Team Kentucky Digital Art Gallery

I was born and have lived in Southern Kentucky my whole life and, although I have traveled to a few places, I would never consider leaving this beautiful area. I am self-taught and have enjoyed creating things in various media since I was a kid, but only in the last four years have I had time to find and pursue something that I could actually spend some time on. I found that with pastels, and I have been enjoying the ride ever since!

I believe that living in Kentucky helped inspire my love of horses and the fact that my whole family had one type of horse or another. I remember riding back from the farm on the back of a Percheron and holding on to the hames after they had been working most of the day. I also believe that every true horse lover fears for the plight of the wild horse, and that is why this horse drew me to him. He is a wild stallion of the Salt River in Arizona, and I hope you enjoy him as much as I did.

Debra Booker is a Lexington, Kentucky, artist who has been showing her work since 1986. Originally from New York, she grew up loving antiques, flea markets and auctions, and loves collecting and scavenging for discarded treasures. In her 15 years in Boulder, Colorado, she was a professional faux finish painter, doing residential and commercial work that was featured in regional and national magazines. She also created and sold vintage painted furniture and mosaics.

Throughout her life, she has concentrated on photography, mixed media/paintings, and collage. Making art has been an integral part of her self expression and an ongoing and evolving process of discovery. She has always been drawn to and inspired by vintage items, found paper, and objects that have a history and that invoke a deeper soul connection. Color, texture, and pattern work together to conjure memories of what was or what might be.

Life is an Adventure. Indeed, it is! So many memories, so many experiences, so many possibilities!

I am fascinated with all of nature, but especially the human countenance. I have lived in Africa, Europe, and the United States, and I love painting the beauty and dignity of various cultures. For me, working with oil pastels is the best of both worlds, combining painterly textures and colors with the expressive mark-making found in drawings.

Get Him a Parachute is inspired by a photo of a child playing on a parachute. For me, a parachute symbolizes rescue and making for a soft landing. Too many children are in need of a metaphorical parachute to help them survive the challenges of their lives. It’s our responsibility to provide the help they need to have a safe landing into a healthy adulthood.

(This piece is from the archives of Kentucky Refugee Ministries; Used with permission for the “Art Makes Home” Exhibitions)

Art has made a lasting impact in my life for as long as I can remember. It started with my interest in drawing at a very young age. That eventually led me to oil painting, where all my work gets inspired by nature, especially flowers. Most of my references for my paintings come from hikes I’ve gone on around Kentucky.

Viola Magnifiscent 2022, frame by Drew Culver.

This is our Chocolate Lab, Banjo. A vivid memory we have of him is when we would come home, and we would hear him jump off the couch and greet us with a guilty face as he knew the couch was a No-no.

I remember how deep he would sleep on that couch. You could see that he was so relaxed and happy as his nose would move like he was sniffing, his legs and feet twitched like he was running, and his tail would thump the couch as if he were smiling.

I would often wonder where his dreams were taking him. It must have been a happy place and I loved watching him. When his hearing had gone bad, I was able to sneak up and take a picture.

Banjo became a real old boy, and I knew we wouldn’t have him much longer. I wanted to make sure that we would always remember him just as he was and that’s when I decided to paint that old photo.

Now, when I look at this painting, it brings him back. I can see him just as he was, our sweet and loving old Banjo Bear.

Lydia Clay is a longtime resident of Kentucky. She attended Morehead State University where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Upon returning to her hometown of Taylorsville, she moved to her family’s farm. The farm is home to many animals that inspire her artworks.

This graphite pencil drawing depicts one of the beloved creatures that resides there. Big John, after whom the piece is named, was a large standardbred horse that the family held dear. Sadly, Big John passed away very suddenly. This piece of artwork serves as a way to preserve and cherish the kind-hearted spirit of this beautiful Kentucky horse.

Lydia is an art teacher at a middle school in Kentucky. She also is a published author who writes and illustrates her own children’s books. You can contact her or see some of her other artwork on her Instagram at clays._.creations.

First of all, I would like to thank my aunt and uncle for allowing me to use this piece for this exhibit, as it was a gift to them last Christmas. Reason being, this is their son – my cousin – who lost his life in the line of duty on June 23, 2015. He was a Kentucky State Police trooper and a man of God. He was an inspiration to everyone you came into contact with, and I will always cherish the time we had together. This was my way of honoring him!

