|
Shelbyville
art exhibit features
five artists from five counties
Beatty
is one of five local artists
in Shelbyville art show
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (May 2008) – Five
artists from the local area have been chosen to participate
in an art exhibition put together by Shelby County artist
John Clayton. He has chosen what he considers to be “the
best painters from the region” to display and sell their
work for an evening of fine art.
 |
|
Photo
provided
This
oil painting by
Malissa Beatty depicts Kentuckian Bill Monroe,
“The Father of Bluegrass.”
|
Malissa Beatty, a resident of Henry County for
the past 34 years, will have up to 12 paintings on display.
Beatty is currently president of the Henry County Arts and
Craft Guild.
“My area of art is painting living creatures, mostly
portraits of people and animals because I love how you can
see their soul through their eyes,” said Beatty of her
work. She is primarily a portrait painter, but since this
type of painting is hard to sell at art shows, Beatty said
she will have a variety of her animal paintings for sale.
“Kindred Spirits of Kentucky” will be on display
from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 23-24 at the Shelby County Community
Theatre, 801 W. Main St., in Shelbyville. Local musicians
will provide a piano backdrop and wine and cheese will be
served, said Clayton.
In her role as a portrait painter, Beatty has painted many
prominent individuals, including Bill Monroe, better known
as “The Father of Bluegrass.” The portrait hangs
over the mantle in his Homestead Museum in Western Kentucky
near Rosine, where he was from.
Another portrait by Beatty of a famous Kentuckian was of Ralph
Cotton, a best-selling Western writer. “Cotton liked
his portrait so well he used it in the back of his next 10
books,” said Beatty.
As a result of this experience, Beatty was contacted by publisher
Jim Baen of Baen Books to paint science fiction writer David
Weber. Baen intended to use the portrait as a publicity shot
for Weber, then he gave the original painting to Weber as
a Christmas gift.
Beatty is also a mural artist, having painted two large murals
11x20 feet long that hang in the La Grange Presbyterian Church.
A 4x6 foot painting of the Henry County Court House hangs
in the lobby of the court house in New Castle.
Oldham County artist Daniel De Young is a representational
landscape painter. Preferring to work en plein air, his subjects
often consist of locals near his home, the American West and
the Canadian maritime.
The vivid colors of his work reflect the pure joy and renaissance
that he experiences when alone in the wild. De Young travels
extensively, remaining on location several days at a time
to finish his creations.
De Young began painting full time in 2005. He won First Place
in the Kentucky State Fair for Representational Painting and
Third Place for Miniature Painting. In addition to providing
private painting instruction, he is an art instructor with
“Young Rembrandts,” teaching elementary drawing
programs in Louisville and Oldham County.
Sallie Clay Lanham is an accomplished painter and teacher
representing Franklin County, Ky. Lanham’s work has been
exhibited in many juried shows, such as the Kentucky Watercolor
Society’s “Totally Transparent” and the Kentucky
Arts Council’s “Kentucky Visions.”
Lanham is the recipient of a fellowship to the Virginia Center
for the Creative Arts, sponsored by the Kentucky Foundation
for Women. She was selected as a Kentucky Arts Council Roster
Artist and Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce Artist of the
Year 2008.
Jefferson County, Ky., artist Lou Ann Iler has taught painting
in the Louisville area since 1983. Iler has taught for the
Louisville Visual Arts Association, Preston Art Center and
her home studio in Clifton.
A proficient painter, Iler’s works are on display at
Alston and Bird, Bank One, Baptist Hospital, Farmington, Frazier
Rehab Center, Humana Inc., Louisville Free Public Library,
Phillip Morris, Stephens College and the Home of the Innocents.
Shelby County artist and exhibition organizer John Clayton
is a former high school teacher who has taught art classes
for adults and children. Clayton belongs to several art organizations,
including the Shelby Artists on Main. He is a former president
of the Kentucky-Indiana Pastel Society.
Originally from Princeton, Ky., Clayton studied art at the
University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University and the
Chicago Art Institute. His many awards include 2008 Best of
Show at the Woman’s Club of Louisville, First Place Award
in the 2004 Kentucky-Indiana Pastel Society Show, and First
Place Purchase Award in the 2003 Mammoth Cave National Park
Regional contest.
• For more information about the
exhibition, contact John Clayton at (502) 241-7474.
|
