Category: Spotlight

While many may view the worlds of math and art as entire disparate, Elmer Lucille Allen sees them as fundamental building blocks, working together in perfect harmony. “The whole world is based on art and math, if you sit down and think about it.” For one of our longest residing artists, however, art wasn’t initially among her greatest passions, that would be science.

From an early age, Elmer Lucille Allen was hooked on the subject. She would play “rock school” and study rocks with her friends on her grandmother’s porch. She would follow her love of science into college, earning degrees in chemistry and math. In 1966, she became the first African American chemist at Brown-Forman. Eventually, she developed arthritis in her hands. Being the perpetual student she is, Elmer Lucille Allen tackled the problem through evening ceramics classes at Seneca High School. While she started taking the classes as a means to ease arthritic pain, she continued pursuing ceramics out of a desire to create. In 2000, she enrolled at UofL and began working on a master’s degree in art. There, she had two focuses: ceramics and fiber art.

During her time at UofL, Elmer Lucille Allen was introduced to the textile art of shibori by another student. Similar to tie-dyeing, this centuries-old Japanese art requires careful planning and patience; it possesses an almost meditative quality she appreciates. Much of her current fabric artwork is shibori-style pieces, all of which begin with creating patterns on graph paper before translating it to kona cotton or silk noil. The design is then stitched into the fabric, dyed, and the stitches carefully removed to reveal geometric patterns, occasionally forming human or animal figures.

Today, Elmer Lucille Allen continues to create shibori pieces here at her studio in Mellwood and ceramic pieces at UofL. Tomorrow, you can catch some of her work on display as part of Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts’ 40th anniversary exhibition. As an ardent supporter of lifelong learning, not only does she continue to take art classes, she also does presentations on the subject and will be doing one for the Anchorage Women’s Art League in May.

During her time at UofL, Elmer Lucille Allen was introduced to the textile art of shibori by another student. Similar to tie-dyeing, this centuries-old Japanese art requires careful planning and patience; it possesses an almost meditative quality she appreciates. Much of her current fabric artwork is shibori-style pieces, all of which begin with creating patterns on graph paper before translating it to kona cotton or silk noil. The design is then stitched into the fabric, dyed, and the stitches carefully removed to reveal geometric patterns, occasionally forming human or animal figures.

Today, Elmer Lucille Allen continues to create shibori pieces here at her studio in Mellwood and ceramic pieces at UofL. Tomorrow, you can catch some of her work on display as part of Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts’ 40th anniversary exhibition. As an ardent supporter of lifelong learning, not only does she continue to take art classes, she also does presentations on the subject and will be doing one for the Anchorage Women’s Art League in May.

As adults, we can sometimes let things we enjoy slip away from us. The demands of work and family life can leave us with little time left for anything else. This was the situation George Winston found himself in. However, once his kids had grown up and he finally reached retirement, George was able to reconnect with his art.

While George always had an appreciation for art, he wasn’t much of an artist himself growing up. It wasn’t until he attended college at IUS that he starting creating his own art. In an attempt to spend more time with his college girlfriend, who was an art major, George took courses in art theory and art history. Eventually, George and his girlfriend married and George went on to work in factories and in construction.

One of his jobs was at a veneer company. While there, in his off-time, he would exercise his creativity and see what he could make with scraps lying around. When his boss saw this, he encouraged George to take all the scraps he wanted. This was the beginning of another of George’s creative pursuits: woodworking.

After retiring in 2010, George wanted to pursue art further and enrolled at the Kentucky College of Art and Design. In his studies here and at IUS all those years ago, George found a fondness for impressionist painters, particularly Monet and Cézanne, an influence clearly present in his landscapes. Another factor governing his artistic aesthetic is George’s process: he paints from a combination of memory and imagination. George mentally records landscapes he sees in real life and attempts to recreate them. Although, George is quick to note, “Doesn’t always work that way. Turns out to be what it wants to be a lot of times.” As such, details in the landscapes often change as creative forces take control. The result are beautiful fictional landscapes portrayed through the softening haze of an impressionist lens.

If you would like to see more of his work, you can check out his site at gwthecrossman.com.

If you would like to see more of his work, you can check out his site at gwthecrossman.com.

Storytelling is quintessential to the human experience; if not humanity’s cornerstone, it’s at least a foundational element. It predates written language. We learn to tell stories before we learn to read or write. We engage with and in storytelling every day. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, many businesses and non-profits overlook their story when hiring photographers. For Coral from Willow Tree Imaging, the story is always at the forefront.

For as long as she can remember, Coral has been a storyteller. This naturally, if unintentionally, carried over into her photography when she got her first camera in high school. After college, Coral worked as a photographer, primarily doing portraits. In order to capture her clients’ essence on film, to tell the story of who they are, she engages with them and gets them comfortable in front of the camera. In doing so, the client’s natural expressions, postures, and body language are brought out.

Over time, she transitioned into corporate photography, capturing images for companies and non-profits for their websites, social media, and printed materials. Ever focused on the story, she will ask these clients about who they are, what sets them apart, and who their audience is. Too often, corporate clients lacked a vision or cohesive brand for her to build a story around. With these clients, she would refer them to others to develop their branding before tackling the photography. Unfortunately, these clients would no longer have the funds for photography and Coral would never hear back from them.

