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| Power Style Wellness Connections |
The Essence of an Artist
By Lorri Malone
Photos by James Moses
WELCOME…NOT BY A MAT ON THE DOORSTEP, BUT BY PEOPLE. Step into the
entry and meet people with smiling, open faces. People who are pensive. Poised. Some
are even nude.
Welcome to Rhonda Goodall’s home…well, at least the inviting, colorful, and fascinating
portrait gallery that serves as entry to her home. There, you will meet her bright,
beautiful paintings, the subjects of which are brought to life with stirring color on the
canvases lining the staircase from floor to ceiling leading to her second floor home.
Goodall is an interior designer, working with both commercial and residential clients in
Louisville and around the country. And she is an artist who works in oils, pastels, and
photography. She is the owner of Goodall Gallery in Crescent Hill; her studio and
workspace are on the main floor and her residence is on the second floor, accessible —
as mentioned — by a cascade of creativity.
Atop the stairs is the 1,100-square-feet of living space Goodall calls home. A building
that is about 100 years old and has lived many commercial lives, including a long stint as
a neighborhood grocery store. She first leased the commercial space in 2004 and the
next year, decided to buy the building, spending months renovating the studio space as
well as the living quarters above. Her brilliant commute to the second floor allows her to
leave occupational concerns on the lower floor.
“I sort of made the space upstairs so that it really is separate from the workspace
downstairs,” Goodall said. “For me, it works great. I can live here and I can work here.”
Goodall’s former home in the Highlands sold in one day and moving to the apartment
space meant downsizing to about half the square footage. She decided to live upstairs a
couple of months before renovations started to get used to the smaller space and draw
plans for the rooms. One revelation was that the bedroom wasn’t restful. So she had the
kitchen and master bedroom spaces flipped during the renovation to better suit her
vision for the space and how she planned to live there. Doing so allows for a dressing
room, laundry space and adjoining bath just off the new bedroom, as well as access to a
rooftop deck.
The open living and kitchen spaces are perfect for entertaining and belie their humble
square footage. The living room furniture arrangement takes many shapes, as she finds
re-arranging furniture to be cathartic. “If you want to make a change, then re-arrange
your furniture. It’s great therapy,” she says noting that, while giving the room a whole
new look, it also occupies the mind and changes perspective. “It helps shift my energy.”
Still, Goodall’s art, as well as works from other artists, takes center stage in her space.
While some artists are reluctant to display their own works at home, Goodall says she
enjoys them.
“I didn’t start painting until 11 years ago, but I’ve always had a voice that told me to
paint,” she says. She took some classes and found painting to be a creative release and
very personal form of self-expression. “What I do for a living, it’s creative but it’s being
creative for everyone else. But when I paint, it’s for me.” Looking at the staircase gallery
paintings visible through open French doors from her living room, she adds, “I like
having them around. They make me feel good. I’m not one of those artists who paints
from my angst. I paint from my joy.”
Creating a new kitchen out of a former bedroom proved to be a formidable task. Goodall
says the contractor was able to re-use materials in the space, including millwork,
windows and the original, but uneven pine floors. Old kitchen cabinets were moved to
her studio space on the first floor. The new kitchen cabinets are painted a pewter glaze
with orange pulls for an unexpected color pop. Italian glass pendant lights over the bar
carry the same color into the living room. Goodall says the cabinet installers thought her
color choices odd, but conceded that they made sense once completed.
“Well, that’s how most of my clients are,” She says with a laugh in reference to those who
might at first glance doubt her creative vision. “‘You want to do what?’ and I say just let
me finish. Then they understand what I was going for.”
She has clients from coast to coast and does her best to bring a little bit of Louisville to
their businesses and homes, whether through commissioned work of her own or that of
fellow artisans. “I have very much been a supporter of the local artist,” she says.
Doing so allows her to impart that joy she feels in her own home through her own art,
even if it’s in a corporate setting.
“If I can touch, move, and inspire others through my work, then they can see art
displayed in a way that’s not so typical,” she says. “My mission is to create their
environment to match their essence. It’s for their comfort and also to present themselves
to the public as they want to be seen.”