Let this also be the first step into a career as a full-time artist. It is my dream to provide high-quality art to those who appreciate it. I am always open to take on work. Much love!!

The Ohio River is my neighbor. I paint the moods and colors of the river.

This painting was inspired by the dusk ...when the moon and stars sparkle in the midnight blue of the approaching night and the light blue river glows with the last embers of the days’ sun.

This is part of a series of paintings that represent the past, present and future of Kentucky.

My husband and children are Native American – Cree Nation.

We encourage our state representatives to value, honor, and teach the true history of the land called Kentucky.

This is the river of indigenous peoples, of the history of the reclamation, of slavery, and the fight for freedom.

Jennifer Wehling Deiter is a Kentucky artist. She lives on the banks of the Ohio River in Augusta, Kentucky.

Mrs. Deiter graduated from Western Kentucky University. She also has a double degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is married to the indigenous Cree artist, Anthony Deiter. She lobbies the Kentucky government on behalf of Indigenous Kentucky. She is the mother of 3 children.

In 2004 when we opened the DeSpain Studio and Gallery on Broadway in downtown Frankfort, a gentleman came by one day and said that he was “Benny’s brother” and that he would wash our windows. And he did. He regularly washed our windows until he lost his eyesight and had to stop. Shortly thereafter, Benny himself appeared to take care of our windows.

Benny has a big personality. He always brings a jolly laugh, a story or two, a twinkle in his eyes and sometimes a cupcake or candy. For some time, I have wanted to capture his expression when he talks about his faith and that twinkle in his eyes in a painting.

Benny has lots of friends in Frankfort and surrounding counties. Many folks have stopped by to ask if that is Benny in the painting and it always makes them smile when I tell them it is. I stopped painting portraits for a while, but this painting has brought back the joy I share with folks when they recognize or connect with someone I have painted. I am very lucky to have Benny as my friend.

The DeSpain Studio and Gallery, at 329 West Broadway in downtown Frankfort KY, is open by appointment – (502) 352-2717.

I have enjoyed drawing from a very young age, but only recently took up acrylic painting, about 3 years ago. I struggled giving up the control of a pencil, but learned to loosen up with help of my instructor, Tommy Fletcher. This painting is titled Kentucky Apple Polishers and reminds me of picking and eating apples straight from the tree when I was little. I painted it from a photograph in 2019. I’m very honored to have my painting hanging in the Capitol.

Cool Breeze Running features two Thoroughbred mares and their foals at Windmill Farm in Woodford County, Kentucky, galloping over a hill toward me. The scene and the action were so impressive, I just had to render it as a painting, adding stormy skies to highlight the action.

I’m an artist specializing in paintings and drawings of animals and nature, including horses, dogs, wildlife, and landscapes. I’m fascinated by living things and the natural world. In addition to domestic animals such as dogs, cats, and horses, I love to paint birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and wild mammals of all kinds.

I’m a Signature Member of both the Society of Animal Artists and Artists for Conservation. Recent exhibitions include “Art that Matters to the Planet” at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York; the Artists for Conservation Annual Juried Exhibit (virtual exhibit and inclusion in the companion book); and “Winged Things,” a virtual exhibition sponsored by the Society of Animal Artists in coordination with the Art Renewal Center.

My art has been included in several books, including The Natural History of the Dinosaur, Discovering Drawing, Artists for Conservation Companion Books (2000 & 2001) and The Best of Wildlife Art. In addition, I have authored and illustrated books on drawing and painting animals, including Draw and Paint Realistic Horses, Painting Animal Friends, Painting More Animal Friends, Wildlife Painting Basics: Small Animals, and Draw and Paint 50 Animals.

I find the natural areas of Kentucky to be wonderlands of primeval beauty, and so worth preserving. One of my favorite places in all of Kentucky is Eagle Falls; a stunningly beautiful waterfall located near Cumberland Falls, Kentucky. When Native Americans lived here, they considered this waterfall to be sacred. You might get the same feeling should you take the time to sit quietly in its presence.

billfletcherstudio@gmail.com
billfletcherstudio.com

I am an artist and backpacker who explores the world on foot and records my memories in 100% wool feltings. In more than 7,500 miles of backcountry adventures, I’ve collected countless photographs, sketches, and stories that inform and inspire my art practice. Through fiber art, I recreate, reimagine, and celebrate my experiences so that I may share with others the wild places I love.

