“Loving Louisville” by Teresa McCarthy, Acrylic, 24x30in, 2018, $600

Teresa McCarthy won the 2017-2018 Louisville Bar Association Pictorial Roster cover with a painting representative of the Louisville Area. In striking contrast to McCarthy’s usual work, she has created montage of various iconic elements, some that have represented the city for generations (Churchill Downs) and some that have cropped up just in the last few years (the U of L Cardinal and UK Wildcat appear to be having a beer with Louisville City Football Club). The dense composition abandons any semblance of real space to achieve a blend of surrealist and non-objective sensibility.

In September, McCarthy participated in the LVA Paint-Out at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens ReGeneration Fair, where she painted “Stop and Pick the Roses” at a location near the Ohio River.

“I enjoy networking with Network of Entrepreneurial Women “NEW”. I also enjoy painting with a local group of very talented portrait painters, playing volleyball and most of all spending time with husband Keith and my 5 Grandchildren - we were just blessed with twins.“

“Stop and Pick the Flowers” by Teresa McCarthy, Acrylic, 12x13in, 2018, SOLD

McCarthy is a Member of the Kentucky Artist Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, Louisville Artisans Guild and the Louisville Visual Arts. Participating often in the arts Louisville has to offer as a featured artist on Artebella and participating in the Junior League Tulips for Juleps, Highview Arts and Craft Fair, Regeneration Fair Plein Air Paint Out, Art [Squared], and Open Studio Weekends.

Her professional life has been in office management and real estate (she works as the Office Manager at Seiller Waterman, LLC.), but even with dual careers, McCarthy has always felt driven to make art and one of the ways she is able to share her passion is being the fine art instructor at Michael’s. She currently has an exhibit at the Artist Barrel in Bardstown

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: Attended St. Agnes and Durrett High School; obtained Broker’s License in 1986
Gallery Representation: Kore Gallery (Louisville)

“Reflections” by Teresa McCarthy, Acrylic, 20x30in, 2018, POR

“Our Journey” by Teresa McCarthy, Acrylic, 24x30in, 2018, Private collection.

“Waiting for Breeders” by Teresa McCarthy, Acrylic, 14x19in, 2018, $500

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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Ceramics

Open Studio Weekend Spotlight: Lisa Kurtz

Guest User · October 9, 2018

“I fell in love with the fluid and impressionable characteristics of this wonderful medium…” - Lisa Kurtz

“Sushi Serving Tray with Condiment Bowl and Spoon” by Lisa Kurtz, Stoneware, slab and pinched, 4.5x18x8in, 2017, SOLD

Clay is the most malleable medium; you can stretch it, bend it, shape it, impose innumerable textures upon its surface so that it might look like anything else, yet it is also sturdy and durable. A teapot might last several lifetimes.

Lisa Kurtz’ “Sushi Serving Tray with Condiment Bowl and Spoon” has that strength and resiliency but bends with such fluidity that it might be mistaken for fabric. Kurtz explains how that commutation reaches back in her family history:

“Flower Basket” by Lisa Kurtz, Stoneware, thrown and coil, 8.5x5.5x4.75in, 2017, SOLD

“My grandfather, Nick Guarneschelli, came over to the states to be an artist. He painted and did sculpture, eventually teaching at the Louisville School of Art. To support his growing family in Kentucky, he also worked as a tailor, as his family back home had been in the business for years. I have always loved the textures in fibers and material and I believe that stems from my Italian roots. I often use scraps of old fabric salvaged from my mother and grandmother’s houses to impress textures into the clay. When I do this I feel connected to generations of my family that came before me. My aunt is a prolific painter and I have many cousins that are also artists in different mediums. It seems artists breed artists. All three of my grown children are now working or studying in arts related fields.”

“As an artist and a maker of handmade objects, I always strive for the human connection between my work and the user of my pottery. The fact that people can use and enjoy my work in their everyday lives has been especially important to me as a potter. My work has evolved slowly over many years and I still enjoy fine-tuning those little details in my work that make it user friendly. I am most pleased if I make a handle on one of my pieces that beckons you to pick it up and then fits so comfortably in your hands that you want to use it every morning or at family meals or celebrations.”