Lorri Malone can be reached at lorrimalone@iamtodayswoman.com
By Lorri Malone
Photos by James Moses
WELCOME…NOT BY A MAT ON THE DOORSTEP, BUT BY PEOPLE. Step into the
entry and meet people with smiling, open faces. People who are pensive. Poised. Some
are even nude.
Welcome to Rhonda Goodall’s home…well, at least the inviting, colorful, and fascinating
portrait gallery that serves as entry to her home. There, you will meet her bright,
beautiful paintings, the subjects of which are brought to life with stirring color on the
canvases lining the staircase from floor to ceiling leading to her second floor home.
Goodall is an interior designer, working with both commercial and residential clients in
Louisville and around the country. And she is an artist who works in oils, pastels, and
photography. She is the owner of Goodall Gallery in Crescent Hill; her studio and
workspace are on the main floor and her residence is on the second floor, accessible —
as mentioned — by a cascade of creativity.
Atop the stairs is the 1,100-square-feet of living space Goodall calls home. A building
that is about 100 years old and has lived many commercial lives, including a long stint as
a neighborhood grocery store. She first leased the commercial space in 2004 and the
next year, decided to buy the building, spending months renovating the studio space as
well as the living quarters above. Her brilliant commute to the second floor allows her to
leave occupational concerns on the lower floor.
“I sort of made the space upstairs so that it really is separate from the workspace
downstairs,” Goodall said. “For me, it works great. I can live here and I can work here.”
Goodall’s former home in the Highlands sold in one day and moving to the apartment
space meant downsizing to about half the square footage. She decided to live upstairs a
couple of months before renovations started to get used to the smaller space and draw
plans for the rooms. One revelation was that the bedroom wasn’t restful. So she had the
kitchen and master bedroom spaces flipped during the renovation to better suit her
vision for the space and how she planned to live there. Doing so allows for a dressing
room, laundry space and adjoining bath just off the new bedroom, as well as access to a
rooftop deck.
The open living and kitchen spaces are perfect for entertaining and belie their humble
square footage. The living room furniture arrangement takes many shapes, as she finds
re-arranging furniture to be cathartic. “If you want to make a change, then re-arrange
your furniture. It’s great therapy,” she says noting that, while giving the room a whole
new look, it also occupies the mind and changes perspective. “It helps shift my energy.”
Still, Goodall’s art, as well as works from other artists, takes center stage in her space.
While some artists are reluctant to display their own works at home, Goodall says she
enjoys them.
“I didn’t start painting until 11 years ago, but I’ve always had a voice that told me to
paint,” she says. She took some classes and found painting to be a creative release and
very personal form of self-expression. “What I do for a living, it’s creative but it’s being
creative for everyone else. But when I paint, it’s for me.” Looking at the staircase gallery
paintings visible through open French doors from her living room, she adds, “I like
having them around. They make me feel good. I’m not one of those artists who paints
from my angst. I paint from my joy.”
Creating a new kitchen out of a former bedroom proved to be a formidable task. Goodall
says the contractor was able to re-use materials in the space, including millwork,
windows and the original, but uneven pine floors. Old kitchen cabinets were moved to
her studio space on the first floor. The new kitchen cabinets are painted a pewter glaze
with orange pulls for an unexpected color pop. Italian glass pendant lights over the bar
carry the same color into the living room. Goodall says the cabinet installers thought her
color choices odd, but conceded that they made sense once completed.
“Well, that’s how most of my clients are,” She says with a laugh in reference to those who
might at first glance doubt her creative vision. “‘You want to do what?’ and I say just let
me finish. Then they understand what I was going for.”
She has clients from coast to coast and does her best to bring a little bit of Louisville to
their businesses and homes, whether through commissioned work of her own or that of
fellow artisans. “I have very much been a supporter of the local artist,” she says.
Doing so allows her to impart that joy she feels in her own home through her own art,
even if it’s in a corporate setting.
“If I can touch, move, and inspire others through my work, then they can see art
displayed in a way that’s not so typical,” she says. “My mission is to create their
environment to match their essence. It’s for their comfort and also to present themselves
to the public as they want to be seen.”
Lorri Malone can be reached at lorrimalone@iamtodayswoman.com