Feature: Gaela Erwin at the British National Portrait Gallery

Louisville artist Gaela Erwin was selected for the highly prestigious British National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award 2018 Exhibition. Erwin flew to London in June to attend the opening, and the exhibit is on display through September 23, 2018.

This was Erwin’s second consecutive entry into the BP NPG show. “They only accept oils and I had been working in pastel for three and a half years,” she explains. “During that time I was able to dabble in oils a bit to try to get my skills back. I typically will alternate the two mediums exclusively over long periods of times. I switched back to oils and put away my pastels in earnest to qualify for this competition.”

"Portrait of Neema Tambo" by Gaela Erwin, Oil on panel, 48x36in, 2018

The accepted painting, “Portrait of Neema Tambo”, is an image of a woman who has been featured in at least one other of Erwin’s work. “Licia and Neema” which was a part of the artist’s 2016 exhibit at The Speed Museum, Reframing The Past. In contrast to the posed, costumed figures depicted against scenic backdrops that populated that show, “Portrait of Neema Tambo” is plain and straightforward, bereft of ornamental detail, Tambo stares directly at the viewer in an almost confrontational manner that holds us firmly in its thrall.

“It is quite significant that a Louisville artist has made a successful entry into this competition,” states Curator John Begley, formerly of Louisville Visual Art and the Hite Institute of Art. “Getting into this show is no small feat; there is an extensive double jury process, including shipping the actual piece to London if you make it to the second round. Its a great expense without guarantee of final success to the artists, particularly for those outside of Great Britain.”

The BP Portrait Award is generally considered to represent the very best in contemporary portrait painting. With a first prize of £35,000 ($44,500), and a total prize fund of £74,000 ($94,000), the “Award is aimed at encouraging artists to focus upon and develop portraiture in their work. Over the years this has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries”.

The BP Portrait Award is in its thirty-ninth year at the National Portrait Gallery and twenty-ninth year of sponsorship by BP. Since its launch it has been seen for free by over 6 million people.

The exhibit is at St. Martin’s Place in London, England, before it travels to Wolverhampton Art Gallery (Oct. 13 — Dec. 2) the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (Dec. 15 — Mar. 10, 2019) in Edinburgh, and the Cartwright Hall, Bradford, England (March-June 2019).

The competition was judged from original paintings by this year’s panel:

Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery (Chair)
Dr. Caroline Bressey, Cultural and Historical Geographer, University College London
Rosie Broadley, Head of Collection Displays (Victorian to Contemporary) and Senior Curator, 20th-Century Collections, National Portrait Gallery
Glenn Brown, Artist
Rosie Millard, Journalist and Broadcaster
Des Violaris, Director, UK Arts & Culture, BP

"Licia and Neema" by Gaela Erwin, Pastel on paper, 68x48in, 2016

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved

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Vignette: Andrea Alonso

Geometry has always been important in Andrea Alonso’s painting. She uses it to construct a nearly abstract cityscape of buildings crowded in upon each other. It is the urban atmosphere of Mexico, Spain, and other Spanish language societies, but it is not unlike many American cities where low-income residences have been grouped in claustrophobic proximity.

"Night Smoker" by Andrea Alonso, Oil on canvas, 31x39in, 2018, $3000

“My main focus is the visual representation of low-income cities and towns,” explains Alonso, “since in those places urban solutions are more spontaneous and less rigid. I try to recreate the feeling a spot gave me. I use vibrant and striking colors to emphasize the emotion and the space within these geometric arrangements.”

Whereas in the past those compositions have been dense arrangements of line, shape and color, of late, Alonso has pulled back her point-of-view to view smaller communities situated away from the over-populated cities. The buildings are still close, but the shift on the emotion of the color changes our perception. The bold, saturated yellow of “Sunny Town” captures the hot climate but it also imbues the image with hope and perhaps even joy, and the relationship of the buildings suggests a different, more old-fashioned sense of community: a small town in which we imagine life unfolds at an unhurried pace that might be the envy of the city dwellers.

Yellow is also the dominant color in “Green Roofs”, an example of the tighter urban images, but this group of paintings seem to capture this shift in a particularly logical, linear progression, from the deep blues of “Nightsmoker”, repeated as the composition begins to open up in “Town at Night”, then the introduction of warmer hues in “Green Roofs”. The green of those roofs then flows into the landscape of “Village in the Fields”, the former resting above the heads of the residents while the former surrounds the community with agricultural fertility.

