Regina Veneklase enjoys painting scenic landscapes.
Courtesy | Regina Veneklase

Regina Veneklase is a senior majoring in art and minoring in music.

What was the first piece of art you did that made you see a future in art?

I don’t know if it was one specific piece. Freshman year, I had this pair of jeans that I had stained, and I decided I should paint them. I bought some clothing paint, and I spread them out on the inside courtyard of Mac. I sat there for hours and painted all these flowers down them. Once I did that, I thought, ‘That was really fun.’ Then I convinced Rachel, who was my roommate at the time, to let me paint her shoes. Then I got a couple of commissions. 

Do you have any favorite memories related to art?

Even when my art wasn’t super good, as a kid, I just remember bringing it to my dad, and he’d say, ‘This is so good. You’re really talented.’ I kind of felt like I had that in my back pocket as a little bit of encouragement to use that as a way to express myself.

When did you first get involved in the art department at Hillsdale?

My first class here was Oil Painting I. That was second semester of my freshman year. 

Did you know that you wanted to do art here?

I actually came in thinking I was going to be an English major, maybe an English and music double major. I knew I wanted to take art classes, and it’s always been a passion, but I wasn’t going to major in it.

What made you change your mind?

I kind of had a crisis junior year because eventually, I thought, ‘maybe I should do a music and art double major.’ But then, I realized that wasn’t possible, the way the classes were scheduled, so I decided to do a music major, art minor. I got to junior year and I realized, ‘This isn’t what I want to do with my life.’ I talked to Jack Golden, and he said, ‘Don’t let the work that you’ve put into one thing define whether you’re going to go into that. It doesn’t matter; it just matters where you’re going to go from here.’ So I just flipped my major and minor around. I was one class away from being a music major, and I’ve been scrambling ever since. But I think it was a good decision. 

What are your favorite types of things to paint or draw?

Animals, nature, and portraits. I really enjoy doing sketches of womens’ bodies because I think women get judged a lot in society. I think it’s therapeutic to just sit down and draw out the things that I don’t like about my body, or that society criticizes, and just get it on paper and realize, ‘That’s really beautiful when I look at it outside of myself.’ I also really like doing telephone poles. Sometimes I’ll just be walking through a city, and there’s something about weird, kind of gross things that you’re not specifically attracted to want to be in that space, but when I walk around and see paint chipping off, I think, ‘That’s really cool, I could draw that.’

What’s your favorite medium to work with?

I really enjoy working with oil paints. I used to do a lot of watercolors at home. Lately, I’ve been more focused on digital art because of graphic design and getting commissions. I’ve been trying to teach myself to be able to paint digitally instead of physically. 

What from your recent artwork stands out to you?

Last year, I did a big portrait of Reese Coker, which was really helpful for forcing myself to work on details. This past summer, I did a pet portrait of my now-boyfriend’s cat, who had passed away recently. That was really fulfilling because I gave it to him, and he wasn’t expecting it, and I could tell it really touched him.

What can you tell me about your senior show?

I have my senior show in April, which is exciting and also terrifying. Just today, I started working on a horse sculpture that I’m going to enter into the department competition. I kind of don’t know what I’m doing, but I was always the kid who would draw horses all the time. Also, I’m going to try to do a piece for the show that’s made of all different papers and textures.

Is there a theme connecting the senior pieces?

The theme of our show is going to be ‘common things,’ that we realize have beauty in them. 

Is there a particular professor who has really inspired you during your time here?

They’ve all encouraged me and helped me along in different ways. Recently, I had a conversation with Professor Suarez about struggling with perfectionism in my art, and where that came from in my life, and how it made me want to drop music. Now that I’m not doing music full-time, I am finding perfectionism in my art spaces as well. That was helpful to have someone who understood that and said, ‘Do art anyways. You just have to sit down and do it, and it doesn’t have to be good every time. You’re allowed to make pieces you don’t like.’

What are your plans for after graduation?

I’m going to be moving back home, and hopefully looking for a job in some art capacity, whether that’s working for a magazine in graphic design or a company with branding. I’m sure I’ll always be doing freelance stuff regardless of where I am. 

What is one piece of advice you would like to give?

I would encourage people not to be discouraged by realizing that their heart isn’t in what they’re currently doing or shifting their plans. Don’t feel like that work is wasted because I still love everything I learned being a music major, and I’m still thankful that I did it. I think it contributes to who I am as a person. If you feel like you’re being called in a different direction, be open to it and see what happens, because you’ll probably be happier if you just go for it.