In order to retain clients, Coral decided to offer branding services herself. Instead of referring people out, she would serve as a project manager and bring in various professionals from her network of contacts on an as needed basis. She builds teams based on each client’s needs, whether it’s audience research, graphic design, web development, or social media coaching. This process helps establish all the necessary components to build a client’s identity, which Coral uses to help tell their story when capturing images.

If you’re interested in learning more about Willow Tree Imaging or want help telling your story, check out willowtreeimaging.com. You can also find Willow Tree Imaging on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

In order to retain clients, Coral decided to offer branding services herself. Instead of referring people out, she would serve as a project manager and bring in various professionals from her network of contacts on an as needed basis. She builds teams based on each client’s needs, whether it’s audience research, graphic design, web development, or social media coaching. This process helps establish all the necessary components to build a client’s identity, which Coral uses to help tell their story when capturing images.

If you’re interested in learning more about Willow Tree Imaging or want help telling your story, check out willowtreeimaging.com. You can also find Willow Tree Imaging on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

For those with the drive to create, it’s part of their very essence. Such is the case for Damien Vines. “It’s part of the soul, I guess. Ever since I was three, it was something I’ve always done.”

Damien, who’s studying as a tattoo apprentice and has a BFA from Spalding University, finds it impossible to separate his daily life from his creative life. He’s always thinking about the choices he could make in his various artistic endeavors, whether it’s tattoo designs, ink and watercolors, or woodburning. When speaking with him, Damien also noted the interconnected nature of his creative outlets: the similarities between the processes for woodburning and tattooing, as well as the parallels in his ink and watercolor art with his neo-traditional tattoo work.

In viewing his work, the bold lines and vibrant colors of Damien’s neo-traditional style are at the forefront. Subsequent viewings, however, reveal other influences. Growing up as an avid comic reader, many of Damien’s pieces oscillate between tattoo design and comic panel. His preference for thick outlines and bright colors drawing as much from the neo-traditional tattoo style as they do from comic book art. Damien’s attention to lighting, angle, and composition reflect the influence cinematography has played, with Stanely Kubrick and David Lynch being integral in shaping his aesthetic.

Perhaps the most inescapable influence on his work is that of horror. Not only in some of his subjects, but also in his approach when depicting some non-horror subjects. This is best highlighted in works featuring mouths, which combine the horror aesthetic with gross-out humor from the 90’s as a means to process recurrent nightmares about teeth falling out.

If you would like to see more of Damien’s work, you can find him on Instagram at @damienvines.

In viewing his work, the bold lines and vibrant colors of Damien’s neo-traditional style are at the forefront. Subsequent viewings, however, reveal other influences. Growing up as an avid comic reader, many of Damien’s pieces oscillate between tattoo design and comic panel. His preference for thick outlines and bright colors drawing as much from the neo-traditional tattoo style as they do from comic book art. Damien’s attention to lighting, angle, and composition reflect the influence cinematography has played, with Stanely Kubrick and David Lynch being integral in shaping his aesthetic.

Perhaps the most inescapable influence on his work is that of horror. Not only in some of his subjects, but also in his approach when depicting some non-horror subjects. This is best highlighted in works featuring mouths, which combine the horror aesthetic with gross-out humor from the 90’s as a means to process recurrent nightmares about teeth falling out.

If you would like to see more of Damien’s work, you can find him on Instagram at @damienvines.

“Art helps me fill out who I am.”

A statement perhaps many artists, especially those who haven’t pursued it as a career, can identify with. Nancy Ann Sturdevant has always fostered a passion for art, with keen interests in color, light, form, shape, and texture. However, in her professional life, Nancy was a teacher. She had graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in education, though she took many elective art courses while there. As a teacher, she found herself working with students of all ages, from kindergarteners up to high school seniors. She taught in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio before moving to Louisville. At various points in her teaching career, Nancy found herself teaching art, either as part of a general curriculum, as a full-time art teacher, or through art programs run by Indiana libraries or Louisville Visual Arts. In between work and family life, Nancy found time to work on her art, predominantly collages. She found these helped keep her artist self fed.

After retiring from teaching in 2014, Nancy had more time to focus on her art. She has had several small local exhibitions and plans to build up her portfolio. As a mixed media artist, she tends to work with clay, paint, and various found materials, including reclaimed wood. Regardless of the media, her love of color and texture shines through each piece. The observant will notice nature, particularly birds and plants, are recurrent figures in her work. When working with clay, faces tend to emerge from the mound Nancy starts with, many of which with bird-like characteristics. If you would like to see more of her work, please check out her website at annsturdevant.com/.

After retiring from teaching in 2014, Nancy had more time to focus on her art. She has had several small local exhibitions and plans to build up her portfolio. As a mixed media artist, she tends to work with clay, paint, and various found materials, including reclaimed wood. Regardless of the media, her love of color and texture shines through each piece. The observant will notice nature, particularly birds and plants, are recurrent figures in her work. When working with clay, faces tend to emerge from the mound Nancy starts with, many of which with bird-like characteristics. If you would like to see more of her work, please check out her website at annsturdevant.com/.