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Exhibit showcases BFA Thesis Exhibition |
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Wednesday, 11 November 2009 |
 Photo submitted Pictured from top of tree (left to right) Adam Trest, Grahame Snider, (Middle) Lauren Cowan, Anna Dahlem, Sarah Powers, Isa Stratton, Brandon Riesgo, Whitney Love, Charles Bolden, (Bottom) Taylor Shaw and Manuel Ashton. The works of 11 graduating fine arts majors at Mississippi State are being featured through Dec. 2 in two locations on the university campus.
Selections of ceramics, drawings, paintings, photographic images, and sculptures went on public display Monday in the 2009 fall semester Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition in McComas Hall’s Department of Art Gallery and the Colvard Student Union Art Gallery.
Also free and open to all, a 6 to 8 p.m. reception honoring the artists and their works is scheduled Thursday in both locations. The McComas gallery is located on the building’s ground floor; Colvard’s, on the second floor.
“The exhibition illuminates unexpected facets of the familiar, the extraordinary within the ordinary,” said faculty coordinator Marita Gootee.
“The artworks play with the traditional notion that art should be incorporated into everyday life, both in its content and its medium.”
A professor in the art department and leader of its much-honored photography, Gootee said the thesis exhibition is a requirement for graduation from the College of Architecture, Art and Design.
The senior art department majors include (by hometowns):
• Brandon —Whitney L. Love, the daughter of Robert and T• Sculpture — Manuel Ashton, a native of Gulfport, has always been interested in art, but it was not until attending Mississippi State University that he decided to pursue art as a career. Inspiration for his work comes from years of being around his mother and seeing her persevere through life’s hardships.
“It is hard to watch someone you love try to do so much for her children but you do not have any clue how to show your love and gratitude in return. When I think of sculpture, I think of manipulation. I think of tension. I think of time. I think of creation. When people view these works I want them to think of themselves. What is underneath? What is their core? What makes them an individual creation? Is it their physical structure or their emotional connection to others? For me it is my emotional connection to my family and the hardships we have faced together,” says Ashton.
“This is my way of showing my mother that I love her for putting up with me and supporting me trough these years of college,” says Ashton. His sculptures depict the pain and troubles of life.
• Drawing — Charles Bolder, a native of Gulfport, remembers his first drawing.
“It was a blue jay that I drew during free time in the third grade, I was sitting on the merry go round with my yellow number 2 pencil,” says Bolder.
His work has since continued to develop into a thing of detailed beauty. His use of line and space to create simplistic texture and elegant forms is unique. He pays careful attention to smooth and gradual transition. Bolder’s work is intricate and takes a long time to produce.
“His drawings are a direct reflection of his dedication and skill as well as his patience,” says fellow artist Manuel Ashton.
• Photography — Lauren Cowan began creating art as a child. With the encouragement of her mother she decided to pursue a degree in photography at Mississippi State University.
“My evolution into an artist came naturally. I continued to manipulate my surroundings, if not literally, in my mind. This continued until I discovered the camera, which I have since then used to capture compositions within my viewfinder, leaving out all that doesn’t seem necessary,” says Cowan.
Her inspiration comes from curiosity about the world and the curiosity transforms itself into images.
She is drawn mostly to objects that have been left behind and forgotten, the best way to capture this decay is with her camera.
• Drawing — Anna Dahlem, an Alabama native, has always been involved in the arts, whether participating in art societies or hometown charity auctions.
“It was always clear to me that making art is what God wanted me to do with my life,” says Anna.
Her inspirations and subject matter are gathered from nature, and maps and their relationships to one another. She is interested in different textures and forms that are made by the land, how we view it from direct observation and how it is recorded on man made maps. Then she records her observations in the form of abstraction.
“Being an artist is a huge responsibility. It is our job to create something that the world has never seen, or create something that has been seen, but in a different way,” says Dahlem.
• Ceramics — Whitney Love, a native of Brandon, began creating artwork as a child. She spent countless afternoons with her uncle, also an artist, who influenced her greatly.
“I wonder everyday, would the artist I adored be proud of the artist I have become,” says Love.
With his guidance and the support of her family she continued to express herself through her work.
