*Photograph of artist Scott Soeder at work.*

"Art means me. It is my personal visual language for communicating my ideas and getting lost in my thoughts." — Scott Soeder

Various vehicle illustrations by Scott Soeder.

Scott Soeder is an award-winning professional illustrator and designer specializing in illustrations for children's books, magazines, apps and games. Select clients include Highlights for Children, Timehop, Lightchange Studios, Reelio Inc, 311, Lake Street Dive, Sharks 4 Kids and more. A graduate of the University of Louisville, he is based in based in Louisville, KY.

When did you first think you would be an artist?

I can’t say there was any defining moment. I have been drawing as long as I can remember, as if I’m simply naturally attracted to do so. Maybe we all are and for whatever reason some of us move away from it. I played football on a team when I was a kid, but by the time I got to high school I had very little interest in playing. Maybe art is like that for others. Also I was a scrawny kid, even in high school, and I knew I would end up a small pile of broken bones had I attempted to play. I was very fortunate to have parents who kept me stocked in art supplies and who encouraged me. I absolutely adored looking at and reading “Peanuts” in the newspaper and watching Bugs Bunny cartoons. Animation and comics were my experience with art. When I was around 7 or 8 or some age expressed in a single digit, my grandfather made me an easel. I would sit for hours drawing at that easel. I remember feeling like a real artist working at that easel. At an early age I was equipped with art supplies, had a paying customer and friends referred to me as a “good drawer” So artist was added to my list of “what I want to be when I grow up” directly under Astronaut and Spiderman.

Is all your work for clients?

Being a full-time artist means that a big chunk of what I create is for clients. However, I do spend time working on pieces for fun, to experiment, or for personal projects. I have been working on illustrating a series of vehicles from pop culture titled Pop Wheels for fun and to give my self a challenge. I have done about 16 and have a long list of others I’d like to do. Also, I work on writing and illustrating my own stories for children’s picture books.

What frightens you the most?

That’s a great question and probably depends on the moment I’m asked. An overarching, big-picture-thought that comes to mind is - being forgotten. That my little blip of time on the planet being Scott Soeder was wasted and that I didn’t use everything I’d been given to the fullest. I want to be able to leave something behind that my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren could say: “my dad did that”. Besides my children themselves of course, they are my best creations. But in terms of art, Charles Schulz lives in Charlie Brown and will continue to for generations, possibly inspiring other kids to pick up a pencil and draw. That’s an amazing accomplishment.

What is your favorite music to listen to when making art?

Something upbeat and rocking. The list of specific artists would be long! I love music and enjoy listening to it while working. I’d say most of the time it would be music from 311 or pop metal bands from the 80s.

What are you reading right now?

I’ve been reading Chuck Jones’ autobiography, “Chuck Amuck”. I love looking at his drawings in the book and it is really funny. I would have loved to meet him. I bet he was hilarious.

What advice would you give a young artist just out of college?

Learn about business and develop your business acumen. Educate yourself on all the opportunities available for artists. Put in the work.

Tell us about an important moment of transition for you as an artist?

I feel like every moment is one of transition. It is persistent evolution. Always striving to express the emotion or develop the image I see in my head. There are moments or milestone pieces if you will. The ones where something clicked or a visual problem was solved or it made someone laugh, etc. Some of my favorite moments are getting an email or message from someone who really enjoyed a piece and took the time to say so.

What does art mean to you?

Art feels like a part of me. It has been tied up in my identity for as long as I remember. Art has been the means of showing others ideas in my mind, of depicting humor and simply passing time. When I was a kid my sister had dance lessons and I would bring a sketchbook and art supplies with me to stay occupied. I don’t know what I would have done without it. A great benefit of art is that I am never bored! Art means me. It is my personal visual language for communicating my ideas and getting lost in my thoughts.

If you could have a talent that you currently don't already have what would it be and why?

I would like to be able to sing. Being able to sing like Steve Perry from Journey would be nice. I play drums and can hold my own on a few other instruments like guitar and bass, but I lack a singing voice. A rusty muffler being drug down a gravel road would sound more pleasant. I have a personal project where I am playing and recording all the instruments myself and having a decent singing voice would be advantageous.

If you could meet any celebrity who would it be and what would you ask them?

If it could be anyone even if they were deceased it would be Charles Schulz. If it were a contemporary it would be John Lasseter. I would ask Charles Schulz about his work ethic and productivity tips. He drew every single Peanuts strip himself for 50 years. He’d have to have some awesome tips! I would ask John Lasseter about storytelling and creating great characters. Pixar has had an amazing track record of doing both.

Name: Scott Soeder
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Age: 43
Education: BFA in Communication Art & Design, Magna Cum Laude, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Website: http://www.scottsoeder.com

Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more.

Please contact josh@louisvillevisualart.org for further information on advertising through Artebella. — *Please contact* *josh@louisvillevisualart.org* *for further information on advertising through Artebella.*

Photography, Digital

Vignette: Micheal Reilly

Josh Jenkins · September 23, 2016

"Succulent #4" by Micheal Reilly, 32x40in, photography/digital art print (2015), $1500 | BUY NOW — *"Succulent #4" by* *Micheal Reilly, 32x40in, photography/digital art print (2015), $1500 | BUY NOW*

Micheal Reilly received his first camera at age six and was heavily influenced by his father, who was an avid photographer. After retiring from a career as a commercial photographer, Reilly now creates vivid, hyper-saturated digital images that begin with a simple photograph, but then are heavily manipulated through digital programs. He describes his work as “Abstract Organics” and all of his images are printed on 16-gauge aluminum using a dye sublimation process that perfectly mimics his vivid colors.

