Meet the 2024 "Bourbon, Ballet & Benz" Artists
Payton Thomas
Kaitlin Hennessy
Payton Thomas
Originally from Louisville, Payton started seriously painting in 2018. His work is influenced and inspired by the traditions of Kentucky, bourbon, and horses.
Sheila Fox
Kaitlin Hennessy
Payton Thomas
Sheila Fox, also known as Godiva Goddess Art, is a Louisville, KY-based mixed media artist originally from Chicago, IL. Motivated by her identity as a Black Woman, Sheila has been drawing for over 20 years and painting for 6. Her unique art makes bold statements, specializing in mixed media and capturing the timeless essence of black women. Despite lacking the opportunity to attend art school, Sheila's passion and self-teaching skills have enabled her to bring her artistic expression to life.
Kaitlin Hennessy
Kaitlin Hennessy
Kaitlin Hennessy
Kaitlin grew up in Lancaster, Ohio, and since she's enjoyed the opportunities to relocate to new cities. Art has always came naturally as a way of expressing herself. It wasn’t until grad school that her creative hobby began to transition to a more professional role. Today she spilts her time between original paintings created in the studio, and painting at live events. She enjoys using her creative voice to express emotion and connect with her subjects. Most days you can find her with the helpful golden paws of her four legged assistant, Tito, in the studio creating.
Jon Cecil
Jacqueline Bryan
Kaitlin Hennessy
A Louisville-born bourbon lover, Jon danced jazz, tap, and ballet competitively for 10 years growing up, eventually becoming the Cardinal Bird Mascot at UofL. His passion for bourbon started during college and for art much earlier. Jon enjoys the opportunity to share all that he has, including his talents, bourbon, and knowledge. Cheers!
SPONSORED BY:
BARDSTOWN BOURBON CO.
Kellene Turner
Jacqueline Bryan
Jacqueline Bryan
"Nostalgia, expression, culture, and imagination. Artistry for everyday and extraordinary circumstances, ultimately becoming an integral part of our existence. " - Kellene Turner
SPONSORED BY:
FREEDOM TACTICAL
Jacqueline Bryan
Jacqueline Bryan
Jacqueline Bryan
Kentucky native, Jacqueline Bryan, a ceramic artist who creates beautiful and colorful clay works often adorned with pearl and gold lusters. Her figures are intended to allow the viewer to imagine themselves as the main character and place themselves within the work and the story.
SPONSORED BY:
TREYTON OAK TOWERS
Melissa Mann Bean
Melissa Mann Bean
Melissa Mann Bean
Melissa has been in the creative field for over 25 years as an art director, photographer, and mixed-media artist. She incorporates old books into her work. She is a wife and a mom to two kids, a Dalmatian, and chickens in Schnitzelburg, and she loves the history of this community.
Sandra Smith
Melissa Mann Bean
Melissa Mann Bean
Sandy Smith is currently based in Louisville, Kentucky, and has recently re-booted her love of Art. She has over 6 months experience with various media and many friends and family have offered praise for her debut works including comments such as, “WOW!”, “I love this!”, and “Masterpiece!”
SPONSORED BY:
FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES
Susanna Bard
Melissa Mann Bean
Kandace Potter
Susanna Bard, painter, textile artist, knitter, cook, as long as she’s creating, she’s a happy girl. Small towns and farm life in southern Indiana provided the backdrop for Susanna’s love of flowers which fill much of her work. Up cycling, vintage quilts, color, and texture also inspire Susanna’s work.
Kandace Potter
Dean Southworth
Kandace Potter
Kandace Tatum Potter is a practicing artist and secondary visual art teacher from Lebanon, KY. She creates vibrant acrylic and oil pieces focusing on the color play within a broad range of subject matter from landscapes to abstract creations. Find more of her work at www.kangoods.com.
SPONSORED BY:
Julie & Michael Hines
Cheryle Walton
Dean Southworth
Dean Southworth
Cheryle Walton is an artist from Lexington, Kentucky. She picked up art as a child from her mother, an artist. Her style involves taking an acrylic color image base and covering it with black watercolor. It's then removed to create the texture you see.
SPONSORED BY:
State of Bourbon
Dean Southworth
Dean Southworth
Dean Southworth
Dean has been painting, drawing, and creating art for over 50 years. He enjoys the process as much as the final piece.
SPONSORED BY:
FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL of METRO LOUISVILLE
Jennifer Vaughn
Jennifer Vaughn
Jennifer Vaughn
As a Kentucky transplant, Jennifer continues to be impressed by both the horse racing and bourbon culture—such a rich history, creativity & tenacity! As an artist, she enjoys incorporating these themes into my work.
Wendy Foley
Jennifer Vaughn
Jennifer Vaughn
Wendy is an Operating Room Nurse at the University of Kentucky who finds recreation and therapy in creating art. She also embraces the outdoors, enjoying activities like hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Wendy finds joy in connecting with others through her creations.
Sponsored by:
Mercedes-Benz of Louisville
Kayla Morgan
Jennifer Vaughn
Madeline Flynn
SPONSORED BY:
Lou Rae Riverside Gallery & Events
Madeline Flynn
Madeline Flynn
Madeline Flynn
Madeline Flynn is from Lexington, KY, and loves to make things pretty. She primarily creates hand-drawn wedding and party invitations (Mad Made) but also enjoys painting bottles and mixed media pieces. She works full-time in communications and spends her spare time outside, with her dog, or on her side business.
SPONSORED BY:
FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES
Ashya Watkins
Madeline Flynn
Ashya Watkins
Ashya is a local artist. Her brand is ADW, the initials of her name; she believes in the power of her talent and expresses her voice through acrylic strokes on canvas. Ashya is passionate about her art journey and only hopes it inspires others.
SPONSORED BY:
Lou Rae Riverside Gallery & Events
Jason Lois
Madeline Flynn
Ashya Watkins
SPONSORED BY:
Lou Rae Riverside Gallery & Events
Morgan Ruth
Tiffany Whelan
Tiffany Whelan
Sponsored by:
GIVE 270
Tiffany Whelan
Tiffany Whelan
Tiffany Whelan
Tiffany is an art teacher born in Louisville. She has always seized the opportunity to create art inspired by the Derby and the Derby Festival. In addition to her teaching, she owns Paintn’ Party, an art party business. Tiffany is open to exploring new art mediums and enjoys creating alongside others.
Chahta Noir
Tiffany Whelan
Chahta Noir
Chahta Noir (AKA Shauntrice) is a multimedia artist from Kentucky and the founder of OKIKE. Known for her exploration of her African and Indigenous traditions, she was the inaugural Speed Art Museum Artist-In-Residence and a Great Meadows Foundation curatorial grantee. Follow her work: @ChahtaNoir.
