By Katharine Armbrester
Though their art could not be more different, Ahmad Austin and Joel Lockridge have each developed a niche through their distinctive creative methods and both live in Alabaster. Ahmad Austin is known for his colorful, exciting canvases of jazz musicians and other individuals, which he paints using a palette knife. Lockridge is a wood turner who creates handmade pens, crafted from bourbon barrel oak wood, among other materials.
Both artists were featured in the 53rd annual Kentuck Art Festival in Northport. Austin previously taught classes at the Kentuck Art Center and recently participated in the 61st annual Bluff Park Art Show in Hoover. In 2024, Lockridge showcased his handcrafted pens at the Magic City Art Connection in downtown Birmingham, along with traveling to Texas and Kentucky for art shows. Though both artists are in demand, they made time to discuss their creations.
Finding Your Muse
“I’ve always been into art,” says Austin. “When I was a little kid I used to draw Batman and Spiderman, and over time I started painting.” Later he pursued his passion at Alabama A&M and then UAB, where he received a Master’s in art education. Once Austin finished college, he started selling his work as a professional artist, admitting it took a while to find what art medium best suited him. “I started doing the typical stuff that an art student would do,” Austin explains, “still life, abstract landscapes, but I didn’t have a definite ‘voice’ at the time.”
Lockridge has been drawn to woodworking since childhood. “My father taught me to make birdhouses to start with,” he says. “I went on to make picture frames, jewelry boxes, furniture, and more. He encouraged my progress, and I loved him for it.”
Palette Painting and Music
Austin proceeded to experiment with many different mediums and with varying materials, and his pursuit paid off. “I came upon a palette knife and started using it—and I just fell in love with it,” Austin reveals. “Painting with a palette knife immediately gives more texture to a painting and also brings a sense of movement to a work of art.”
After discovering his preferred medium, an early love of music inspired what has become Austin’s signature artistic subject. “I started painting jazz and other musicians…I’ve done other things too, but that’s kind of what I’m known for around town.” In his paintings, Austin depicts musicians with square heads and no distinct features playing their instruments. These players are caught in a moment in time as they pursue their own passion of performing.
Pen Turning
A longtime graphic artist, Lockridge happened upon a pen turning demonstration about 15 years ago and changed the trajectory of his artistic focus. “I said, ‘That looks like fun!’” he remembers. “I bought some equipment, practiced, and finally had a few successful attempts.”
After a friend asked him to craft a pen out of the leftover staves from a bourbon barrel, Lockridge was officially hooked on making pens. “What I love about it is that you are only limited by your creativity,” Lockridge explains. “You can make a pen from nearly anything. I use alligator jawbone, deer antler, foreign and domestic woods, colored acrylics, historic items, bourbon barrels, and so much more.”
Lockridge creates pens from exotic woods like olivewood from Bethlehem and ancient bog oak wood that is sourced from peat bogs in England. “I’ve tried everything,” Lockridge says, and his boundless curiosity and ingenuity has paid off, shipping his pens to customers in 78 countries. Lockridge says it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two weeks to craft one of his signature pens, “depending on what I’m doing and how I’m doing it,” he explains. “I like to tell a story,” Lockridge continues, and he often casts historic items into his pens. For example, he offers a Walt Disney pen, with an embedded piece of wood from the legendary animator’s first studio. Other pens can be found with ties to Lambeau Field, Yankee Stadium, the sands of Iwo Jima, and the Vietnam War.
Swirling color combinations
Austin’s acrylic paintings are brightly colored, and since 2023 he has endeavored to depict women musicians more frequently, due to an increase in requests from his followers. In a recent series, he titled his paintings with names such as “Chocolate Pecan” and “Sauce on Everything,” and his swirling color combinations are certainly delectable to look at.
Austin also teaches at Hoover High School, where he utilizes his large classroom as his personal studio. “I paint in there during my down time,” he says. Undoubtedly, many a curious student has peeped at the door to see a jazz musician come to life, one palette knife stroke at a time.
Bespoke
Lockridge enjoys taking commissions for his pens. “If you have a random piece of wood, I can probably make something from it for you,” he says. “If your Grandfather’s tree falls down, or an old broken rocking chair has meaning, I can transform it into something new, smaller, and usable.”
Lockridge admits that he keeps a low profile as an artist in his community. “Honestly, they’re usually surprised that I live right here in Alabaster, but I travel all over doing art shows.”
For more information: Joel Lockridge: bourbonpens.com; Ahmad Austin Instagram: @ahmadaustin_