The 2002 Senior Art exhibit opened last Thursday night, April 18, with a well-attended reception. Friends and family gathered in the exhibit hall of The Jundt Art Museum to celebrate the culmination of at least four years of hard but rewarding work for 18 talented art majors. The exhibit displays works by Sean Buckley, Norma Cervantes, Ashley Craigen, Adrian Freuen, Amanda Craigen, Amanda Grassl, Jesse Graunitz, Karen Harwood, Lori LaBissoniere, Allison McGree, Stephen Mullen, Daniel Ochoa, Maria Ochoa, Ginger Pennie, Jacki Putnam, Katherine Smith, Julie Suchanek, Sarah Takisaki and Kelli Wescott. Each artist’s work is distinct from the next. Not only are the styles diverse, but the media used are diverse as well. Many students show more than one medium. For example, Maria Ochoa used intaglio (a form of relief print), painting on glass, color pencil and watercolor. Ashley Craigen, on the other hand, stuck with one medium, clay. Her pieces are prominently displayed in the middle of the room. Not only did she choose to display pieces that are in the same medium, but each of her five pieces are similarly shaped raku fired pots. Raku is a way of firing the clay that is extremely difficult to master and usually takes a tremendous amount of practice. Ashley’s display probably best shows the transformation these artists have gone through in the past four years they have spent at Gonzaga. Even the names Ashley gave her pots reflect this progression: Pam’s Help #1, Pam’s Help #2, All By Myself #2, All By Myself #3. Allison McGree stayed with one medium as well. Her forte is oil on canvas. She displayed six separate pieces, which are all variations of a still-life depicting a spitoon. A curious visitor to the gallery may notice subtle differences in each painting. One may even be able to see a progression, or transformation from one painting to the next. On Thursday all of the artists were there to explain the details of the process of their works, including which was finished first; what time of the day the painting was worked on and how that influenced the different sources of light; or how a coffee buzz was the reason why a piece turned out the way it did. The phrase of the night was, “I am very impressed!” Students, family members and professors all made comments like this. This exhibit shows what the Gonzaga University Art Department does with its students. The art shown is creative and fresh. “A lot of us learned how to see things differently . . . I was artistic before, but I can’t imagine developing artistically if I hadn’t met the people I met here,” said McGree. The drive to work harder and to be better is obvious because the quality and level of the work is so high. “The exhibit is definitely worth seeing” said senior Sandy Smith. The exhibit runs through May 11. The gallery in The Jundt Art Museum is open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Saturday 12-4 p.m.
Art exhibit lets seniors show off
New exhibition is the culmination of four years of undergrad work
Published: Friday, April 26, 2002
Updated: Friday, October 30, 2009 23:10
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