TRASH TALK

November 1 - 13, 2022

Studio Kroner presented Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky-based artists Paul Kroner and Devan Horton in this unique limited-run show that tackle the relentless churn of toxic news, politics, and the mountains of trash that litter our present and threaten our future, literally and metaphorically.

Opening Reception

Thursday, January 23, 2025

6-9 pm

Artist Talk:

Thursday, January 23, 2025

6-9 pm

Closing Reception:

Thursday, January 23, 2025

6-9 pm

Bio

Devan Horton: Penchant

In this series, "Penchant," I explore our culture’s obsession with consumption and waste by analyzing our relationship with garbage. Pulling from an interest in ancient societies and frustration from finding trash in nature, I saw the evidence that will remain from our civilization’s existence. Through the artifacts and artworks left behind by great societies throughout history, we can determine how cultures lived and the things they valued. How will future societies view our priorities? What will they conclude about the way we attempted to solve our problems?

I believe they will find a society built on convenience and individualism. I paint our blind relationship with the things we throw out to bring a more mindful awareness about the way we consume. Through experimentation with color and texture, threatening piles of trash evoke curiosity and playfulness while creating a sense of foreboding. I confront my audience with our waste obsession by allowing them to rethink their relationship with the things they consume while also bringing the awareness needed to confront irresponsible industries about what they are producing in order to fix this systemic issue. Penchant bridges the gaps and invites everyone to the same page by demonstrating an immediate level of impact on climate change in our daily lives. Penchant brings to light our relationship with waste in hopes of convincing others that despite the ongoing social and economic issues around us, our planet is always of the utmost importance. As a species we must work together to preserve its beauty for future generations.

Artist Bio

Devan Horton is a Northern Kentucky artist who creates oil paintings to call attention to the ongoing issue of waste in our culture. Since receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Northern Kentucky University, Devan has crafted and promoted her artistic career by exhibiting in local and national galleries, including Manifest Gallery, Caza Sykes Gallery, and most recently, a solo exhibition of her series, “Penchant”, at Buckham Gallery in Flint, Michigan.

Click to Watch Devan's Artist Talk >

Artist Statement

Paul Kroner: Box News

The corrugated box has become an ever-present symbol of our capitalistic society. Since the pandemic, they are even more prevalent as more and more of us opt to have any and everything delivered to our homes. Our garbage bins overflow with the detritus of our consumer culture.

At the same time, the insatiable 24/7 news cycle bombards us with an endless parade of talking heads promoting the big lie and other rubbish meant to attract eyeballs like flies to rotting garbage. So-called "leaders" of one of our major political parties litter the airwaves with their thinly veiled racist, misogynistic, xenophobic propaganda non-stop on Fox News, talk radio, and other conspiracy-related outlets.

Their black-and-white view of the world aims to return us to the monochromatic past, where men were men, women were women, white was right, and the hell with everyone else. It is hard to avoid them, as they seem to be everywhere and multiplying like the boxes on the doorsteps of our homes.

This series, "BOX NEWS," captures just some of these aspiring autocrats and bombastic blowhards in black-and-white on a "canvas" befitting their subjects: an empty and discarded box destined for the trash bin of history.

Artist Bio

Paul Kroner is a Cincinnati artist and gallery owner who moves fluidly from one medium to another. His work spans from figurative to abstract, 2D to 3D, and analog to digital. At the heart of Paul's work is a desire to find the intersection of art and design and to create a visual narrative that invites the viewer to be an integral part of the story. His work is in private collections nationally and internationally and has been in numerous galleries and solo and group exhibits in New England and the Midwest.

Click to Watch Paul 's Artist Talk >

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Steve Justice: Oddly Familiar

January 23 - February 15, 2025

Studio Kroner is proud to present Oddly Familiar, a captivating solo exhibition by Cincinnati-based artist Steve Justice. Known for his unique blend of cultural storytelling and bold design, Steve's work inspires and engages viewers. Drawing inspiration from figures like Thomas Hart Benton and MAD Magazine, he uses art to educate and entertain.