“I never wanted to be an artist, art was just an outlet, a hobby that gave me peace of mind. When I got to college I began as a wildlife science major, but the art department at MSU kept calling me home,” says Love. “I thought if I pursued art as a career I would lose the joy it brought me, but then I thought why not pursue what brings me joy? Why not wake up every morning loving what I do?”
Love’s work is a direct reflection of her life. Her pottery represents a series of moments in her life, moments she tried to control and instances she could not.
“The designs she places on her pottery are a matter of chance. Combining control and chance she has created a series that is an example of her life’s path, not only as an artist, but as a human being,” says fellow artist Ashton.
• Painting — Sarah Powers, a native of Natchez, began creating art in high school, when she was required to take an art elective.
Having never been involved in the art world before, she found a new passion. Her teacher saw her potential and encouraged her to pursue art further. Art soon became her outlet for expression.
“Being an artist means creating work that inspires and stirs the emotions of its audience. Art is the process and production of a creative work, whether it is new and original, or timeless subject matter. To make is to create.” says Sarah.
She has truly taken painting to a new level. She has created beautiful abstraction using ceramic tiles and bold glazes. “Sarah’s unique combination of mediums is truly bold and beautiful, full of chaos, but exhibiting true control. To push the envelope of her craft by broadening the use of her medium and questioning the definition of painting is brave,” says fellow artist Love.
• Sculpture — Brandon Riesgo, a native of Pass Christian, began creating art when he took his first college art class at Mississippi State University. He credits his father with his inspiration as a sculptor.
“I have always enjoyed watching my father work with his hands, his skill and attention to his craft encourage me to become better as an artist,” says Riesgo.
With the skills he obtained as a sculptor he developed a straight forward style that has made him well known among his peers.
“Brandon’s work is sophisticated and elegant, he has the ability to create works that emit intensity and subtlety at the same time,” says fellow artist Whitney Love. “My goal as an artist is not to create confusion with my work. I do not like being confused by art, and I do not want to confuse others with mine.”
“I consider my work successful when it evokes the reaction I intend,” says Riesgo.
• Painting — Taylor Shaw has been creating art since childhood.
“I remember doodling robots shooting and stepping on people when I was in elementary school. My friends and I also made ninja fighting flip books out of post it note stacks and we would show them off during lunch,” says Shaw.
His summers in Florida were spent painting houses and doing commissioned paintings for regular tourists. He is inspired by his life in a military family; as well as the smell of grease, tattoos, being around guns, and drinking beers.
Taylor’s painting style is based on his own unique graffiti art. His work could be explained as political, conversation pieces with a pop art feel.
• Photography — Grahame Snider, a native of Oxford, has been involved in art since childhood. Snider has always had a passion for art, but her passion grew throughout here college career. Her inspiration comes from the struggles that we experience in our lives.
“It has been a way for me to express myself throughout my entire life. To stop creating would be a betrayal of what I do best. It is the best way that I know of, for me, to help others create through my own creation and discovery,” says Grahame.
As an artist she hopes to make art an experience for her audience and to change or inspire others with her photography.
• Painting — Isa Stratton, a native of Memphis, TN, has been painting since childhood, but it was not until high school that she decided to make art a career.
“I kind of stumbled upon it. It was like a calling. Some would call it God given gift, I say a lot of practice,” says Stratton.
Her inspiration comes from art teachers who encourage her to pursue her artistic ability. She also credits her mother, a strong and hard working single mom who encouraged her with love and support to improve her craft.
• Painting — Adam Trest, a native of Laurel, Mississippi has been involved in art since childhood. During his senior year of high school, Trest developed his passion for art by capturing human emotions in his work.
“I always tend to draw towards the human. Something about the way humans relate to each other absolutely fascinates me. The human form is such a complicated design, always changing, it just makes me want to capture it in any way that I can,” says Trest.
He is interested in the way people interact with one another as well as with objects in their day to day lives.
“Being an artist is so much more than just being a person who creates art. I feel that being an artist also involves being an advocate to the public to show how important the arts are. I think that there is a responsibility to share the arts with the community,” says Trest. “Adam’s portraiture is truly something to behold, his attention to detail and his ability to capture human thoughts and feelings is breath taking,” says fellow artist Powers.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 November 2009 )
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