Seniors seek passion in current art exhibition
The works of 10 Minnesota State University, Mankato artists will be displayed in the second session of the Senior Art Exhibit until Friday, April 15 in Conkling Gallery.
The gallery is a display of the hard work and growth of the seniors. Katelyn Karrow is one of the seniors with art featured in this exhibit. Karrow explained that her art was a culmination of all her years at MSU.
“In the beginning, I was a perfectionist. I made sure that my artwork looked exactly like the photo,” shared Karrow. “From there, I learned to create more fluidly and build upon the photos to create more interesting images. My style evolved to be more saturated and high-energy.”
Now, Karrow makes painted canvas and colored pencil pieces that are semi-realistic with abstract aspects.
“I start by painting a base layer of watered-down paint and work up, creating texture in both actual and implied ways,” said Karrow.
Sarah Laudenbach is a graduating graphic designer that also has art displayed in Conkling. Her art explores simplicity, color, and typography. When listening to music, she sees sound. She has used this to make unique art and foster a passion for her career. Post-graduation, Laudenbach plans to move to the Twin Cities.
“I want to work with a small business, not really a corporation. I want to keep it local and build the local art community more,” shared Laudenbach. “The graphic design community is becoming more of a job rather than a passion for a lot of people. I want to keep it a passion. I don’t want to grow out of it.”
Passion is also a sentiment Logan Neal shared with his sculptures. Contrasting Laudenbach, he was struggling to find passion in graphic design.
“I was just taking sculpture classes on the side and I had to come to terms with myself, I really enjoyed them,” said Neal. “I let go of things, like bad connotations of being an artist and just went with it. I’m happy I did.”
From this decision, Neal’s artistic style has developed. Currently, Neal works with wood, metal, and string.
“String is kind of my thing right now. I really like how things segment and go through a space. I like to relate myself into my work, and I feel like I can do that with string [in] the way that it connects through different things,” shared Neal. “It reminds me of connections between people and life.”
Karrow hopes to continue to see other artists develop their passion following graduation. Karrow also hopes that students come and enjoy the exhibition.
“I am majoring in Art Education, so I am hoping to use the skills I have honed here to foster a love of art in other students,” shared Karrow. “I am so proud of all the other creators in the exhibition. I love our exhibit as a whole and I hope that all MSU students come and visit.”
Write to: Lilly Schmidt at lillian.schmidt@mnsu.edu