David wins at “Visual Evidence” Group Show

Batik by David Lucht
“What Once Was Twice” 24 x 30, SOLD /

My batik painting “What Once Was Twice” received First Place in Painting at The Murray Art Guild’s show “Visual Evidence”. It was a real thrill to get this recognition for a piece that really means a lot to me. And to cap it off, the piece sold soon afterwards!

The imagery here extends my interest in the jacaranda seed pod, used in a front/back orientation representing the illusion of duality. As a philisophical stance, “non-dualism” has a history in eastern religion. Variously described as “the coincidence of opposites” or “the dialectic” in western circles, the concept describes the paradoxical nature or all experience. What seems to exist as duality (mind/spirit, heaven/earth, male/female) is considered to be largely an illusion of the intellect. The unresolvable tension between monism and dualism is redirected in the paradoxical expression: “non-dual”.

The seed pod images are further explored as lens through which we view a landscape. The landscape here is from an image of a national park in Iceland called Pinvellir. The geology of that area is volcanic and the igneous rock is covered in multicolored lichen and heather. The effect is entirely enchanting and I had a kind of extraordinary experience walking the valley there. I later described the landscape as “otherwise inhabited” (if that gives you some idea of the impact it had on me).

So in this image the two becomes a lens through which we attempt to view a mystical one.

“What Once Was Twice” Going to Cedarhurst!

“What Once Was Twice” Going to Cedarhurst!
Batik by David Lucht
“What Once Was Twice” 24 x 30, SOLD

My large batik painting “A Pod Thing Happened” was accepted into the prestigious 29th Cedarhurst Biennial exhibition in Mount Vernon, Illinois. This gorgeous museum holds a top-notch show of regional art and I am very honored to be a part of it.

You plug along as an artist and sometimes you wonder if anyone really notices. Well guess what, somebody did! It sure gives me a shot in the arm (Covid appropriate image) and is a very encouraging indication that my current direction is strong.

The show runs from August 7th to October 10, 2021.

Visit https://www.cedarhurst.org for details.

Batik Accepted Into Regional Show

Batik Accepted Into Regional Show
Batik by David Lucht

I just received notice that my batik painting “A Pod Thing Happened” was accepted into the 60th Mid-States Art Exhibition. I’m a little stunned because I got an email rejecting the other piece I submitted (“What Once Was Twice”) and I thought that was it.


I had a sort of powerful reaction to reading the acceptance letter because I just assumed it was a follow-up rejection notice. Opening any letter from a gallery after submitting work is nerve wracking, but especially so in the case of a prestigious regional show like the Mid-States. In this moment I just assumed I would be reading a version of the email; “We thank you for your submission. Unfortunately…”

So the the “Congratulations” jumped right off the page at me and I had to drop the letter on the table to re-read it and prove to myself I didn’t imagine it. And then… Well, I actually cried a little bit.

“You think that you do fairly good work, occasionally exceptional. But typically, and as in my case, rejection notices follow pretty much like night follows day.”

Batik by David Lucht
“What Once Was Twice” 24 x 30, framed $1150 / Purchase this artwork!

Rejection is a way of life for the artist. It is a badge of honor really. You work at your art day after day, year after year. You think that you do fairly good work, occasionally exceptional. But typically, and as in my case, rejection notices follow pretty much like night follows day. And the Mid-States show in Evansville, Indiana and the other show at Cedarhurst in Mt. Vernon, Illinois had rejected me several times in a row after accepting my piece “Fabricantes” way back in 2008.

Recognition on the other hand is a precious thing. We are really just big show-offs, we artists. Someone made the big mistake of being enthusiastic about our scrawlings long ago and we got hooked on repeating our little magic tricks. That’s a very shallow way of describing the artistic process I know, but there’s a bit of truth to it. But thank goodness for people who have the kindness and grace to show that recognition for us because art dies in the echo chamber.

I went to the opening receptions for the 2008 event in Evansville and was blown away by the quality of the work I was a part of. The Evansville Museum does a fantastic job collecting the finest regional art for that show. They claim that over 300 works of art were submitted. I am one of the fortunate 45 to be chosen.

So happy? Oh yes. Very. It’s been a long time.

Now back to work.

“The Madison”

“The Madison”
Batik by David Lucht

Here is a commission piece I completed for a neighbor of ours in Paducah. I’ve lived a few blocks away from this building for 12 years. It took doing this commission to truly appreciate its stately form. “The Madison” will soon be hanging on the wall of the first floor landing in this building. I’m always available for commissions of Paducah architecture. Contact me

Radio Interview on Batik 2015

Here is an interview from 2015 where Kate Lochte from Murray Public Radio interviews David Lucht about his batik process. This was done in the run up to the 2015 Lower Town Arts and Music Festival in Paducah, Kentucky.
“Lessons of the Fall” 32″x32″ SOLD

Watercolor Workshop

Watercolor Workshop

Last month Stefanie conducted an intro to watercolor two-day workshop at Ephemera Paducah. It was a great experience, guiding eight students interested in learning how to control this challenging media. The workshop was all about learning technique, from mastering wet-on-wet, application of salt for special effects, dry brush, and the use of masking fluid, each student came away with new tools for moving ahead.

Interested in learning about watercolor from scratch? Send Stefanie an email to sign up for her next workshop! Coming spring 2019.

Travels in Europe

Travels in Europe
The Lourve courtyard

The artists of Cowango (that would be Stefanie and David) just got back from a three week journey to various spots in Northern Europe. Paris, Vevey, Bacharach, Groningen, Amsterdam and Iceland… all filled us with adventures and inspiration for the months to come.

Our full account can be found on our blog posts. Stefanie has posted about Vevey, Switzerland here on her personal blog “Accidental Truths” and David has posted about Paris, Bacharach and the Rhine Valley and Amsterdam on the Cowango Blog.

And the museums!. For us, the Holbiens at the Lourve in Paris and the Vermeers at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam were absolute highlights that spoke to us again of the power of painting. We became re-engaged with our lives as artists through these wonders of the visual arts.

So much else inspired us; the landscapes, the cities, the people. We hope you all get a chance to travel. It truly re-animates your world!

Show at 1857 Hotel

Show at 1857 Hotel

David Lucht is showing a large group of his work in exhibition at the 1857 Hotel in downtown Paducah, Kentucky. The work is both a retrospective representing nearly thirty years of his work in batik and a glimpse of his new series on Paducah architecture: “Paducah Straight On”.

The opening event on August 9th, 2018 was a great evening of art, food and friends.

1857 Hotel Art Exhibition David Lucht

The show is a two-person exhibition combined with another Padcuah artist Philip McCabe who has worked for years in photography and is now doing work in acrylics.

The show is open to the public and is available for viewing through October, 2018.

1857 Hotel, 201 Kentucky Avenue, Paducah, Kentucky

Greetings from Cowango!

Thanks for visiting the Cowango website. If your are interested in purchasing our art you can follow the link next to the artwork. It will take you to our Facebook page where you can use PayPal to make your purchase and we will ship it directly to you. You can always contact us directly and we will be happy to help you. Please call:

  • Stefanie Graves: 270-244-0118
  • David Lucht: 270-243-0327