#start opening

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Photos from Monday's opening reception for the 2015 5 & Under show!

Thank you again Lucy & Sarah for visiting us and sharing your experiences in the arts after Wake Forest.

[wfustartgallery]

Filtered Through Nature Exhibition - Hannah Witner

Upon first entering the gallery, there seems to be an obvious similarity among the pieces – but all different at the same time. Professor Laughlin’s advanced painting class was a class assignment in the fall that has now taken its place at the student StArt Gallery, Filtered Through Nature. The students were introduced to the idea of nature, encouraged to reach beyond the normal confines of what on thinks “nature” is and see it as broader than a simple still life painting of flowers. They explored, for example, intertwined relationships and the idea of home, both broader ideas of the concept of nature itself. The show is centered on the individuality of those in the class, emphasizing their own interpretations.

A few examples: Julia DeNuzzio’s piece, one of the first pieces seen in the exhibit, seems to have hugely abstracted the serenity of a landscape and waterfall scene, adding dashes of pink color and unexpected twists to pull the viewer into seeing more than just the water in the scene, but an ever-changing dynamic of relationships through her own perspective. Kelly McAdam utilizes more earth tones to accomplish her oil painting depicting an abstraction of leaves and foliage mingling together with no real sense of reality or exact rendering. Julia Zhang seems to be exploring a more biological take on nature, depicting abstract forms of cells that create all of life and are the basis of nature; many bright colors juxtaposed with deep hues and large shapes mixed with details seem to show the ever-present complexity of breathing life forms and of the organization of nature.

The students were also prompted to think of art as a gift – something they would want to give to a loved one. Many of these were, in fact, still life scene depictions, and are beautiful nonetheless. The students first used Photoshop to quickly sketch their ideas and concepts and fix and edit their compositions without doing it tediously in paint. The hand of the artist is always most prominent, and these digital resources only help the process in bettering way – one can definitely see each artist’s own style of how he or she holds the brush and applies paint to the canvas.

We are proud to have so many talented artists at WFU, and the StArt Gallery is the main venue where students have the opportunity to showcase their great work and talent, open to students as well as the public. With different experience levels in the classes of students whose work was included in the show, the results are beyond interesting to analyze and recognize as a vibrant body of work. The show is as varied as the individuals included in it – and is well worth a visit to re-experience nature.