Visual Arts Presentations
November 15, 2023 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Fine Arts Gallery
Suffocation
Cassandra Berni
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Jeffrey Rinehart
None Provided
Last Act of Love
Cameron Boni
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Daniel Rule
This piece was based off of the scene in Red Riding Hood where the grandma reveals itself to be the wolf in hiding. I wanted to play on the archetypes of each character by giving each a dominant color of blue or red. Her eyes represent her being in denial about this danger and continues to blindly express love to this all-consuming creature.
The Meeting
Cameron Boni
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Daniel Rule
This piece depicts two unicorns, one much older than the other, coming face to face within the lush woods.
Untitled
Olivia Brown
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Jeffrey Rinehart
Having been given a prompt in class to produce a merged portrait of an individual using two reference photos; I chose to use my young nephew as my subject. His parents take a lot of photos of him throughout the day as a means of sharing his growth with me and my other family members due to the vast distance that separates us. This abundance of reference material, as well as the fact that I find him incredibly adorable, made him a great choice for my work. Having chosen my two photos, I overlapped them and picked key components from each to create the overall composition. The result is an interplay between the two that can come across as both one overall figure or two individual figures that are interwoven together. The drawing is primarily line work, though there are specific areas that have been more fully rendered, giving them a visual weight. My color choice of red and blue was both a conscious and unconscious one. Consciously I knew I wanted bright colors to represent his youthfulness and bring an overall sense of energy to the piece. Unconsciously, I picked red and blue as my two colors, not realizing at the time that they are the primary color choice for optical illusions and this portrait certainly has a bit of an optical illusion within it.
Warning: Art Ahead
Melodie Caire
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
I have always wanted to live up north, by the mountains, surrounded by trees that cover the ground. Down south in Louisiana, there is no such thing as a mountain. We have hills and potholes where 100-year-old tree roots overgrow underneath roads, breaking up the pavement. I enjoy the view of nature. But in southern Louisiana, I see mostly concrete buildings and neon lights. I want to live where I drive on long roads, smothered by nature around me. Instead, I am surrounded by fast food chains and traffic. This is why I created this piece 鈥淲arning: Art Ahead鈥 with the use of stippling. Stippling is my favorite form of art. I wanted to remind myself of what I could have but chose not to. love the city I live in, and I would not change it for the world.
Tethered
Brandon Clark
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: N/A
This gouache painting depicts a worm鈥檚 eye view of a campfire underneath a full moon amongst trees. The piece initially started out as an exercise in playing with geometric composition. I drew a circle and a triangle pointing towards it with lines converging on the center of the circle. I then thought of a scene that would fit this composition. The triangle became the fire and the circle became the moon. I find myself using celestial bodies a lot in my personal work. I like imagining the very real scenery of these impossibly far away locations. This painting embodies the moments that I take to do these thought experiments. While I sit and look up at the night sky, the nature around me blends into the space above. I can connect constellations to the roots underneath me. I tether them together with more than gravity; I pull them together with abstract thoughts that make up my entire reality.
A Closer Look
Nicholas Hutson
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Ariya Martin
For this body of work, I have employed both infrared and expired film to amplify the presence of our native foliage, which are constantly facing natural forces that challenge their existence. Louisiana is known to be historically hot, but recently it has been affected by drought and saltwater intrusion. While these images may portray the barrenness of the surviving plants, they also serve as a testimony to the resilience of our natural landscape. To highlight this best I often utilize infrared film which is sensitive to light just above the visible spectrum. More specifically it is sensitive to light between 720m-850nm, just above what we can see with the unfiltered eye and just below what is seen in thermal infrared often depicted in military use. This light is most prolifically produced by living foliage that displays green, yellow, orange, and red hues, which happens to be perfect for stressed trees and grasses. The photographs are also printed on various expired fiber-based papers as a reflection on time and footprint. Through these images, I aim to pay homage to this altered state of my homeland and not just illustrate its detriment for visual pleasure. It reminds me to cherish these fleeting observations even if it's just in my contemplating them for a photograph. They conjure the strength we and plants naturally possess and eventually surrender. For me, taking these images is a way to clarify uncertainties about my identity, stability, legacy, and worth.
"Mussel Time"
Kendrik James
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
鈥淢ussel Time鈥 is an oil painting on three individual shaped wooden panels that have been connected together with wood glue to mimic how mussels group together in nature. There are three mussel species represented in this painting. The Inflated HeelSplitter is presented at the bottom of the painting, the Purple Wartyback is shown at the top right, and the Southern Pocketbook is represented on the top left. All three of these mussels can be found in the Pearl River east of New Orleans. The colors I used are inspired by the colors found in each of the mussels' shells. I decided to exaggerate the blues and purples to add more contrast to the browns already present in the shell. The overall shape of the piece is inspired by the organic round edges of the mussels鈥 shells but I added sharp edges to make the shape more interesting and not as flat. I chose to represent these mussels because they are amazing creatures with an interesting life cycle. I love mussels because of their colors, shape, importance to the ecosystem, and I鈥檓 fascinated by their shells and biology. I really wanted to bring some color and life into something that can seem boring and stagnant for most of its life. I think these are beautiful and very interesting creatures and I want my painting to convey how interesting and beautiful they are to me.