By “painting” with wool – a tactile, natural material – I endeavor to make remembered landscapes tangible in the truest sense of the word. My focus is on large-scale feltings that evoke the grandeur of expansive natural landscapes and allow viewers to imagine themselves in the backcountry. It is my aspiration that my feltings of mountains and trees from the backcountry will encourage in others a connection to the natural world by offering them a glimpse of what it feels like to be in those wild lands, to be merely human in a world that is both ancient and ever- changing.

Gatliff Bridge, a feat of human engineering, stands apart in my works, as it highlights not a natural landscape but the interactions of humans with the rest of the natural world. When the pandemic necessitated that I stay closer to home, I looked with renewed appreciation at the landscapes of Kentucky. Quiet and reflective, Gatliff Bridge is based on a pair of photographs from a family camping trip to Cumberland Falls.

My painting, Heart and Soul, is the epitome of a strong independent woman. A traveling nursing assistant who works long hours providing excellent care to her patients. Originally from Jamaica, residing in the United States for over 30 years, raising two children.

I asked her if she liked the picture I took of her for the painting. Her response was, “I like all my pictures; if I don't who will?” I thought, “Great answer!”

Thank you for the opportunity to display my painting.

I’ve never really considered myself an “artist.” Art, for me, has always been a conscious decision. It is, however, the way I feel most comfortable expressing myself and my ideas. I find inspiration in nature, particularly in the undulations of water, texture of clouds, and flowers and birds of all varieties. I am specifically interested in creating seemingly literal work that reveals its meaning and sparks internal reflection only upon a second, closer look, as well as the implications of such work. I like exploring personal and interpersonal relationships and how we are influenced by our surroundings, both in a broader, catastrophic sense and a more subtle, directly relatable one. My overall body of work is dominated by portraiture and still lives, mainly done in charcoal on large pieces of drawing paper. Use of line and gesture to improve on, rather than merely copy, reality has been a major focus of my recent work. Over the years, I have been influenced by numerous artists, though perhaps not in any obvious stylistic manner. Despite primarily being a two-dimensional artist, the works of three-dimensional artists like sculptor Auguste Rodin and glass artist Deborah Moore, whose work I first experienced at the Corning Museum of Glass while learning the craft myself, have proven to fascinate me most profoundly.

About Opposite and the Same –
Using wood and finishing nails, a canvas was assembled. Once completed, the surface was gessoed. Once dried, a sketch was made from a composite of various reference images. Using burnt sienna oil paint and varying quantities of linseed oil on a flat brush, an underpainting was made. The local color was applied on top using various sizes of flat and round brushes, beginning with the background and moving forward in the piece. It is a rumination on remembrance and preservation, forgetting and finitude, life and death, cultural symbology, and outlook towards the future.

As a retired registered nurse, I paint for fun and relaxation. Going into my studio and putting on my uniform, now a painter's smock, I smile as I look at the blank piece of board from my local hardware store. I visualize what the finished product will look like after being massaged with brushes and oils. After 38 years of nursing people back to health, I now apply that care and tender touch to my paintings. Each painting is special, just like my patients were, with its own special needs. I have to step back to study and diagnose what would bring more beauty to the piece – a little stroke of color here or a bold push of texture there. And when it's finally “well,” I take joy in sending it out into the world.

Yolanda Kennison is a central Kentucky artist whose paintings are inspired by nature, music and her imagination. Yolanda’s art story dares the viewer to think differently for a moment, embrace the imperfect and be surprised for a journey that takes an intimate look at our colorful surroundings. Using oil or acrylic paint, the surface receives texture, dimension and color in multiple layers. A combination of brushes, palette knifes and mark-making tools are used to blend colors or create an energetic moment on the canvas. Color in her paintings adds the sparkle, the fragrance, the tranquility, the mystery, and the memories to bond our minds with our emotions. www.yolandakennison.com

This is Jack Brammer, a news reporter who has covered Kentucky state government for more than 40 years. Jack’s a genial sort. Most photos of him feature a big smile.

This is different – a portrait based on a candid photo I snapped of Jack in 2019. He’s at his familiar post – the Lexington Herald-Leader’s desk on the floor of the Kentucky Senate. He’s covering a special session on Kentucky’s pension crisis.