Rocks and water have always inspired me. I am fascinated by the effect of water on the earth and the calming effect it has upon me. The textures and colors in water, sand, sea birds, shells, rocks, and marine creatures inform my work and my glazes. My goal is to infuse my work with the peaceful feelings that water worn rocks, landscape and waves give to me.

“Seaside Urn” by Lisa Kurtz, Stoneware, coil and slab, 7x8.5x8.5in, 2017, SOLD

Kurtz has led a rich life as a professional artist making functional clay pieces, and she has taught at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since she moved back to Louisville, she has been teaching Art History online for Pellissippi. “I also give clay workshops and teach wheel throwing classes to students at all different levels. Most recently (Spring and Summer of 2018) I taught wheel throwing and making reed handles for pottery workshops at the Appalachian Arts Craft Center in Norris, Tennessee.”

“I have been lucky to learn from great teachers. I feel it’s really important to carry on the clay traditions and that’s one reason I like to teach. It has been a big part of my life for the past several years. If I can impart just a little bit of the joy I get from clay to my students, it is all worth it!”

I have always encouraged and welcomed the happy accidents that take place in the firing process. This is leading me to explore various methods of firing, including soda firing. I came to Louisville this summer to help build a new soda kiln at U of L. I am taking a post baccalaurette class there with Todd Burns to further my exploration of new work and soda firing. Emphasizing areas of shadow, shiny and matte surfaces is my goal. If I can accentuate textural qualities by the play of fire and vapor from the firing process, the work becomes more interesting to me visually and viscerally.

Kurtz has been an active member of several professional juried guilds, artist associations and boards, including the Kentucky Crafts Guild, the Foothills Craft Guild, The Kentucky Department of the Arts Marketing Program, The Knoxville Art Alliance, The New Prospect Craft Center, Tennessee Craft, The Knoxville Museum of Art and Terra Madre: Women in Clay. Her clay work has been exhibited and sold in galleries and shops across the U.S. and in national and regional juried fine art shows and craft fairs.

Lisa Kurtz will be participating in the 2018 Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by Louisville Visual Art and University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. Her studio, located in the Highlands neighborhood, will be open the weekend of November 3 and 4. Tickets for Open Studio Weekend will go on sale October 16. Click here for more information.

Website: LisaKurtzHighlandPottery.weebly.com
LInkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisakurtzhighlandpottery
Instagram: @lisakurtzhighlandpottery

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"Mountain Tea Set", by Lisa Kurtz, Stoneware, thrown and altered, Teapot: 7x9.5x5.5in, Teabowl: 2.75x4x4in, SOLD

"Jewelry Jars and Ring Holder", by LIsa Kurtz, Stoneware, thrown and pinched, Jars: 3.75x4x3.5in, SOLD, Ring Holder: 3.75x5.4in, SOLD

"Moonstone Vase", by Lisa Kurtz, Stoneware, thrown and slab, 10x6.5x5.5in, 2017, $280

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Painting

Feature: Victor L. Troutman (1944-2017)

Guest User · October 4, 2018

Let Art Be Art

PILGRIM OF TIME: the passion and paintings of Victor Troutman

The retrospective exhibit will run October 13 through November 10 with an Opening Reception on Saturday, October 13, from 6-8 p.m., and a Closing Reception on Saturday, November 10, from 2-4 p.m. The exhibit will consist of 50 works loaned to the Jeffersonville Township Public Library by the estate of the internationally acclaimed painter, who passed away in 2017.

Victor Troutman lived in both Kentucky and Indiana, and spent his final years in Jeffersonville. A completely self-taught artist, his award-winning work was exhibited during his lifetime in the Speed Art Museum, the University of Louisville, the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, and many galleries, including the Swanson Cralle Gallery, Optimystics Gallery, Lionheart Gallery, and Gallery JanJobe.

A practicing artist since the 1960s, he stopped painting for twenty years due to debilitating depression. His healing path led him to art therapy, where he confronted the conflicts and challenges that were his perceived obstacles to happiness. When Troutman began to paint again, he unleashed emotion and imagination as his brush told his story. Victor’s paintings became deeper, richer, and many-layered – a virtual fountain of color, symbols, line, and forms.

