Buies Creek, N.C.-A retrospective of the work accomplished through the Campbell University Fine Arts Department, the Senior Exhibit is standard practice for art majors who are about to graduate. But to Kiki Long, Alisha Watts and Sarah Beasley, it is a passport to a future in art. The work of each artist is currently on display in the E.P. Sauls Gallery of the Taylor Bott Rogers Fine Arts Center.
Each exhibit features a variety of media and a diversity of styles-from charcoal to acrylic, realistic to contemporary.
“Honestly, I’m in art by a chance happening orchestrated by God,” said Beasley, of Etowah, N.C. “If I hadn’t moved in the middle of my freshman high school year due to my father’s ministry career and left with only art as an elective option, I probably wouldn’t be having this show today.”
Beasley, who named her exhibit “Engender of Creation,” would like to go into a creative position in the graphic design field.
“I draw much of my inspiration for my pieces from nature,” Beasley said. “I find in the world of nature a glimpse of the divinity of God and seek to reflect it in my art. I find it an honor to be an artist with the ability to see the world as I do and create.”
Long, who would like to pursue a master’s degree at Savannah College of Art and Design, believes the job of the artist is to please the viewer.
“I hope this show is really enjoyable for everyone,” she said. “If they like it, then I have done my job. Praise God if I do it well.”
Although Long likes illustration and design, she is especially drawn to sculpture. “Turning a two dimensional illustration into a three-dimensional object with clay-I just find that absolutely fascinating and thrilling,” she said.
Long would like to pursue a career in character modeling for film.
Watts, a graphic designer and studio artist from Whiteville, N.C., is also intrigued with three-dimensional art. Her “Shadow Box Series” is a mixed media study using three dimensional objects, stain glass design and sculpture.
“My ‘Shadow Box’ series began as an art project back in high school, using the decollage technique along with some glazes, polyurethane and stains,” she said. “I like playing around with lines, color and then I break it all up with some organic shape or object to add some interest, in this case tree branches!”
Watts said she has been interested in art as long as she can remember, but first came to Campbell as a pharmacy major.
“I found that pharmacy, while highly lucrative, was the wrong field for me,” she said. “I came back to the one thing I knew well and I felt right at home.”
Watts would like to spend some time working in the graphic design industry and then return to school for a Master of Fine Arts degree. She would ultimately like to teach studio art and graphic design classes at the university level.
Photo Copy #3: “The Pot” by Sarah Beasley