Emotions Abound During Senior Art Show

New art pieces in Moon Gallery reflect student insight.

By Kimberly Harbrecht
Edited and Posted by Rachel Miller

After years of hard work and creativity, seniors Shannon Douglas and Stephanie Kipfer combined efforts for their first official gallery showings with the exhibition of their senior art theses.

The themes of the exhibit focus on life and their experiences. “Tiny Dreams” is a tangible representation of Kipfer’s thoughts and dreams, while “Remember This” is a collection of significant moments in Douglas’ life.

Inspiration Through Her Eyes
“There are moments in which one is aware of its significance as it transpires,” Douglas said. “I catalogued a particular image to remember that moment and showed the significance of it with the medium.”

Whether the inspiration came from a book, family member or event, Douglas compiled every painful and tender emotion she experienced and transcribed them onto the blank canvases. The result was a combination of both realistic and abstract images constructed of bold colors.

“Conceived in Autumn” exemplifies this new approach to art through the use of mixed mediums. Douglas added entirely new dimensions and emotions to the paintings through the combination of paint, charcoal and acrylic.

“It’s about playing with the boundaries of drawing and painting, creating a hybrid,” Douglas said.

“‘Conceived in Autumn’ combines both drawing and painting to enable both internal and external realities to co-exist in the picture plane,” Douglas said in her artist statement.

"They Were Here First " painted by Shannon Douglas
Photo courtesy of Shannon Douglas

“They Were Here First” also plays with the complexity of reality and its boundaries, depicting a couple embracing yet invisible in each other’s arms.

At the student symposium, Douglas presented “Standing in the Ashes at the End of the World” to show how the use of specific colors is essential to bring to mind the same feelings and emotions Douglas experienced at the time.

By showing the scene of a woman surrounded by abstract buildings, the sensations depicted by the painting are drastically changed, leaving behind a heinous color that evokes anxiety and even nausea. The addition of the green shades is essential to the purpose and message of this piece of art. These approaches and techniques Douglas utilized lead her pieces to appear radiant to all viewers.

Through the display and implementation of Douglas’ art, she allowed viewers to experience moments of her life from her perspective, achieving the intent and purpose of her art.

“The way she presents her work allows for art to be more than just art and beauty,” said senior Lyndsey Johnson. “The art has a purpose.”

What truly sets this gallery apart is the addition of Kipfer’s art and the interaction between bold colors and life experiences.

Left to right: Seniors Shannon Douglas and Stephanie Kipfer with their collaborative piece

Photo Courtsey of Shannon Douglas

“I think the shows are strong; both created very different bodies of work with very different concerns that hold together well as a single body of work individually,” said Dr. Brad Adams, art professor and advisor to both Douglas and Kipfer.

Dreams Create Art
Kipfer approached her art by first looking inside her mind and exploring its depths. What she found were “Tiny Dreams,” the title of her show.

“When I make a painting, I have an image in my mind, like a tiny dream,” Kipfer said. “It is a cross section of the artists’ mind – a manifestation.”

This theme transpires in each painting, but stems from one in particular. “Homage to ‘Grey,’” a tribute to the song by Ani DiFranco, combines the technique of paneling, dividing the entire work into smaller sections, and the addition of text to create a tangible image of the song.

“I smoke and I drink and every time I blink, I have a tiny dream,” DiFranco sings on “Grey”; which was written on the painting and stands as the basis for Kipfer’s inspiration. The slight haze that covers the canvas contributes to the emotion of dreaming; making it clear that it is not actual reality.

Kipfer’s “Procrastinating” piece creates a depth unmatched by the other paintings achieved through the use of spray paint. Within the painting, time is being eaten away as the distance looms on in the background.

“I wanted to create an image of what procrastination looks like in my head,” Kipfer said. “It took forever to finish it.”

Hanging the 14 original pieces for the opening on Friday, April 11 was one of the most exciting aspects of the exhibit for the artists.

“Both artists were very enthusiastic about creating a clear representation of their work through the installation and lighting of their shows,” said Adams.

“I wasn’t sure how everything would turn out, but once it went in the gallery with the lighting, it really came together,” said Kipfer.

With Kipfer’s eagerness to discuss each painting and the story behind them, it is apparent that a true passion exists.

“I wouldn’t be in school for anything else,” she said.

Future Plans
After graduation in the spring, both Kipfer and Douglas plan to continue their careers in art. Douglas plans to explore the New York City art scene in the fall and Kipfer hopes to intern with Cartoon Network in Atlanta and continue painting.

The exhibition was displayed in the Moon Gallery through April 11-19 as part of a series of senior art shows.