Victor’s son Michael V. Troutman, who is also a visual artist, recalls: “My father’s art came from suffering and solitude. He lived a hard life of multiple near-death experiences and lost many things and people that he loved; so in isolation, he limited his involvement with the outside world to preserve the memory of moments he found most precious, not necessarily documenting their details but capturing their sentiment. He was a very emotional man who felt deeply.”

“Boy With Fish” by Victor Troutman, Acrylic on canvas, 28x32in, 2002, Private Collection

“My father, never wrote an artist statement for his exhibits. He was a visual artist, not a verbal artist. He arranged compositions and colors, not words and their sounds. He did not believe in limiting perspectives and interpretations. His own interpretation of his art was only his personally and just because he saw it a certain way didn't mean his perception was the only one or the best. Viewers sometimes inform him of what they saw in his works. They made a personal connection, an individual narrative that no one else could ever tell them they did not see. There is a saying that ‘to translate is to deceive’ and my father knew this well. Having often discussed art with my dad, I know the statement he was making by not creating an artist statement.”

“But if, by chance, my father wrote an artist statement, I imagine this is what he would say:

“Untitled” by Victor Troutman, Acrylic on panel, 14x24in, 1997, $200

"The power of suggestion is such that if I were to tell you what I think I'm doing or what you should think about what I'm doing then what is really here may never be seen. I may make multiple statements and each one may change your perception. Make and share your own perceptions. Some may be the same and others may be unique. No matter how you try to justify or condemn what you see, all explanations and accusations will fall short of being the truth. The truth is a state of simultaneous realities we are sharing. An illusion we constantly construct and destruct. Contradictions are the only permanent structures. Art has multiple definitions, none of-which invalidate each other.

Let art be art. Do not drag it into a world of arbitrary justifications. Validity is void in the world of arts. An artist is an artist and if they want to make a statement with their art then they will do through their art, not their words. As no one instructs me of what to paint, I do not dictate to you what you should see. I paint what I feel. I cannot tell you that you should feel the same. Doing so would only perpetuate stale, trite thoughts and imitation, and false interpretations. I may present myself a certain way but that does not mean that I will be perceived in that same manner. We are all individuals with our own personal experiences. Those experiences create personal filters that cause us to associate certain sentiments with certain terms and images. Take responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings for what you think, feel and experience."

Troutman experimented with many styles, from abstract to impressionist to surrealist to representational. His artwork is a reflection of life, ranging from the hardships and struggles of the everyday to the highest aspirations of love and the sublime. Each work tells its own unique story, and Troutman always invited the viewer to find his/her own meaning.

“Untitled” by Victor Troutman, 28x32in, c.2000, Private Collection

Schedule of Events:

Opening Reception – which will include refreshments, a remembrance of Victor Troutman, and live music and poetry performance by Ron Whitehead and The Storm Generation Band featuring Sarah Breit – will be held at the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, Main Library at 211 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47131-1548 | P (812) 285-5630, on Saturday, October 13 from 6-8 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Art Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.

Closing Reception will be held at the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, main library, on Saturday, November 10 from 2-4 p.m. in the North Program Room and 2nd Floor Art Gallery. At 2:00 p.m., at the Main Library at 211 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47131-1548 | P (812) 285-5630 | www.jefflibrary.org

“Naked Women & Naughty Words: Censorship & Self-Censorship in Public Art” Clarksville Branch | 1312 Eastern Boulevard, Clarksville, IN 47129 | P (812) 285-5640

A distinguished panel of guest speakers will lead a special discussion and additional paintings by Victor will be shown at that time. From 3-4 p.m., refreshments will be served and guests may visit Victor Troutman’s work throughout the library. This event is free and open to the public. Troutman’s paintings will be available in the second-floor gallery of the main library building as well as the North & South display cases during normal hours of operation.

Victor Troutman (1944-2017)

Website: www.VictorTroutman.com.
Instagram: @victorltroutman

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“Christmas Day in the Womb” by Victor Troutman, Acrylic on panel, 24x30in, 1997, Private Collection

“Love Potion” by Victor Troutman, Acrylic on canvas, 1995, Private Collection

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Fiber

Vignette: Jesi Evans Murphy

Guest User · October 2, 2018

“Honeycomb Bee” by Jesi Evans, Mixed media embroidery, 8x8in, 2018, $500

Jesi Evans Murphy is a fiber artist who uses, “… what is traditionally viewed as craft media to create conceptual fine art.” Her work is a compelling match up of contemporary artistic sensibility with craft tradition.

