Cumberlands Seniors Exhibit Artwork

Andrew Johnson and Kirsten Scholl, two senior art majors at University of the Cumberlands (UC), are showcasing their Senior Exhibition pieces December 4-8 in the J. M. Boswell Art Gallery in the Luecker Building, room 220. The gallery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A reception will be held for Johnson and Scholl on Friday, December 8 from 5-7 p.m. All are encouraged to attend.

“Andrew has created rich, colorful, layered paintings which challenge the viewer on many levels,” said Russell Weedman, art professor and department chair. “Kirsten’s work focuses on the vitality of her linear draughtsmanship using digital media. The art department is excited to host this show of engaging work.”

Johnson’s work consists of an array of abstract oil paintings, most of which stemmed from a class project over a year ago. The assignment was to take a group of random magazines, cut out pieces that they, the students, found intriguing, and paste the clippings into one cohesive piece. The end result, for Johnson, ultimately became six large-scale paintings bursting with varying colors, textures, and lines.

“This one is called Creation,” Johnson commented, pointing to a painting, “with sludge in the middle, and all kinds of stuff coming out of it. My idea is, once those things have come out of it, they’ve been created. Now, when I look at the painting, I read certain things, but what I see is different than what you see. I want viewers to take the time to judge for themselves what they see.”

Meanwhile, Scholl’s pieces are primarily inkjet prints she made using Photoshop. Once, after Scholl finished her projects for the computer imaging class she was taking, she opened Photoshop on her computer and began scribbling, using seemingly-haphazard lines to create recognizable shapes. Her final pieces are portraits of either animals or humans.

“The lines sometimes look messy and unintentional, but they’re actually very intentional,” said Scholl, standing by her drawing of an elephant, one of her favorite pieces. “Like, these lines here, on the edge of the page, draw your eye toward the focus of the piece, this little guy’s face.”

Both seniors are showcasing other media in this art exhibition as well. Yet in the end, no matter the media used or the style of the pieces, both artists hope their work leaves an imprint on those who view it.

“We talk a lot in different art classes about how good art evokes an emotion,” Scholl explained. “Whether it’s a good emotion or a bad emotion – it could be something as simple as being happy – just so long as it evokes an emotion. That’s what I want my art to do.”

Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, University of the Cumberlands is an institution of regional distinction offering quality undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and online degree programs. Learn more at ucumberlands.edu.