Art Gallery

Storytellers: A Celebration

Friday, August 18th from 5 pm-7 pm

Jim Gustafson / Kentucky Country Morning 

Except for three semesters of high school painting classes, I am self-taught. That high school teacher gave me valuable insights that I have always tried to use. Painting/art should evoke emotion that moves someone to thought, action or even strong feelings. The best way to do that is through the use of color. Other aspects next in line are composition, balance, contrast, focal point, perspective and scale. Along with the emotion aspect, I try to create some sort of story.

The best payment I ever had for a painting was one for which I never received any money. I gifted a painting to a pastor friend to hang in his office. As a pastor should be, he was built on telling the truth, even if it was not pleasant. He said that a woman saw this painting and she started crying. He of course asked her why. She told him the way it was painted, the colors used, and the subject matter all made her realize how selfish she was. Seeing him later she said the painting had a big part in compelling her to do more for others. Of course, there is nothing wrong with just trying to create a piece of art just to make something that looks nice. I try to make painting/art have more effect than simply looking nice.

Holly Graham / It Skipped A Generation

Holly Graham is a multidisciplinary artist whose goal is to create work that will bring joy, comfort and/or encouragement to others. Feelings of warm nostalgia, humor, and childlike wonderment are also elements that make frequent appearances. Holly is a Virginia native who earned a BFA from Longwood University. She has held professional appointments in the photographic, curatorial, and art management fields. Four books have been published featuring Holly’s illustrations and one book featuring her “New Life Doll Project” photographic series. Holly has participated in group, joint, and solo exhibitions from New York to Portland and in between. Interviews with Holly regarding her work have been featured in newspaper, radio, and podcast. She currently lives in Kentucky with her husband and two children, whom she homeschools while making art. 

Daniel Graham / You Were Within Me, But I wasn't You

Daniel comes from a family of storytellers who love investigation and creativity, introduced and encouraged into creative outlets at an early age, Daniel has never forgotten the lessons of craft from his mother who was a basket maker and a calligrapher and the lessons of engineering and risk from his father. 

Taylor Thompson / Photo Bomb

Taylor Thompson was an educator for all of his full time career, and continues to be a substitute teacher. He has dabbled in music, story writing, drawing, and photography. His photography began with a Brownie Hawkeye point-and-shoot and developed over the years into 35 mm film photography. He began to use digital cameras in 2004, and enjoys editing the photos on his computer. 

Charles Gregory / Cafe' Tabac

As a young native of Georgetown, Kentucky, Charles fished and hunted many Scott County haunts with his dad, so his love of the landscape in Scott County comes very naturally. A particular favorite of his is painting the Elkhorn Creek. When asked why he liked painting, he responded, “It allows me to express my feeling for the environment and the beauty of creation.” 

Brian Hyatt / Peace Be Still

To me, the most powerful aspect of art is its eternal presence. Long after the artist is gone, their work remains behind and continues to inspire others. Anything in life can inspire me: movies, music, a conversation with someone else. I never know when an idea will come to me, but usually instantly a mental picture will come to mind and I have to create it in visual form. Giving a particular piece the right title is very important, like it's own personal finger print. My very personal view of art is that it must be creative and unique, to me that is the very definition of art. It may not be understood and sometimes it is open to interpretation, but if it can make the viewer stop and look, or even study it, then it has served it's purpose. 

Robert Bridges / Kings Don't Cry

My work is a callback to classic children’s illustration of years gone by and is both narrative in nature and inspired by stories imagined wholly in my mind. These are fragments of tales from a place called The Thousand Weed Marsh. I create my work using gouache, (a opaque watercolor style paint that provides both bold color and a light touch). Once painted, I apply a sealant and treat the work with a series of washes that mutes the color creating an aged look. Vintage frames are sourced and repainted. Then comes the magical addition of a mini “story” that I create. I like to think of these as scenes ripped from a larger story in progress, like pictures cut from worn and dusty children’s books from years gone by. 

The work shown here is from a “To Be Released” children’s book called, “The Magical, Wonderful, Bul Bul Bird” written by New York based storyteller Jonathan Kruk. It’s a fairy tale about a melancholic king, a forest of people trees and a magic ring. I studied at Seattle’s Cornish College of The Arts where I received my B.F.A in the fine arts. I have always worked as a graphic designer but it hasn’t been until the past few years where I have illustrated full time. Originally from Los Angeles, California, I now call Georgetown, Kentucky my home where I live with my wife, kids, a dog, a cat and a few honey bees. 

Darrell Kinder / A Curious Pattern

Darrell Kincer is a native of Lexington, KY who has studied and worked in photography since the late 90′s. He began exploring the medium as a student at Asbury University, completing a BA in Art. Later he attended the Savannah College of Art and Design where he earned an MFA in photography. Present day, he is a Professor of Art at Georgetown College, teaching courses in photography and graphic design. His research centers on the intersection of digital and analog photographic methods, while his personal work tends to utilize photograms and chemical processes to create painterly interpretations of the landscape and found objects.