“A very important part of my process is hand making each piece. I come from a background where I often participated in craft projects with my mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Creating art within the medium of craft allows me to fulfill my desire for creative expression while also bringing up my most cherished childhood memories. My art is an extension of my personal experience as well as concepts and opinions about the world outside my immediate scope. My fear, anxiety, joy, and hope are channeled into each piece.”

“Green Bee Revisited” by Jesi Evans, Mixed media embroidery, 8x8in, 2018, $500

“My conceptual work draws heavily from issues I find relevant to my life as well as the emotions I experience while dealing with those issues. Current projects include a body of work based on environmental concerns and a body of work based on chronic illness. Both bodies of work call forth my anxiety as well as my hope. The craft medium is warm, inviting, and accessible to the viewer. This accessibility draws the viewer in and invites them to experience the emotions the conceptual work brings forth.”

When Murphy speaks of working on creative projects with previous generations of women in her family, she touches upon the fact that American textile art has lived mostly as a matriarchal, generational, connection surreptitiously building a feminist thread into the culture.

Murphy will be showing her body of work APIS this December at Delinquent Gallery in Bloomington, Indiana.

Recent exhibits:

2018

Be Kind, Rewind a Cult Film Group Show, Delinquent Gallery, Bloomington, IN
1-Up: Extra Life a Video Game Group Show, Delinquent Gallery, Bloomington, IN
KaiJuly a Kaiju/Giant Monster Group Show, Delinquent Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2015

Open Studio Weekend – Hot Garbage Collective, LVA Building, Louisville, KY
Open Studio Weekend Exhibition, Cressman Center, Louisville, KY
Fantastic Fibers 2015, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY
Art[Squared], PUBLIC, Louisville, KY

Hometown: Bardstown, Kentucky
Education: Certificate, Front End Web Design, CodeLouisville, Louisville, KY, 2015;
BA, Studio Art (Fiber Emphasis), Berea College, Berea, KY, 2007
Website: https://cargocollective.com/jesievansart
Instagram: @jesievans
Tumbler: jesievans

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“Heart with Three Bees” by Jesi Evans, Mixed media embroidery, 8x8in, 2016, $500

“Missing Bee” by Jesi Evans, Mixed media embroidery, 8x8in, 2018, $1000

“Skull with Nine Bees” by Jesi Evans, Mixed media embroidery, 8x8in, 2015, $500

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Mixed Media

Vignette: Sid Webb

Guest User · September 28, 2018

“Ohio River” by Sid Webb, Print, mixed media, 12x18in, 2018, $125

Sid Webb is an artist who moves in many directions. He pioneered the use of digital design and graphics with Kentucky Educational Television, is an accomplished photographer, and knows his way around a paintbrush.

Much of his photography is fairly straightforward and observational, but this image of Porta, Portugal bridges the mediums with the precision of a photograph joined with the color and surface textures of a painting.

“Easy Chairs” by Sid Webb, Print, mixed media, 12x18in, 2018, $125

In the two oil paintings shown, Webb injects fresh perspective into commonplace settings along the Ohio River by emphasizing their intimacy. Instead of a grand view of the landscape, the point-of-view is from the ground, and there is a distinct sense of people in residence along the river – those two Adirondack chairs indicate privileged moments shared over a lifetime. It feels like a community separate from the defining civic boundaries of city and county. The geography, the elements, and the flow of the water shape life here.

Webb’s mark making is disciplined yet spontaneous. The brushwork communicates the action of painting: the loose yet intentional movement of the brush and the connection between what the eye observes and what the hand will render. The light is subdued, diffuse, an overcast day in the dog days of summer before the leaves begin to turn.

On September 29, Webb will be part of the Louisville Visual Art’s Juried Exhibit in the 2018 Portland Art & Heritage Fair. The exhibit will be available for viewing at the Marine Hospital from 11am-5pm. Jury prizes will be awarded at 2:00pm.

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

“Porta, Portugal” by Sid Webb, Photograph, 12x18in, 2018, $125

“Bridges” by Sid Webb, Photograph, 12x18in, 2018, $125