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MAEC
MAEC

MAEC

Mellwood Art and Entertainment Center

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    • Picasso Room (E1)
    • Monet Room (E2)
    • Van Gogh Room (E3)
    • Da Vinci Room (E4)
    • Pigment Gallery (E5)
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MELLWOOD ART AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

502.895.3650
1860 Mellwood Ave
Louisville, KY 40206

Hours of Operation

Monday — Friday: 9:00 AM — 6:00 PM

Saturday: 10:00 AM — 4:00 PM

Sunday: CLOSED

Copyright © Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center
All rights reserved

mellwoodartcenter

Home to a large community of artists and business owners. Studio spaces and private event rooms available for rent.

Mellwood Art Center
If you follow @louisvillevisualart, you may have s If you follow @louisvillevisualart, you may have seen Shawn Wade’s takeover of LVA’s social media for their #TakeoverTuesday last week. But did you know Shawn’s also a recent addition to the Mellwood artist community? Growing up, Shawn was surrounded by artists, with several women in their family actively engaged in making art; it was only natural they would be artistically inclined as well. At a young age, drawing and sketching were among their favorite activities. As they got older, Shawn sketched and painted portraits, often of celebrities. As a kid, Shawn didn’t have access to traditional art supplies and would work with whatever they could get ahold of, including some unconventional media like dirt, gravel, charcoal briquettes, and makeup and beauty supplies. Once they were old enough to start working, Shawn was able to buy their own supplies. Shawn usually uses acrylics and paints on any surface they can. Paper, walls, and thrift store clothing are but a few of the canvases for their creations. In 2015, Shawn’s father passed away following health complications. This loss highlighted how unexpected and brief life can be, further cementing the importance of leading a fulfilling life. For Shawn, that meant making art and helping others. Starting out, Shawn used art to help people cope with loss; they painted portraits of people who passed away to give to surviving family members. As they grew in their art, Shawn got involved with @ideasxlab, having worked with the Our Emotional Wellbeing program and contributed to the “Belonging Through Creative Arts” activity book. For Shawn, art is storytelling. Often, Shawn starts with a sketch to get the details of the story down before painting anything. Shawn takes what they see online, in the media, and in life and incorporates it into their art. Shawn regularly tries to highlight the light in the darkness and bring hope and inspiration to those in need of it. To see more of Shawn's work, be sure to check out their Facebook page at @artistry_of_a_dreamer. #mellwoodartcenter #artistspotlight #visualart #painting
Perhaps you’ve stopped by our gallery recently o Perhaps you’ve stopped by our gallery recently or saw us promoting the current show, “Nature vs Man Made,” which features work by a father and son pair of photographers, Anil and Aravind Vinayakan. While Anil’s a healthcare professional by trade, he’s a lifelong artist at heart; not only as a photographer, but as a painter with a studio here at Mellwood too. Growing up, Anil loved drawing. He also had a desire to do photography, but unfortunately couldn’t convince his parents to get him a camera. It wasn’t until he got older that Anil started painting. Heading into med school, however, his life got busier and he largely put his art on hold; only producing medical illustrations. A year after performing plastic surgery in India, Anil finally persuaded his parents to get him a camera; he needed it to document his work. And while he did use the camera for that purpose, he also took photos of landscapes when he didn’t have time to paint. It wasn’t until he left India and started teaching at UofL that Anil reconnected with painting. He took advantage of his proximity to the Speed Art Museum to view the art on display there. He reviewed art books from UofL’s library and even took some classes through their Lifelong Learning program. He moved into a studio here at Mellwood in 2008 to better focus on his painting. With encouragement from friends and colleagues, Anil started showing and selling his photographs and paintings. Whether it’s painting or photography, nature, to varying degrees, is a constant subject and source of inspiration. With regards to his paintings, Anil started with oils and acrylics. His greatest inspiration was John Singer Sargent. During the spring of 2020, the pandemic gave Anil the opportunity to study watercolor painting. He admires the watercolor paintings of Joseph Zbukvic, Andy Evansen, Thomas Schaller, Keiko Tanabe, Jerry Smith, among others. In viewing his paintings, one views serene landscapes through the hazy lens of memory or a dream. Cont. below… #mellwoodartcenter #artistspotlight #painting #watercolor #oilpainting #photography #landscapes
What a beautiful wedding! And these gorgeous shots What a beautiful wedding! And these gorgeous shots! Their reception was held in our Da Vinci Room. 📸 by @anna.j.ray #wedding #weddinginspiration #mellwoodartcenter
Gone, but not forgotten; we remember those fallen Gone, but not forgotten; we remember those fallen in the line of duty.
It could be argued that the key to success is adap It could be argued that the key to success is adaptability. Sometimes we set out to do something and see it’s not a good fit. Other times we’re forced to change plans by external forces. And occasionally circumstances changes such that something we had initially given up on can now be pursued. For Nathan from @fusionphotographyky , this has been his journey as a photographer. Nathan was always more artsy. Growing up, he excelled more in art classes. His father was an amateur photographer and his sister, nine years his senior, was a world-traveling photojournalist. With their influence and his inclination towards the creative, Nathan opted to explore his sister’s footsteps. Nathan enrolled at WKU, majoring in photojournalism and minoring in graphic design. During his studies, Nathan realized photojournalism in the newspaper realm wasn’t a perfect fit for him. “I didn’t like sticking my lens in a space where somebody was having one of the worst moments in life.” However, he stuck with the program, as the skills he gained there transferrable to other kinds of photography. With degree in hand, Nathan attempted to break into commercial art photography. Unfortunately, it’s a niche line of work with few openings. Ultimately, Nathan went into studio portraiture. He worked for various studios, doing some wedding photography on the side, until 2008. The owner of the last studio he worked at issued an ultimatum: stop doing side work or leave. With some financial help from his then father-in-law, Nathan left to start Fusion Photography and has operated a full-service studio ever since. CONTINUED BELOW… #mellwoodartcenter #businessspotlight #photography #photographer
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