Lady sitting in chair
Vlad Jones
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
This piece is meant to serve the same goal as all my artworks. I am trying to find the center of my mind by subconsciously pouring my imagination into my artwork. I am chasing a divine inspiration that I believe can be tapped into. I started with a loose pencil sketch, slowly transforming the different shapes into outlines. The rest was building up layers of color with water color and pencil. I don鈥檛 have any inherent meaning in this artwork through the process of making it, the meaning will show itself to me when it chooses to. A lady sits in a chair made of rusting gold, atop an egg. The woman has one arm curving up the the sky while another arm turns into a fish.
Portrait
Hannah LeBeaux
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Jeffrey Rinehart
I am doing a portrait drawing of two images of myself using graphite.
Calm Down
Ella Mayfield
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Madeleine Kelly
This self-portrait is a physical representation of my struggles with anxiety. My face is shown in muted gray tones while the surreal features of my work, the heart and the phrases that make up the background, are depicted in deep reds to signify the overwhelming and consuming qualities of anxiety. These differences in color were achieved by using colored pencils, which can be made subtle or vibrant and adhere greatly to layering and creating texture. This drawing is a look into my own mind and experiences, and through the images of the roped heart, frantic thoughts swarming around the figure, and frightened expression, I attempted to create a visual representation of feelings that are difficult to put into words. My heart is shown bound by rope so that the viewer may feel a hint of tightness in their chest, alluding to the physical symptoms of worry and fear, and the hectic nature of the background symbolizes the constant strain of thoughts that filter through one鈥檚 head when in an anxious episode. While this piece focusses on my own experiences, I hope that others will find that they are not alone in what they feel. Whether you are a person who consistently struggles with anxiety or not, my hope is that everyone will recognize the emotions behind this piece and realize that they are part of a humanity with shared experiences and struggles that they are not going through alone.
Floating
Ella Mayfield
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Madeleine Kelly
This monochromatic piece may appear to be a simple portrait, but to the artist and to those who are willing to pause and feel the emotion behind the work, it means much more. Through the use of blue colored pencils, I have drawn someone very close to me, and I have created a visual representation of what I feel when I am with this person. The subject, Austin, has a calming presence and brings peace to my life no matter what else is going on around me, and I felt that these emotions would be represented most accurately through soothing blue tones. When choosing what image to work from, I wanted Austin鈥檚 eyes and expression to show what he always relays to me, which is care and attentiveness. The background, which features loose outlines of flying birds, frames the piece and contributes to an overall light and airy feeling. This drawing is very personal and focusses on my own relationship, but my hope is that all viewers will see this and think about the people in their lives who calm them and bring them peace, just as Austin does for me.
Child's Dress
Ashly Mcloney
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
This piece entitled 鈥淐hild鈥檚 dress鈥 is graphite on paper. As an interdisciplinary studies major, I have concentrated on the intersection between history, anthropology, and fine art. This work represents my historical research into material culture, specifically the role of clothing. The objective of the work is to combine my previous training as an academic painter, with the meanings imbued in human artifacts. I aimed to accomplish this through faithful representation of my young daughter鈥檚 clothing. I believe the choice of medium (drawing, rather than photography or painting), by virtue of the time spent, engages with the labor involved in garment making. The piece is unmistakably a drawing, which creates an interpretive and subjective element, which is meant to evoke a feeling of memory and documentation. My final claim is that; there is always something communicated through dress. And always something subjective, even creative in the interpretation of history. This work is inspired by both these premises.
Moonlight shrine
Aaron Mince
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Anthony Campbell
Symmetrical beauty, destructive chaos, somber moments and silent tension, are explored through intaglio prints made from copper plates. The idea of place to work through thought give way to moments of clarity. The process of creating the plates provides escape-nurturing a sense of thoughtful solitude. I am inspired by Japanese woodblock printing and animation, specifically Under the Wave, Off Kanagwa (big wave) and the landscape paintings of Hayao Miyazaki. My aquatint etchings are constructed environmental landscapes that allow me to lose myself in meditative reflections.
Weathering the storm
Aaron Mince
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Anthony Campbell
Symmetrical beauty, destructive chaos, somber moments and silent tension, are explored through intaglio prints made from copper plates. The idea of place to work through thought give way to moments of clarity. The process of creating the plates provides escape-nurturing a sense of thoughtful solitude. I am inspired by Japanese woodblock printing and animation, specifically Under the Wave, Off Kanagwa (big wave) and the landscape paintings of Hayao Miyazaki. My aquatint etchings are constructed environmental landscapes that allow me to lose myself in meditative reflections.