"Sunny Town" by Andrea Alonso, Oil on wood 12x12in, 2018, $300

It is a simple, almost naive contrast of the different environments but a vivid expression of Alonso’s stated mission of blending the sensibility of abstract expressionism with an understanding of social problems.

In December 2018, Alonso will have a show at Studio Oh in Chicago. Currently Alonso is one of the many Louisville artists featured in the Alley Gallery public art program sponsored by the Louisville Downtown Partnership.

Alonso was one of the five finalists in 2017 ArtPrize Pitch Night in Louisville, and she has paintings featured in Art Yellow Book #2, by CICA Museum, South Korea.

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Education: Architecture degree University of Monterrey, Mexico; MBA in Administration, Rioja University, Madrid, Spain.
Website: art-ark.com
Instagram: art_ark_

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"Green Roofs" by Andrea Alonso, Oil on canvas, 31x39in, 2018, $3000

"Village in Green Field" by Andrea Alonso, Oil on wood, 12x14in, 2018, $300

"Town at Night" by Andrea Alonso, Oil on wood, 12x12in, 2018, $300

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved

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Vignette: Matt Weir's Statue of Colonel William Oldham

Sculptor Matt Weir at the July 21st unveiling.

After more than three years of work, Matt Weir’s statue of Colonel William Oldham was unveiled on July 21, 2018. The 7-foot bronze and limestone statue, positioned in front of the Oldham County Courthouse, was introduced to the public as part of Oldham County Day festivities.

Weir was commissioned by Judge-Executive David Voegele to create what is, surprisingly, the first public art in the county. Oldham County was named after Colonel Oldham, who served in the Kentucky militia and was killed during the Revolutionary War

In an article about the issues surrounding public art published in Arts-Louisville.com just one year ago, Weir discussed the work, then in progress:

“There is a sense that he (Oldham) would have likely served as a public official if he had lived,” Weir says. “It’s unclear exactly how they came to name the county after him, but there is really no public sculpture in Oldham County, and Judge Voegele wanted to change that, and this seemed like a good place to start.”

Wier photographing Will Oldham at Locust Grove. Photo: Brian Bohannon.

There were no previous likeness of the Colonel for Weir to use as reference, so musician and songwriter Will Oldham, a descendant of the Colonel, was a crucial participant in the development, posing in a Revolutionary War uniform complete with saber and musket while Weir exhaustively photographed him from every conceivable angle, and allowing a wax casting of his face to be used as reference in the final rendering of the figure.

Weir in his studio with Will Oldham. Photo: Elsa Oldham.

Unlike so many historical military statues, the uniformed figure is positioned closer to the ground, an accessible monument that reflects the contemporary aesthetic of bringing history into an easier relationship with everyday life. The open right hand fairly invites visitors to grasp it.

The installation includes an historical display with details about Colonel Oldham’s life and a plaque listing donors will be mounted on an outside wall of the courthouse. The historical display will also list the names of Revolutionary War soldiers who are likely buried in Oldham County.

The statue was cast and fabricated by Falls Art Foundry in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, which was established by Weir, Tamina Karem, and Scott Boyer in early 2017.

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved. Photos courtesy Matt Weir except where noted.

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Vignette: Shayne Hull

"I see my paintings as exploring a space that encompasses both psychology and flesh." - Shayne Hull

"Anus Andronicus" by Shayne Hull, Oil on panel, 30x30in, 2018, SOLD

Since fall of 2017, Shayne Hull has been creating what he calls his "Andronicus" series, “…depicting members of the Trump world as grotesqueries (duh!), with a tenuous thematic connection to the vileness of the world of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare's infamous political tragedy.”

We saw the first of these in Hull’s last Artebella appearance several months ago, but time has not blunted the edge of his caustic satirical eye. The artist is unsparing in illustrating his contempt for the Contemporary Political Animal, depicting them, with no mercy, as something less than fully human. He is an unabashed Provocateur of the first order.

“As a painter and portraitist, I’m interested in exploring and expressing the notion of (alternate) identity through grotesquerie, physical exaggeration and distortion, and body trauma. Importantly, I want my subjects to appear equally dramatic and humorous. Drawing inspiration from the work of artists like John Currin, David Cronenberg, Robert Williams, Jenny Saville, and Lucien Freud (among others), I see my paintings as exploring a space that encompasses both psychology and flesh.”

