“Homegrown: New Paintings and Prints by John P. Lackey” will help kick off the Autumn art season in Kentucky at Galerie Soleil, with a reception at the gallery during the September 18th Gallery Hop in Lexington.
(Jacobson Park art and Holler Poets Series poster by John Lackey of Homegrown Press)
The night will serve also as an informal celebration of twenty years of Homegrown Press, started by John in 1989 to market his screenprint and block print designs. A new logo (it’s first!) will be unveiled at the reception, with Tshirts of the design available.
A printmaker for many years, in 2005 John began switching the focus of his work to paintin
g. Although it occupies most of his days, he has also made time to work on other projects. He has designed posters for the band Wilco for the last few years, as well as for local fave Holler Poets Series at Al’s Bar.
g. Although it occupies most of his days, he has also made time to work on other projects. He has designed posters for the band Wilco for the last few years, as well as for local fave Holler Poets Series at Al’s Bar. He designed and carved the wood engravings that illustrated the book “Abraham Lincoln of Kentucky,” written by four Kentucky Poets Laureate and produced by Larkspur Press for the KAC.
Upcoming projects include a wood engraving for the cover of “A Short History of the Present,” a new book of poetry by Erik Reece for Larkspur, and the publication of Lackey’s first short story “Two Weeks Notice” in Limestone, the Kentucky literary journal, which will also include a painting and several block prints.
John has designed signs, murals, posters and logos for restaurants including Alfalfa and Mellow Mushroom in Lexington, and Clyde’s and Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, DC. He was art editor for “Spit in the Ocean #7” a tribute to Ken Kesey, edited by friend Ed McClanahan, and contributed a block print of Kesey to the book and had to endure the west coast book tour for the project on some weird old bus, with a bunch of Pranksters.
He was also responsible for many years of Terrapin Hill Festival art.His paintings, he says, are the most fun. “You’re standing up, you’re mobile, you can move back and forth, you can paint over it. Ideally, I would like to bounce around between painting, writing, and block printing, and over time, start combining these pursuits. As I get those things nailed down a little tighter, I would like to move towards exploring sculpture, and eventually, teaching. Maybe finding a way to combine all these things with music. That’s why it’s been such a blast getting to work with Wilco, Holler and Larkspur. Combining pursuits. All the good writers and musicians in and around Lexington. Bands, poets, artists, coffee shops, restaurants and bars, radio, they’re really good around here. It’s an inspiration. A pleasure and a privilege to live and work amongst ‘em. Riding my bike downtown to paint loose wiggly portraits of Kentucky’s natural beauty: that’s a day well spent.”
Gallery Hop is Friday September 18th, from 5-8pm. Galerie Soleil is located at 363 W Short Street, just off Broadway. Weekday hours are by appointment only. More of John’s work can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.homegrownpress.com .
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