I tried to capture a bit of the pressure a serious reporter feels in the constant struggle to fairly report on hugely complicated issues amid a storm of political spin. It’s a care-worn face, each line and crease fairly earned. But the eyes are wide open.

Tom Loftus retired at the end of 2019 after working as a Kentucky newspaper reporter for 43 years – the last 32 of those as State Capital Bureau Chief for The Courier-Journal. (Full disclosure: Because of Jack Brammer refusing to leave, Tom never got to be dean of the Capital press corps.) Upon retiring as a wordsmith, Tom plunged into his longtime avocation of drawing, with an emphasis on portraits.

You can reach him by email at tomandkayloftus@outlook.com.

I was born in Spain. Self-taught, I started painting as a hobby when I was in elementary school. Now I paint for fun and relaxation. I have tried different techniques, including pastels, watercolors, oils, pen and ink, and acrylics.

The Art of Dancing is in an acrylic paint. Dance movements bring colors to life. Spain is known, amongst other things, for Flamenco dancing, which is an art that represents many feelings, including love, passion, sadness, despair, and joy. I painted this piece to show how simple movements can show emotions and how emotions are tied to art. Art is an expression of emotions, just like dancing."

As an artist who is deeply connected to nature and all of its inhabitants, I am often inspired by a particular animal. I saw Queen Buttercup’s image on a friend’s Facebook post and was struck by her look of dignified contentment. I knew instantly that I wanted to paint her. Curious about Queen Buttercup’s story, I reached out to my friend who owned her and learned that she was a rescue cow with a tragic back story. Needless to say, the love and care given to her by my friend had allowed her a chance at a happy life. I chose Cathedral Bell flowers to include in the painting because they are regal and magnificent, befitting her name. The full story of Queen Buttercup is a blog post entitled “For the Animal Shall Not be Measured By Man” 12/06/2021 on my website pammcdanielineart.com.

I believe we all have a deep spiritual connection to nature. The rich, magical environments, animals and figures I depict in my paintings come from my need to honor and understand that connection. An intimate relationship with the environment is built into our psyche and it is my hope that my paintings will help stir a response to be heard. I hope that through my art, I may in some small way help nurture a consciousness of care, connection, and commitment to nature and our environment.

@my_artful_life; pamelamcdanielfineart.com

I was born and raised in western Kentucky and now live in Lexington. While art has been a part of my life since I was very young, I had to put it on the back burner while working, raising a family, and going to school. Twenty-two years ago I started painting again, studying with several artists in the Lexington area, as well as nationally known artists. While my roots are in Realism, I became a lover of Impressionism while visiting art museums in the United States and Europe. I retired at the height of the pandemic and am currently an associate member of Artists’ Attic, an art collective in downtown Lexington.

Most of my art reflects my love of the beauty of nature, particularly in central Kentucky. Shaker Welcome is the product of a landscape workshop at Shaker Village. This historic community is at its most beautiful in Autumn and has inspired many local artists. I tried to capture the rich hues and light that are so brilliant in the Fall.

Every season in Kentucky is breathtaking; however, Kentucky’s Spring is by far my favorite. Bright colors invade winter’s dull landscape, and the air is reborn with fresh scents of nature. It’s a time of renewed energy as we shed away layers of hibernation. Kentucky Spring – my favorite time of year.

The arts have always been a large part of my life. From being a classically trained pianist to theater, photography and painting, they have allowed me to have an escape outlet from the hustle of everyday life. Art, and specifically painting, was put on hold for many years as I established a media career and started a family. The 2020 pandemic led to a re-discovery of passions that were once placed by the wayside – passions that once brought significant joy and peace to my life. Thank you for allowing me to share my love with you.

www.SusanMillsArtStudio.com

In 2020, art became my medicine.

As the director of a vaccine research center in Bardstown, Kentucky, the pandemic took my world by storm.

When my team was selected as a trial site for one of the first COVID-19 vaccines, I embarked on the most important and challenging work of my life.

Through it all, painting provided the balance to help me meet that challenge. What started years ago as a passion became so much more – a way to navigate the stressful workdays. An escape to restore and refocus my mind.

My painting When the World Needed You Most, You Said Yes represents a time in world history when a small-town clinical research site in rural Kentucky helped change the course of the pandemic. It depicts hope amidst the fear.

