Creative and detailed works of art are on display in the SMSU Whipple Gallery as part of the 2014 Alumni Art Exhibit. The show runs Oct. 9 through Nov. 6.
Featured artists are Tim Haugen, Cassandra Labairon, Jason Schiffman, Edith K. Schmierbach, Sarah Schneemann, Bonnie Van Moorlehem, and Dan Wahl.
Wahl, who graduated in 2002 with a degree in creative writing, displays “Blue Horse Mountain,” “New Horse Rising,” and “Two Horses,” which were created in 2013. Wahl describes his work as abstract expressionistic.
“I want to paint artlessly, even if it’s simple minded,” said Wahl.
In “New Horse Rising,” gentle lines flow to make an outline of a horse. This work marked his return to painting after a seven year absence. In creating, Wahl draws lines on canvas with white crayons and silicone caulk, followed by watery acrylic paint.
“Before I started going to SMSU, I didn’t consider myself an artist,” said Wahl. “I was a non-trad student in my thirties who had made a couple of soggy watercolors in high school. Other than that, I’d never touched a brush.”
Today, Wahl lives in Walnut Grove and teaches at Tracy Area High School. Wahl and his wife, Sara, want to start an art crawl around Walnut Grove.
After her youngest child went to college, Van Moorlehem returned to SMSU for a psychology degree. She took art classes after encouragement from family, and graduated in 2002 with majors in psychology and studio art.
“I was interested in art and wondered how I would do with painting,” said Van Moorlehem. “After taking my first painting class I was hooked.”
Van Moorlehem displays “Around the Bend,” “Spirit of a Minnesota Autumn,” “And Life Goes On,” (right) and “Healing from the Core.” The latter two paintings were created during the grieving and acceptance process after losing both her mother and sister. When creating “And Life Goes On,” Van Moorlehem uses colors to show feelings.
“The darker colors represent the sadness and the grief,” said Van Moorlehem. “The greens and blues reflect the rest of the world. Most of my paintings reflect things I think about or experience.”
While her art appears symmetrical, the quadrants are not the same to deter predictability. Van Moorlehem currently paints full time and plans to spend a year studying and painting landscapes.
Also in the exhibit, six works of mixed-media art by Labairon are on display. These are titled, “Talisman,” “The Continent,” “Village,” “Antiquity,” (left) “Migration,” and “City.”
Labairon graduated in 1999 with degrees in art and English. She went on to receive an MFA in creative writing and an MA in art.
“The art program at SMSU was perfect for me,” said Labairon. “One of the greatest qualities of the painting studio at that time was the wide variety of artists.”
Her works were created in conjunction with a chapbook of poetry entitled “And the Road Will Take You There.” Pieces serve as a visual poem, accompanied by a stanza from poems in the book.
“The art and the poetry in the collection consider the impact of context and relationship as well as the dynamic between assumption and expectation,” said Labairon.
The works combine stitching, lace work, paint, weavings, and other elements. Today, Labairon teaches at South Central College in Mankato, MN.
Alumni cite past SMSU art professors’ teaching approaches and styles as having a great impact on their art ability today, including Profs. Edward Evans, Jim Swartz, and Michon Weeks.
“SMSU has influenced me as an artist, especially working with different professors,” said Van Moorlehem. “Each one influences your work or they teach you something that the other one does not.”
