From MILLE GULDBECK
BGSU School of Art
BGSU School of Art undergraduate students Etta Gallaway, Tiarra Tufts and Isabel Wolke all had individual reasons to want to create this past year. There were so many restrictions on life, but painting was something which you could do in relative isolation.
All are working towards their BFA degrees and have shown commitment to their disciplines.
Mille Guldbeck, a Professor of Painting at BGSU, explains that she encouraged these young women to apply for funding from BGSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship in order to work on their painting practice over the summer. “They all wrote stellar applications. After I saw the progress the students made this year, it seemed appropriate to try and reach out to a regional venue such as the Wassenberg Art Center with the work. They were very excited to see the paintings and are looking forward to hosting an exhibition.”
“Varied Perspectives: Explorations of atmosphere diversity in education, life after a pandemic” includes large oil paintings in a variety of styles. The exhibition opens Aug 12 at the Wassenberg Art Center, 214 South Washington St., Van Wert, and will continue until Sept. 12.
A reception for the artists will be held on Thursday Aug. 12 from 6-9 p.m. Free and open to the public.
The artists pursued the practice of painting through various lenses of diversity in art education, interior atmospheric landscapes, and intimate portraiture of friends during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Isabel Wolke states “I wanted to paint portraits of my friends that helped explore their personalities and how they have changed due to their experience in lockdown. I think that it’s important that as a community that we recognize that the past year was hard for everyone, regardless of age, gender, etc. and that because of this we should be even closer, rather than further apart.”
Art Education major Tiarra Tufts created a series, some of which depict artists of color. “My goals for these paintings were to explore the world’s diversity through art…These paintings are specifically made to be hung in my future art classroom to give a visual of the artists I will be teaching my students about.” Etta Gallaway took a more intimate approach and depicts interiors populated by family members and friends. She says, “For this project, I was interested in furthering my ability to create intense atmospheres through aesthetic elements such as color, light, and texture, using the medium of oil paint.”
