine Art Classes and Community outreach programs. She won 2nd place in the 2017 Portland Art and Heritage Fair Juried Exhibition, and is included in Artists in our Midst at Kaviar Forge Gallery through December 30, 2017.

Julia Davis will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio in the Portland 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
Education: BFA, University of Louisville, 2012
Gallery Representation: PYRO Gallery (Louisville).
Website: www.JuliaDart.com
Instagram: @Julia_Davis_Art

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"Alternative Facts" by Julia Davis, oil On Canvas, 58x47in, 2017, $4000

"Nah She's Been Gone a While Now" by Julia Davis, oil on canvas, 31x24.5in, 2017, $850

"Smiling Faces Sometimes" by Julia Davis, oil on panel, 24x30in, 2016, $800

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

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Vignette: Emily Maynard - Open Studio Weekend Artist

History in What You Wear

"Not Fooled by Falsity" by Emily Maynard, faceted pyrite, antique Yoruba glass, vintage turquoise Czech glass and gilt brass buckle, 2017

There may be some who deny handmade jewelry a place at the Fine Art table, but rings are often the most cherished of objects, and the history of designing adornments for the human body goes back almost as far as visual art. Emily Maynard creates jewelry that takes full account of that rich and varied history.

Maynard quickly discovered a passion for the history of jewelry in her graduate work at The Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture in New York City. Her Masters thesis explored the relationship between Italian Renaissance and ancient Greek and Roman jewelry, which inspired a semester at the Jewelry Arts Institute in Manhattan.

She founded Elva Fields Jewelry in 2003, and the company’s aesthetic blends that historical context with a highly personal framework for her designs. There are three lines: Elva, June, and Deb—which are named for the artist’s great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother, respectively. Maynard exhaustively collects materials and repurposes them into fresh, new configurations that carry the associations of the past, the details and feelings from historical period, into their new life.

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"Everything's Changing" by Emily Maynard, antique Nigerian glass beads, vintage gold tone clasp, 2017

The fullness of what is seen here, separated from the scale of the human form, reflects a sculptural quality that connotes weight and gravitas, yet the materials, such as antique Nigerian glass beads in “Everything’s Changing”, are never repressive in their effect. Instead, there is here a spiritual quality present that echoes the culture of origin. In another example, a customer's collection of vintage charms from her grandmother's and mother's charm bracelets is incorporated into a classic arrangement of pearls that harkens back to late 19th century jewelry.

The Little Ladies series of necklaces are made by hand in Maynard’s studio using vintage trim (here a kelly green fringe) and an assortment of beads from our collection. This necklace pays it forward by supporting underprivileged youth in Louisville, with a portion of proceeds providing materials for kids to create a similar necklace in monthly classes taught by Elva Fields artisans at The Cabbage Patch in Old Louisville.

"Little Ladies Necklace", by Emily Maynard, vintage cotton trim, assorted vintage and gemstone beads, 2017

Emily Maynard will be participating in the 2017 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio 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: Danville, Kentucky
Education: BA, French and Art History, Hollins University, Roanoke, VA, 2000; M.A., Decorative Art History, The Bard Graduate Center, New York, NY 2004
Gallery Representation: PYRO Gallery (Louisville).
Website: www.elvafields.com
Instagram: elvafields

"Custom Pearl Charm" by Emily Maynard, vintage sterling silver charms, freshwater pearls, faceted Indian silver beads, sterling silver clasp, 2015, From $300

"U-turn" by Emily Maynard, hand-wrought brass beads from Mali, Art Deco enamel and brass compact pendant, gilt copper toggle clasp, 2017

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