The inspiration for the painting is from a reference photo I took in our office on July 31, 2020. She didn’t know if she was receiving the vaccine or placebo, and it didn’t matter. She was making a difference.

This painting includes artifacts from the trial: vaccine vial caps, words from a letter received from Pfizer the day EUA was granted, a blinding label used to mask the syringe contents, pieces of a “Thank You” card given to our patients.

This piece is dedicated to my research team and our patients who stepped up when the world needed them most.

To see more of my work, visit my website at www.MartiMar.Art.

I am a self-taught artist, born and raised in Bangladesh. I moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1995, where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Kentucky State University and worked as a programmer analyst. However, any form of art has always been my first love.

In 2016, I quit my job and went to India to study music at Visva-Bharati University – an iconic arts institution founded by one of my main inspirations, Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

I was still at Visva-Bharati during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as my classes transitioned online, I started to pick up drawing and painting more. In my scrapbook, I created a series of these colorful abstract portraits of women with nose rings, bindia, jumka, and necklaces; after returning to the US in 2021, I have started painting these women on canvas. This lady with a nose ring is one of them.

When I was a kid, my mother used to take me to different art competitions, and I had won several prizes as a kid. I always wanted to learn painting but that’s never happened, but I never quit, I keep painting for my own pleasure. Therefore I am honored and happy to be selected in the Team Kentucky Gallery.

I love playing with colors. In this selected painting I was trying to experiment with primary colors within a simple, abstract form. The fact that one and the same color can perform many different roles fascinates me. That’s what I intended to catch in this painting: different roles of color.

If you are interested in checking my paintings, please check my Instagram account, rachana_lovesart.

This watercolor piece is based on the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” written by Walt Whitman. The poem itself is a metaphor representing the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln after the American Civil War. The ship represents America, and the “fearful trip” mentioned in the poem represents the war itself. The captain is Lincoln.

Artist Madison Rush is a 12-year-old who painted this piece in April 2022 during her sixth-grade year at Highlands Latin School in Middletown, Kentucky.

Art has been in my life from a very young age. From watching my Grandmother Mary draw when I was a tiny kid to being proposed to at an art gallery. Art has been a constant. Life often pulled me in other directions with working and having children, and I did not have time to devote to art. Until COVID hit. Being at home gave me the chance to pick up my drawing pencils and sketch book and rediscover this activity that had brought me so much joy in the past. Over the next couple of years, I began to focus more time and energy to art and soon realized that this is something that I want to do fulltime. After much thought and planning I took the plunge to chase my dream and I have loved every minute of it.

Teal Garden is one of many florals I've painted over the years. This particular one is in a more impressionistic style rather than realistic. Each of my paintings is a way to share a part of my life and story with others. Flowers always bring joy to me, and I'm honored to be able to share this piece with you.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a love for art. I was born in Florida and moved to Texas at a young age. I earned a B.A. degree in Art at Dallas Baptist College in 1983. My family and I moved to Mayfield, Kentucky, in 1994.

The transparent nature of watercolor always fascinates me. God’s beautiful handiwork in nature and life is very inspirational. My personal style continues to evolve as I try different approaches to watercolor. I often use calligraphy and combine scripture verses within my paintings. Michelangelo once said, “Only God creates. The rest of us just copy.” My aim and hope is for my art to bring encouragement and joy to others and to give praise to God, the Master Artist.

The art I make reflects my view of the world as I encounter it, filtered through my internal vision. This painting is quite literally a personal view: the trees outside my window bathed in soft morning light.

This piece is a painting of the Sweeden, Kentucky, community in Edmonson County. The cabin in the painting was the home of the Erlandson family, who settled Sweeden when they came here from their home country of Sweden. This family started the Sweeden Sunday School in the old schoolhouse until the church in the painting was built. The man, woman, and children in the painting are the artist’s family, whose ancestors were charter members of the church when it was organized in 1897. Today a church that was built in 1972 has replaced the old one, and the Erandson cabin is gone. but the community is still home to around 250 people.

(The Rescued Dog)

For this portrait, I used charcoal and pencil instead of my usual watercolor medium. I wanted to show the hair texture and shaded features that I knew charcoal would give. I always feel a connection when painting portraits especially with ASTA. I felt comfort knowing I captured this rescued dog on paper to be forever remembered and never forgotten again.