*"Blossom Stems #1" by Micheal Reilly, 32x40in, photography/digital art print (2015), $1500 | BUY NOW*

“My art is the expression of my soul. It is my illustrated vision, the world I see ... or want to see. I want to stretch your imagination, and I come as the naked stranger, exposing my inner feelings and urges, my lust for color, a mild insanity, and my happiness. Joy, I hope, is a primary response – and surprise. I think what I offer is new and unique. It’s me, the real me.” –Micheal Reilly’s Artist’s Statement

Reilly studied in Commercial Art at the University of Louisville, but within a few years, at the age of 24, he had started his own commercial photography studio. The rapid growth of his business enabled Reilly to travel the world creating advertising images for an estimable roster of clients, many of whom were Fortune 100. He was one of the pioneers introducing digital imaging into the commercial photography industry, was featured several times in the industry trade magazine, Photo District News, and was a frequent featured speaker at the International Photo Symposium in New York City.

Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Age: 59
Education: Self-taught in photography and art (starting at age 6)
Website: http://www.michealreilly.com

*"Purple Berries" by Micheal Reilly, 32x40in, photography/digital art print (2014), $1500 | BUY NOW*

*"Thistle #2" by Micheal Reilly, 40x32in, photography/digital art print (2015), $1500 | BUY NOW*

Are you interested in being on Artebella? Click here to learn more.

Painting, Public Art

Feature: Murals Reflect A Spirit Of Collaboration

Josh Jenkins · September 20, 2016

Karl Otta at work on his mural at MAPPED OUT. — *Karl Otta* *at work on his mural at MAPPED OUT.*

All artists begin with a blank space - a page, a canvas, a block of stone. A wall is, in theory, no different: an open invitation to fill a space with creative design and expression. Yet perhaps it takes a little more vision to imagine filling the side of a building with something that is not a billboard. Instead of presenting the public with a commercial advertisement, why not something that captures the flavor of the neighborhood and inspires community engagement?

*Braylyn Resko Stewart puts the finishing touches on his MAPPED OUT mural.*

Murals exist around Louisville; created by individual artists and often sponsored by community organizations and neighborhood groups, but these efforts, however laudable, are, by and large, disparate projects occurring without synchronicity. They are positive in their impact and done with the best of intentions, but what if these earnest initiatives could be expanded, and given infrastructure to support the desire?

In answer to those questions, Louisville Visual Art (LVA), in partnership with the Center for Neighborhoods, has launched MAP (Mural Art Program) a long-term, sustainable public art program that engages local businesses, professional artists, Louisville Metro, and the greater Louisville community in the creation of large-scale murals to celebrate our city's unique identity and enhance civic pride.

The collaboration was functionally born out of a mural project in Hikes Point in which CFN had engaged with artist Liz Richter to plan and execute a design on a lengthy expanse of wall on the Big Lots building at 3938 Taylorsville Road. In developing her proposal, Richter reached out to LVA’s Director of Education and Outreach, Jackie Pallesen. “That was in late Fall 2015,” remembers Pallesen. “Liz knew community outreach would be important. And she knew we had a lot of experience with that.”

Liz Richter details her Hikes Point Mural and the process behind the project.

That element of Richter’s proposal resonated strongly with CFN Director Tom Stephens, and after she was selected, the communication continued with LVA after both organizations found themselves crossing paths on the hunt for funding. Although CFN had an initiative for public art, P.A.I.N.T. (Producing Art In Neighborhoods Together), it still saw the use and value of collaborating with LVA. “We could have perhaps figured out the answers to some of he questions ourselves, but why not go to the experts instead?” explains Stephens.

*Liz Richter working on the public mural at MAPPED OUT.*

Such a comment points to the shared elements of each organization’s mission, the need to empower diverse community voices while enhancing Louisville's public spaces through the visual arts, and how natural it is to pool resources to better accomplish that goal. Partnerships such as this are essential and becoming more and more common because they make sense.

The Hikes Point project came about not long after the LVA education team’s research and development for MAP, which had included visiting neighboring cities and meeting with their counterparts in other organizations such as LexArts in Lexington and ArtsWave in Cincinnati.

Synchronicity was also a factor in providing a first, official salvo in launching MAP, when Ashley Trommler of strADegy Advertising approached LVA with an original design for a mural, called “Flourish.” Trommler had been touring the city looking for just the right location for her inspirational message when she spied a large wall on LVA’s Portland location that felt perfect.

*Mural designed by Ashley Trommler and executed by Ashley Brossart & Alyx McClain. Located at Louisville Visual building in Portland (Louisville, KY).*

The newly installed "Flourish" mural was painted by Louisville artists Ashley Brossart and Alyx McClain, and unveiled on July 28. "Flourish embodies the spirit of collaboration between LVA, Center for Neighborhoods and Louisville Metro. Having this mural on our building signifies our commitment to making Portland a creative hub for our city. MAP will create opportunities for local artists and business owners to enhance community engagement and development," said LVA Executive Director Lindy Casebier.

Mo McKnight Howe, owner of Revelry Boutique Gallery and Board Member for LVA and the Fund for the Arts, worked with LVA’s education team on developing MAP, and organized a kick-off fundraiser at the Garage Bar on August 19 that featured live painting by artists, Karl Otto, Pat Stephenson, Alyx McClain, Ashley Brossart, Braylyn Resko Stewart, Vinnie Kochert, and Liz Richter, with the 8’ x 8’ panels being auctioned on-line during the event. Says How, “Art has a great affect in transitioning neighborhoods. Louisville needs more murals and MAP is the answer to this need.”

*Vinnie Kochert at work on his mural at MAPPED OUT.*

*Artists at work on the mural at MAPPED OUT.*

This Feature article was written by Keith Waits.
In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, www.Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville.