Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Art Club announced the winners of its annual Juried Student Art Exhibit at a reception on Friday, Feb. 12. The exhibit, which will continue through March 2, is displayed in Ouachita’s Hammons Art Gallery, located in Mabee Fine Arts Center. It is free and open to the public.

The artwork for this year’s exhibit was selected by John Deering, award-winning cartoonist and illustrator for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The exhibit features the paintings, sculptures, photographs and other media of 13 students.

Melanie Herring, a senior studio art major from Rison, Ark., received first place for her painting “The Battle.” Deering commented on the striking color palette and textural elements of the non-objective piece, as well as how its imagery creates a “brightly colored fantasy landscape without any discernable landmarks.”

“I was extremely grateful for this piece to win because it was an absolute joy to create,” Herring said. “I would like my viewers to inspect all of the small details, and I encourage them to see if it reminds them of anything they know, forgetting about the title. The use of color and mark in this piece isn't just portraying a battle between colors, they are there to let the audience explore their own imagination.”

Byron Burrell, a sophomore studio art and chemistry major from Conway, Ark., received second place for “Urban Life,” a drawing that portrays an elderly man in a cityscape. Deering observed that the man’s expression, the etched lines and asymmetry “tell a story of survival and wisdom in the face of hardship.”

Courtney Gibson, a junior graphic design major from Dermott, Ark., received third place for the photograph “Dermott’s Abandoned Olympic Pool.” Noting how the piece “works on a couple of related levels,” Deering said that what appears to be an image of a lively, colorful pond is actually “a scene of decay and entropy.”

Gibson also received honorable mention for “Pink Texas,” a neo-expressionist painting of colors and textures that Deering stated “work together to resemble cake frosting.”

Katelyn Smith, a senior art and education double major from Roe, Ark., received the faculty award for “Frida,” a ceramic piece that envelops a needlepoint representation of Frida Kahlo.

“Katelyn’s piece is great because it pulls from so many disciplines—art history, ceramics, needlepoint,” said Summer Bruch, assistant professor of Art and Design at Ouachita. “As a professor, it is gratifying to see a student pulling from all their interests and not setting their limits to what we teach in the classroom.”

Other students whose work was selected for inclusion in the exhibit are: Perri Adcock, a senior graphic design major from Prosper, Texas; Kelsey Bond, a junior studio art and mass communications double major from Alexander, Ark.; Emily Flowers, a sophomore graphic design major from Bismarck, Ark.; Tricia Griffin, a sophomore graphic design major from Highland Village, Texas; Katie King, a junior biology major from Little Rock, Ark.; Bethany Lenards, a freshman graphic design major from Jonesboro, Ark.; Kinzie Schmidt, a freshman graphic design major from Little Rock, Ark.; Katie Stanage, a senior studio art major from Hot Springs Village, Ark.; and Jan Whytock, a freshman studio art major from King William’s Town, South Africa.

Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. For more information, contact OBU’s School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

 

By Rachel Gaddis