Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host senior students Grace Janzen and Sarah Waymire’s artwork in the Hammons Art Gallery Feb. 7-17. An open reception will be held in the gallery Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m.

Janzen, a graphic design major from Tulsa, Okla., and Waymire, an art education major from North Little Rock, Ark., chose to exhibit their work together as roommates and friends.

“I decided to have an exhibit with Grace because she is one of my closest friends. It has been fun to go through the process of putting up an exhibit together,” Waymire said. “She is also a great graphic designer, so, of course, she will be hanging quality work in the gallery.”

“I'm really excited about being able to exhibit my work in the gallery with one of my friends,” Janzen said. “It's a great opportunity that I don't think I would have at most other schools, and I'm very grateful for the chance to show my work.”

The exhibit, which serves as a culmination of the students’ art studies during their time at Ouachita, will offer them the opportunity to display their varied work.

“I was generally aware of the impact of design, but it wasn't until I came to OBU and started taking art and design classes that I realized the huge effect of design,” Janzen said. “When I realized the influence good design can have, I got really excited about learning the principles of design and being able to use them to communicate non-verbally with an audience.”

Putting those principles into practice when working for specific clients, Janzen said she discusses with them “what messages they want to send and then try to align the visual design of the piece with those messages.”

“I realize that I’ve been spoiled having someone like Grace in my class for my first year as a professor,” said Ferris Williams, assistant professor of Art and Design. “Sometimes students propose some ambitious project and I say to myself, ‘We’ll see if they can pull it off.’ I don’t have to say that with Grace; it’s more a matter of looking forward to what she comes up with. She never stops pushing for a better solution, which is also rare in a student.”

Waymire said her interest in traditional art began at a young age. “Even when I was a kid, I had sketchbooks and drew all the time,” she said. “It stuck with me all the way through high school, so I decided to major in something art-related.” Waymire attributes much of her work and development to Psalm 19, which describes the work of God’s hands.

In addition to Janzen and Waymire’s work, several art minors will be featured in the exhibit including: Dusty Barnette, a senior biology major from Dermott, Ark.; Sarah Barteaux, a senior history major from Jones, Okla.; and Kelly Boggus, a senior Christian studies and Christian missions major from Harrison, Ark.

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

By Breanne Goodrum