With a strong background in design from the University of Cincinnati, he brings both precision and a playful spirit to his creations. Oddly Familiar invites visitors to embrace the unexpected and rethink the ordinary.

Opening Reception:
Thursday, January 23, 2025

6-9 pm

Artist Talk:
Saturday, January 30, 2025

1-2 pm

Closing Reception:
Saturday, February 15, 2025

1-4 pm

Bio

Steve Justice was born in the steel town of Homestead, in Pittsburgh, in 1956 (Monkey/ Gemini) during a period of labor unrest for both his mother and for Homestead. His father was a mighty steel engineer -- he once carved a working locomotive from a single ingot of steel, using only a hacksaw and a bastard file. Justice’s mother was 100% Finnish, with a literary bend and some artistic aptitude. Justice subsequently grew up using both hemispheres of his brain. He learned how to apply this laterization with years of study at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute, under the tutelage of Joseph C. Fitzpatrick (Warhol’s teacher and mentor). This was followed by Industrial Design training (with some Art History and fine art electives) at the University of Cincinnati, where he made the Dean’s list 10 times and won a scholarship. This led Justice to a successful and gratifying career as a product designer around the Rust Belt and beyond, designing products for consumer and commercial customers (Coca-Cola drinkware, 2002 Olympic torch, etc.), while creating thousands of manufacturing jobs. But he craved a bigger beauty. Steve began oil painting in 1985, at first part-time, then eventually full-time, and he has stayed that course ever since. Making that transition led him to more than 183 exhibitions (17 solo), awards, and dozens of sales. His art may be free-wheeling and eccentric, but Justice has absorbed a lot of professionalism from his design days, and he’s very well aware of an artist’s position of responsibility. Steve Justice now lives in Cincinnati with his wife, the internationally recognized design educator, Dr. Lorraine Justice, following stops in Rochester NY, Hong Kong, Atlanta, Columbus, and NE Ohio.

Artist Statement

I love cartoons. I always have. They are my earliest memories, and I hope they will be my last someday. Cartoons are universal, but they weren’t always that way. I knew a Swiss man who saw his first cartoon at nine and concluded that animals in America can talk. I didn’t draw that conclusion until I was in my late twenties. I create art because I can and I love it. The impulse becomes a drive, “To get it off my back,” as Nina Simone said. “With great power comes great responsibility,” many of Stan Lee’s characters have added. Such responsibility is wasted without mindful action. I read a lot, and much of what I read winds up on my canvas, usually in combination with other things I’ve read, seen, heard, and experienced. My style is influenced by the art of Thomas Hart Benton, Rick Geary, MAD Magazine, Underground Comix, psychedelic poster art, Orthodox icons, Michelangelo, fashion photography, etc. I use a “cultural color wheel” of my device, which includes International Orange, Coke Red, Hershey Brown, Conrail Blue, School-bus Yellow, John Deere Green, and other colors a viewer may feel oddly or overtly familiar with. My early paintings began with simple quotations and readings on creativity by practitioners of every discipline, but my inspirations and their interpretations have expanded over time. I sometimes have flashes of insight while doing mundane things such as walking the dog, meditating, or milking a cow (which I have never done). In Latin, this is called “Solvitur ambulando” (“It is solved by walking”). What I want to do is Educate, Enlighten and Entertain. (my 3 E’s) I paint on canvas and wood panels, and I use oil paint because I like the look, feel, and smell. It’s exciting to do novel things with ancient materials. If I don’t have fun, the viewer won’t, and if the viewer doesn’t, I won’t. May that circle be unbroken.

TRASH TALK

November 1 - 13, 2022

Bio

Devan Horton: Penchant

Artist Bio

Click to Watch Devan's Artist Talk >

Artist Statement

Paul Kroner: Box News

Artist Bio

Click to Watch Paul 's Artist Talk >

Calendar of events for TRASH TALK

Steve Justice: Oddly Familiar

Bio

Artist Statement

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