None Provided
Cailtin Moore
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
Artist statement Torn 31st October 2023 This piece was done on a 30 x 30 canvas in oil. It鈥檚 a depiction of three different versions of myself using primarily blue and red to help emphasize conflicting emotions. I decided to keep an accurate depiction of myself in the middle to show how unaware one can be to someone鈥檚 true emotions. Through this process I truly enjoyed reflecting on myself and the idea of how different emotions can coexist. No one wants to feel anger, despair, or loneliness but without negative emotions the positive ones wouldn鈥檛 exist. Learning how to simply exist without loathing those feelings was important to me through the process of making this piece.
None Provided
Caitlin Moore
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
None Provided
None Provided
Caitlin Moore
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
None Provided
A. Lebone
Andre Pellebon
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Daniel Rule
This painting is not only documentation of my relationship with my brother, not only history of our visual craft, but an homage to the foundation I call family. Meticulously crafted to provide strength and healing to what damage over time. It symbolizes the portfolio of work I've done to hopefully give back to those who have kept me in good council and supported me through my greatest efforts to become an artist of New Orleans.
The Jeweler
Andre Pellebon
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Daniel Rule
This piece uses the remnants one of my first glass necklace pieces, and turns it into a doorway to transform my broken or unappealing glass jewelry pendants into depictions of caricatures, people, and art.
The Oracle
Andre Pellebon
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Daniel Rule
In recent years, my relationship with my family as an artist has been tested through battle of ideology and religion. It's made me question my morality and character as the same of my family. In light of that it has grown to be understanding, the piece of me I call "the Oracle" is a dynamic I painted of when my elders wished for me to create works for them that I could not provide. I had made a slim amount of glass jewelry, and hoarded it to myself. It felt like while I didn't have much to give to begin with those who had asked this favor of me were the very pillars of my foundation.
Illusion
Sebaika Raza
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
Illusion is a small-scale acrylic painting on canvas. Until now, I have been finding inspiration from whatever is aesthetically pleasing to me, and in the majority of those instances, my artworks end up not having a singular meaning or purpose to them. But for this one, I intended to really search for a way to present a composition that could depict a unison between representation and abstraction, without each being a distraction for the other. Representation and abstraction can be considered opposites; hence, their relationship can cause an imbalance in a single painting where one can overshadow the other. Overall, I intended this artwork to spark conversation. I aim for the viewers to discuss the connections they have drawn or bring up aspects of the artwork that resonate with them. When I made this painting, I associated it to my struggles with mental health, so I want to see what interpretations people have from their own lives and experiences. The element of abstraction in this painting can open up infinite meanings for others which differ from those of the artist.
Digital Solitude
Deanna Robbie
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: N/A
Charcoal-like image featuring a dark silhouetted figure against a smeared background. The textures suggest a rough, unfinished canvas, while the mysterious entity, appearing solid, conjures feelings of isolation and contemplation. The stark shadow along with muted white, highlights the ambiguity of the scene, inviting viewers to unravel its narrative.
Bellflowers
Samaria Stevenson
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Jeffrey Rinehart
None Provided
Bellflowers
Samaria Stevenson
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: Jeffrey Rinehart
The work is charcoal on paper emphasizing a stalk of bellflowers in a fading group of bellflowers. I got lost when making this drawing. I started just drawing the single row and as I went along it just grew into the faded background. I was inspired by looking at works I made in a past semester for a drawing class. One of the assignments was to draw six different but thematically linked charcoal drawings on one piece of paper. At that time, I was really into 鈥渃ottagecore,鈥 an aesthetic that promotes a lifestyle based on simplicity and nature 鈥 such as an emphasis on flowers. I think this subject matter has 鈥渟oft鈥 content, meaning the images feel peaceful. I was more interested in that type of realm because it links with the medium of charcoal. I like the medium and its flexibility to either be very soft or very hard. When it came to using it, I could get very dark and light and even not be afraid to experiment with the realm in between. One of the six drawings depicted bellflowers, kind of just hanging there. I felt nostalgic by looking at this drawing and wanted to give it more attention. Those feelings inspired this piece. If anything, I wanted to do it. It gave me an excuse to experiment and feel good about making something that I liked then and now; a bit of a full-circle kind of moment.
Yuta Okkotsu vs Itadori Yuji
Austin Tran
Undergraduate Student
Mentor: N/A
Yuta Okkotsu and Itadori Yuji is going to be roughly a 2-4 minute animation. It is an animated adaptation from the series Jujutsi Kaisen. I wanted to animate this because I am genuinely interested in this. This may not fill the whole time slot but I am glad to be asked question which will probanby take up the time instead.