Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will host Melanie Herring and Devin Jones’ senior art exhibits April 4-15 in Moses-Provine Hall’s Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery. Jones’ exhibit will be held on the first floor, and Herring’s exhibit will be on the second floor. Both exhibits are free and open to the public. A reception for both seniors also will be held in the gallery on April 4 at 7 p.m.

Senior exhibits are presented by students of the Art and Design department both to fulfill a degree requirement and to display the work they have created during their time at Ouachita.

“Having the opportunity to display work in a senior exhibit allows experience for future shows,” said Herring, a senior studio art major from Rison, Ark. “It is also the culmination of the education and skills that have been accumulated during a student's time here.”

“Being at Ouachita allowed me to freely explore my purpose as an artist in a safe space and decide what it means to be a Christian and an artist cooperatively,” added Jones, a senior graphic design major from Flower Mound, Texas.

The title of Jones’ exhibit is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” “Cecil Alexander’s ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ was my hymn-spiration for the theme,” she explained. “It celebrates God being the creator of everything proclaiming, ‘How good is God our Father Who doeth all things well.’ While emulating Him, I dream to every day be a part of creative things and celebrate beauty. Joyful and confident am I in the necessity of art in our broken world. Desiring to show the world that necessity, it is my delight to be able to make beautiful things.”

Jones describes her style as “clean yet organic,” adding, “The goal is to try more than one solution to a design problem and weigh all the possible outcomes formally and functionally. My artistic personality is ever changing and ever shaped by everyday experiences, interests and relationships, and staying true to myself is a priority. Something is beautiful because an artist is intentionally creating something meaningful to them. Something is beautiful because an artist shares their passion with others. Something is beautiful when someone is able to relate to a creation or the process of creation.”

Regarding what she hopes the audience will take away from her show, Jones said, “Believing that art, the creation of art and the beholding of art is a gift from God, I want the audience to recognize that gift.”

The title of Herring’s exhibit is “Flow.” “In psychology, flow is the act of doing something purely for the joy of the action itself, not necessarily for the actual outcome. The main theme of my pieces is not a general result, but rather the flow in which the artist is immersed.”

Herring’s exhibit will feature a diverse assortment of media, each with its own series “to highlight their specific qualities and personalities.” Media to be displayed include oil, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic and ink on paper, wood and canvas.

“Abstraction of form and movement of the hand allow the resulting mark to shine,” she explained. “​With this in mind, the audience is welcomed into this flow and can be ushered into the peace that is only found in the action of viewing.”

Herring said she finds her inspiration in “the world created—be it physical stimuli that is perceived by the brain or even the intricate worlds within the bodies that allow us to have perception in the first place.”

“In general, I utilize subjects from creation itself, abstracted in a repetitive pattern that can be incorporated into an image or portrait,” she added. “My belief that humans are an image of the ultimate Creator drives the flow to create.”

Regular gallery hours for both exhibits are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

 

By Anna Hurst