Art Stories
Tales of inspiration and creativity, behind-the-scenes glimpses at art-making, in-depth arts features, and narrative portraits of LAL artists.
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If you want to escape to a world full of fantastic landscapes and vibrant colors, look no further than J. Daniel Adkins’ paintings in Series of Expression. This exhibition showcases Adkins’ paintings and how they can transport the viewer to a new world, something many of us desire in this current moment. Many of the pieces in this show are also grouped into sets. For Adkins, this allows him to explore an idea in depth through multiple viewpoints and then display them all together.  This “new world” that we become transported to, however, is actually just enhanced visualizations of our own commonwealth. Adkins’ vibrant portrayal of the Kentucky landscape represents the love and admiration that he has for the place that he has grown up and lived in for most of his life. Living in a city like Lexington, it can be easy to forget about the absolutely beautiful scenery around us. These paintings serve as a reminder of the widespread beauty encompassing our state. Located in the Sulier Gallery at The Loudon House, J. Daniel Adkins’ Series of Expression will be on display until March 12. Adkins’ work is a treat to see in person, and we invite you to come and check it out! If you’re unable to make it, our exhibitions are also available to view online at www.lexingtonartleague.org.  Stream Crossing, 2020 Acrylic on canvas 30" x 40"Author: Josh Porter; curatorial intern for the Lexington Art League
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Barbara Steinrock’s incredible sculptural talent is on full display in her exhibition Double Take. From the morbid to the sometimes comical, this exhibition showcases a wide range of Steinrock’s works that all have unique characteristics, but are united through her use of clay as a tool to explore complex issues, both social and personal.  Steinrock utilizes color as a way to set the mood for the viewer. Many of her muted pieces, such as her Loss of Habitat (2013-16) series, embrace the natural beauty of the clay to emphasize the natural beauty that is suffering due to ever increasing destruction of natural habitat. As you move on through the gallery space, Steinrock’s work begins to shift through the dichotomy of her work towards a more humorous, and colorful visual language. Her pieces like Carnivore & Veggivore (2018) and Main Course (2019) use bright colors and seemingly ridiculous imagery as a way to embrace humor to explore lighter, less dire social issues.
Looking at this show as a whole, it is clear how powerful ceramic sculpture can be as a medium. The pieces in this show are a testament to the wide range of skill that Steinrock possesses. This exhibition will be up until March 12 in the Boyer Gallery here at The Loudon House, and you don’t want to miss it! If you’re unable to make it, the exhibition is also on display online at www.lexingtonartleague.org. Author: Josh Porter; curatorial intern for the Lexington Art League
When she submitted the proposal for this exhibition in January of 2019, Marta Dorton had no idea how important the theme of human connection would be today. In her exhibition Overlay/Connection, Dorton focuses on connection as an exchange or intake of energy. To her, human connection is about the energy of the relationship that remains even if we do not see the connection, are not looking or unable to notice it. Simply put, the nature of life is connection.
Dorton’s colorful, textured mix media pieces and acrylic paintings are on full display in this exhibition. All of the walls contain framed assemblages of mixed media. Each one of these pieces is paired in the wall text with a quote from different notable people around the topic of connection. The wall text for her piece You and Me and the Sea (2018) shares the quote from Shannon L. Alder, "Soul connections are not often found and are worth every bit of fight left in you to keep." In addition to her framed mixed media pieces, Dorton also creates Books of Knowledge that are mixed media sculptures that display the quotes on the pieces themselves. Marcus Aurelius’ quote in Book of Knowledge II (2020) gives the viewer advice to “frequently consider the connection of all things in the universe.” Dorton’s exhibition provides an intimate look into the ways in which human connections are made and the energy those connections contain. This exhibition will be up until March 12 in the Zygmunt Gallery here at The Loudon House! If you’re unable to make it, the exhibition is also available online at www.lexingtonartleague.org Author: Josh Porter; curatorial intern for the Lexington Art League
The Quintessent Decade is Nesseth’s first solo exhibition in painting. For the past decade Lynn Nesseth has been working with oil pastels on plywood boards. These paintings embody the changes Nesseth went through personally, and in their art making. As Nesseth explains, they are time capsules that contain one quarter of their life. Inspired by their ongoing obsession with cut glass prisms, Nesseth’s paintings contrast the softness of the pastels and wood grain with the harshness of geometric shapes and the plywood edge.
Nesseth’s decade-long journey through painting created a strong connection between their current work and decisions they made in marks, gestures, colors years before. As you walk through the gallery space, you can see some paintings with glitter, some with no glitter, some darker paintings, somebrighter paintings, some with less geometric shapes, some with more geometric shapes, and the list goes on. It is clear looking at this exhibition that these paintings are the results of years and years of experimentation from Nesseth. We, as viewers, are able to get a glimpse of Nesseth’s quintessent decade. These paintings are a beautiful addition to the Main Hallway Gallery at The Loudon House. Nesseth’s exhibition, The Quintessent Decade, will be up until March 12 and is one that you definitely don’t want to miss. And don’t forget that the exhibition is also available for viewing online at www.lexingtonartleague.org! Author: Josh Porter, curatorial intern for the Lexington Art League
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All Lexington Art League programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts. LexArts allocation of $50,000 represents the largest single donation to the operations of the Lexington Art League.
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The Kentucky Arts Council, a state arts agency, provides operating support to the Lexington Art League with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Lexington Parks & Recreation.
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