Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University is hosting three students’ artwork in the Hammons Art Gallery March 28 to April 8. Cara Deetz, Emilie Gorman and Ashley Turner will host a reception for their senior exhibit in Hammons Gallery on April 1 at 4 p.m.

“Seeing all my work from the past four years is a really cool experience,” said Gorman, a senior graphic design major from Shreveport, La. “It has allowed me to see how much I have grown in my particular skill as a designer.”

Deetz, a senior art and education major from Benton, Ark., agreed by saying, “It's a little nerve-racking seeing my art displayed, but it is very exciting to see the accomplishments I've made and how it has developed my style.”

These students have put in a tremendous amount of time and thought into each piece they created.

“It is often difficult for people to view graphic work as artwork because it is not traditional,” Gorman said. “The technology that we have with computers makes it look easy to produce designs, but there is so much involved in the process. I hope people come so they can gain an appreciation for graphic design work.”

“My art inspiration comes from many things. I love the organic feel of swirls and circles, therefore, I do quite a bit of work experimenting with different forms of them,” explained Ashley Turner, a senior art and education major from White Hall, Ark. “I am also inspired by the beauty, yet simplicity, of ordinary objects like that of sticks.”

“My favorite piece is definitely ‘wrapped.’ It’s a painting I did after I lost my daughter. It’s the most emotional piece I have done, that is, the most raw,” Deetz shared. “My art is inspired by the concept of being held. There are so many implications that go along with that word; some think the word ‘hold’ means to be held intimately, some take it as a negative word and some take it as a word that implies nurturing. I find it interesting to take the word and convey all the different meanings.”

Art comes in many forms and the students said that it has been an enjoyable experience for them to work together on a common exhibit.

“Ashley and Cara are great friends of mine, so it has been really enjoyable getting everything ready and being able to work together,” Gorman explained. “We all have very different styles and our individual exhibits will look completely different, but we're doing our best to unify them.”

“We all understand each other and the purpose we see in our own art,” Deetz added. “We wanted to do a show together to show that while they are all very different styles and different concepts, they all are united in the fact that it is art.”

“I'm so glad to get to exhibit my work with Emilie and Cara. They are fabulous artists,” Turner said. “That's the great thing about our exhibit: there is something for everyone; if you want abstract, design or deep emotional connections, we've got it all.”

For more information, contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

By Meg Gosser