"Bild That Wall!" by Shayne Hull, Oil on panel, 32x48in, 2018, $1800

Hull teaches at Trinity High School, and he both inspires and is inspired by the experience: “I gave my students an assignment to create a drawing of their perspective of a social issue important to them. I received one drawing that was so spectacularly bizarre that I told the student, ‘This looks like one of my pieces (which of course meant he got an A+). What if I was to paint it one day?’ He said that would be awesome. So with a few tweaks here and there, here it is! (‘Bild That Wall!’) Thank you, Deke!”

Hull is currently showing these pieces as a part of Politicians and Flesh at Swanson Contemporary through August 11, 2018.

Hull studied painting at Texas A&M and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and earned a Master in art education from the University of Louisville. The Kentucky Arts Council has honored Hull with the Kentucky Visions 2004 Purchase Award, an Individual Art Professional Development Grant, and the 1998 Al Smith Artist Fellowship. He also won the Frank F. Weisberg Excellence in Painting Award at the 2003 Water Tower Annual (Louisville, KY).

Hometown: East Moline, Illinois
Education: BFA in Painting, Texas A&M @ Corpus Christi; MFA in Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art; and MAT in Art Education, University of Louisville
Website: http://www.shaynehull.com/
Gallery Representative: Swanson Contemporary (Louisville)

 

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"Meat Andronicus" by Shayne Hull, Oil on panel, 30x30in, 2018, $1200

"Dr. Dong" by Shayne Hull, Oil on panel, 32x46in, 2018, $1800

"Hangry for Sausage" by Shayne Hull, Oil on panel, 24x48in, 2018, $1800

"Paul Bunyan" by Shayne Hull, Oil on panel, 24x30in, 2018, $1200

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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

Vignette: Judy Rosati

"Lubec Lighthouse, New Brunswick" by Judy Rosati, Hand colored silver gelatin photograph, 16x20in matted & framed, 2015, $125

Hand coloring photographs is a vintage technique; originally used before color negatives became commonplace, it is often associated with picture postcards – “Greetings from…” emblazoned across the image to identify that the sender was actually present at the locale. Think of them as the progenitor of today’s cell phone “selfie” minus the self-absorption.

Judy Rosati plays on that sense of nostalgia in using the technique. Her subjects include landscapes, water scenes, landmarks, city scenes, etc. In this recent series, she traveled the upper northeast coast of the United States photographing lighthouses.

"Bodie Lighthouse, NC" by Judy Rosati, Hand colored silver gelatin photograph, 16x20in matted & framed, 2017, $125

Rosati is usually very traditional in her application, so that there is little to no evidence of marks made. Yet on occasion she pushes a painterly touch. In her image of the “Lubec Lighthouse” the sky is rendered as it might be by a water colorist, the artist’s hand treading into impressionism.

“The photo paper that I use for the darkroom prints, is Ilford RC portfolio Multigrade pearl. I use Marshall photo oils and pencils to color the photos by hand. I experiment with coloring techniques and often leave black, white and gray areas to show the original photographic areas of the print.”

Rosati worked as a Jefferson County Public School art/photography teacher for 30 years, and also taught Digital Photography for 13 years in Bellarmine University’s Continuing Education program.

Rosati has been featured in many juried exhibits, many private collections, and by several professional artist organizations. She has been published in national art magazine as an award winner in the category of art photography. Locally, she participated in the 2017 and 2018 Photo Biennials.

She just completed a six-week solo exhibit of hand colored silver gelatin photographs at the Roberta Marx Gallery in Louisville, and Rosati will have a booth in the 2018 LAG Holiday Showcase.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BA in Arts education, Western KY University, MAEd Arts education, Eastern KY University, Rank I in Arts education, University of Louisville
Website: judyrosatiphotography.com
Gallery Representation: Edenside Gallery (Louisville)

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"Roanoke island Lighthouse, NC" by Judy Rosati, Hand colored silver gelatin photograph, 16x20in matted & framed, 2017, $125

"Chatham Lighthouse--Cape Cod" by Judy Rosati, Hand colored silver gelatin photograph, 16x20in matted & framed, 2016, $125

"Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, NC" by Judy Rosati, Hand colored silver gelatin photograph, 16x20in matted & framed, 2017, $125

"Currituck Lighthouse, Corolla, NC" by Judy Rosati, Hand colored silver gelatin photograph, 16x20in matted & framed, 2016, $125

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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