Seniors Alex Gage, Kelly Chisum, and Michelle Smith will open their senor art gallery this upcoming week in the Daughtery Art Gallery to exhibit a mixture of graphic design, paintings, and sketches.
The grand opening is April 7 from 2-4 p.m., and will remain open from April 7 through April 12.
“I think we’ll have quite a bit of a mixture in our show because I am very heavily into the fine arts and my show is a mix between the paintings and some drawings, chalk, pencil, etc., while Alex and Kelly focus a lot more on the graphic design aspects,” Smith said. “We should have a fair mix.”
Each of the three artists has a somewhat separate medium of choice: Smith especially in oil paintings; Gage in design, but with a number of sketches intermingled; and Chisum predominantly in design.
“Although I am studying graphic art, my favorite mediums would have to be graphite and ink drawing,” Gage said. “One of my favorites of my personal work is a rough sketch of Ronald Reagan. I really like it because of its simple, yet distinctive, character quality.”
The art show allots artists a somewhat exclusive opportunity during college to showcase a variety of their best and favorite works, including pieces which may not have been exclusively created in the classroom.
“I haven’t done that many, but a few of my favorites are pieces that come from outside classes. One of my favorites is one of Mary based on the actress who played her in “The Nativity Story,” which is I gift I painted for someone,” Smith said. “It is one I was more in control of because I chose and was able to put more of my heart into it.”
Alongside the projects that were arduously labored over for classes and for the area and medium of focus of the given artists, they each include pieces that were chosen for pleasure and personal interest.
“I mainly enjoy drawing animals –– ones with sharp fangs or claws or talons are preferable. Most of my work has a high level of realism, especially my drawings,” Gage said. “Having been trained in a classical style through middle and high school, I found that I was well prepared to explore a more abstract approach to art at college in my Basic Design class and Art History classes especially.”
Likewise, Smith will be including an illustrated handmade copy of a children’s book, written by her sister, and designed and assembled herself.
“It is a little rough, but it is a show intended to show what you done so it is cool and interesting to show the process of turning it all into a real book,” Smith said.
tsawyer1@hillsdale.edu
