Arts & Culture

Artists 'Drawing On' Unknown Worlds at Tuska

of

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 8, 2010) − Using their talents to create personal and fantastical imagery set in unknown worlds, four regional artists will come together to exhibit in "Drawing On" at the University of Kentucky Tuska Center for Contemporary Art (TCCA). In this show, artists Michael Goodlett, Mark Hosford, Elissa Morley and Lawrence Tarpey explore drawing as a means of personal expression, an age-old function of art-making. However, there is little that is traditional or expected in the works of these four.

"Drawing On," running Jan. 14 to Feb. 10, will commence with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14. The opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.  

The artists of "Drawing On" all employ personal and fantastical imagery set in unknown, mystical, and sometimes grotesque, worlds. All explore what it means to draw and utilize various drawing techniques available in this contemporary world—pen and ink on paper, crafted into sculptural forms; watercolor on tracing paper; marks on scratchboard; and digitally rendered imagery. Intimate, personal narratives guide each artist, and the viewer is invited to join the adventure into the artists’ imaginations through the work on exhibit. 

According to Kate Sprengnether, director of TCCA, the exhibit is "exciting because of the connections that are made between the artists, through the use of similar media and imagery, and the connections that form between the viewer and the artist. Overall, the work has a fleeting, ephemeral quality, which, when combined with the size of the work and the nature of the imagery, serves to make the viewer feel an intimate connection with the artists."

Michael Goodlett, born and raised in Wilmore, Ky., received his bachelor's degree from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He lives and works in rural Kentucky in the house in which he grew up. Goodlett's art is widely exhibited and collected regionally. The artist’s work consists of drawings on paper and handmade paper objects, arranged inside shadow boxes, depicting personal narratives. 

Nashville artist Mark Hosford is a native of Kansas City, Mo. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a master's degree from the University of Tennessee. Hosford is currently an associate professor at Vanderbilt University. Specializing in printmaking, drawing and animation, he uses narrative imagery in his art to reveal societal wonders and blunders, as well as personal investigations. Hosford has a national, international and regional exhibition record, and is represented by Taylor Bercier Fine Art in New Orleans, as well as Cumberland Gallery in Nashville. 

Elissa Morley grew up in Cocoa Beach, Fla. She earned her bachelor's degree in art from Asbury College, and a master's degree in painting from the Slade School of Fine Art in London, England. Morley has lived in Lexington for the last three years, teaching at Georgetown College and Eastern Kentucky University. She was recently awarded an Artist Enrichment Grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. The artist is known for delicate drawings that depict a mystical world from her own imagination whose inhabitants are so vulnerable that they wear no skin. 

Lawrence Tarpey is a long-time resident of Lexington. As well as being a musician, he has been painting and drawing seriously for more than two decades. Tarpey creates drawings using a variety of media, including oil, graphite, encaustic, clayboard and gessoed wood panels. His work depicts a fantasy world. 

In addition to TCCA's regular gallery hours, "Drawing On" will also be open to viewing one weekend afternoon. TCCA invites families to the gallery for "Family Day at TCCA," an event that will include fun, kid-friendly activities, refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artists. The gallery will be open for "Family Day at TCCA" from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24. "Family Day at TCCA" is free and open to the public.

The Tuska Center for Contemporary Art is on the first floor of the UK Fine Arts Building, located on Rose Street. Gallery hours for the spring 2010 semester are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

For more information on "Drawing On" and events held in conjunction with the show, contact Kate Sprengnether, director of the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art, at (859) 257-1545 or e-mail to k.sprengnether@uky.edu. Patrons can also find more information online at the gallery's Web site at www.uky.edu/FineArts/Art/TCCA, blog at http://tuskacenterforcontemporaryart.blogspot.com, Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Lexington-KY/Tuska-Center-for-Contemporary-Art/95196942735, and Twitter account at http://twitter.com/TuskaCtrforART.