St. Catherine University’s annual exhibition of student creative work is featured in Terabithia. The artist scholars describe their exhibition: “Welcome to Terabithia, a place that doesn't exist on a map but in our hearts and minds. It is here that impossibilities are made possible and dreams do come true. A place where we seek refuge in our imaginations as we cross over into a new chapter of life. We invite you to take Terabithia in your hearts when you leave. It’s mine, it’s ours, it’s yours.”

Student Artist Talks: Thursday, May 2, noon-1:15pm. Free and open to the public.
For ASL interpretation and/or other accommodations, please contact nmwatson@stkate.edu by April 24.

Allyson Buetow

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am funny, outgoing, creative, and an overall firecracker. I have been drawn to art my entire life, and my eye has always been attracted to bright colors and the type of art some may overlook. I have always wanted to have a career where I can practice my creativity and express myself. 

I focus on digital art because I enjoy being able to create fine art from behind a computer. My artistic journey is a dynamic exploration of the interplay between form and content, where every pixel, line, and color choice serves a purpose beyond mere aesthetics. Through my work, I want to share the struggle of self-confidence and believing in one's true worth. I intend for my work to help myself as well as help others.

In my design work, I draw inspiration from a variety of sources, from the clean lines of minimalist cartoons to the vibrant energy and color palette of video games. Each project I undertake is an opportunity to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, to challenge conventional norms, and open the viewer’s eyes. I aim to create work that attracts the eye, leaving a lasting impression on those who encounter it through my art. I endeavor to shape narratives, challenge perceptions, and ignite the imagination of audiences.

Making art is my safe place. When I make my pieces, my troubles in the world disappear and I feel free. Art is my escape from reality, art is my home, art is me.

Savannah Franklin

ARTIST STATEMENT
My artistic practice mainly consists of drawing, photography, and digital illustrations. I am drawn to making images based on nature, animals, and fantasy. I do this because I have always enjoyed being out in nature, seeing animals, and reading mythology, all of which feel whimsical to me. 

When I take photos, I try to avoid disrupting my subjects, opting to use either a macro lens or a telephoto lens that allows me to capture close-up images from a distance. I appreciate seeing things in detail and observing aspects of my subject that are hidden when viewed with the naked eye. I find inspiration for my compositions when I am outside. Hiking is one of my favorite activities to do outdoors because I am surrounded by nature, with many opportunities to find animals or plants that are visually compelling through their colors and patterns. 

My drawings often consist of skulls, animals, plants, and characters. I appreciate the macabre and the darker aspects. I find inspiration for drawing through nature as well. Most of my works have some sort of nature theme in them, whether it be through small details or colors. One example of the macabre shown in my exhibit is my work, Skull with Flowers, which combines a cat skull and roses. Nature is prevalent in the works Chained Rabbit, Snake with Flowers and Juvenile Blue Jay.

I believe that art should be enjoyable and I never want it to feel like a chore. In my artistic practice, I have learned that my work thrives when I give myself space and time to rest, reflect on my ideas, and give myself a creative break. My best work often emerges when my mind is fresh. 

Jade Lent

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am an artist who values savoring moments in time, and my work is shaped by both personal memories as well as my attempt to preserve my perspective of the natural world. I am inspired and fascinated by nature and its inhabitants. They constantly remind me of where my roots were planted when I began my journey as an artist. 

I have been enamored with the art of illustration from a very young age. This is the art form that holds deep familial connections for me. It reminds me of spending time with my cousins when we would sit at the dining room table, and draw characters from our imaginations for hours on end, and when I used to beg my dad to sketch my favorite video game characters on paper. My preferred method of creating lies largely in illustration because my love for art began at the intersection of my home and family.

My work is inspired by childhood memories of growing up in a rural area and being surrounded by the beautiful countryside. It comes from the values of wanting to protect and preserve the world we live in and the same one I grew up in. I create to evoke a sense of nostalgia while adding a piece of myself to these illustrations. In my illustrations, I am able to channel my values and draw inspiration from the miracles around me. My art is a way of documenting what I see in the world around me, while bringing awareness to the world, in hopes of protecting it.

Caitlin O'Malley

ARTIST STATEMENT
When I create my blind contours, I simultaneously think deeply and think about nothing at all. When working on these, my eyes follow the outline of the figure, my hands and arms move across the paper, and I usually listen to music that reflects my current mood. 

When I was younger, I didn’t really care how my art turned out or how others would perceive it—all that mattered to me was my response to the work, and how it represented me. As I got older, I started to care what people thought about my art, and because of that I only showed people my “most perfect” pieces. I didn’t want people to see the rough or unfinished pieces or parts of me. 

Through my series of blind contours, I’ve been able to have fun through my art again. I am not concerned with how others will perceive them, and I don’t have to worry about messing up a single line because the spirit of them is much more important than a single bad line. Each blind contour offers a different energy because every person and moment is different, so the feeling of them can change drastically, even if the model is the same. When creating my blind contours, I either listen to music, which allows me to channel my emotions onto the paper, or I talk with the people I am drawing. Both of these methods have a large impact on how these drawings eventuate. Some of my drawings feel very personal, because I have a personal connection with my subject, and others feel less personal, yet more powerful, because many of the people I draw have some sort of power to them. Each drawing has a different story and song behind it, which reveals itself through simple, abstract lines. 

My academic interests are similar to that of my artistic pursuits. In my research, I tend to focus on people, the art they create, and why they make the art they make. People intrigue me, and I enjoy learning more about them through their art and culture. 

Sofia Osterlund

ARTIST STATEMENT
Have you ever felt lost? What does that mean to you? 

Lost is a big word and I find myself contemplating it almost daily. It has become so easy to be lost. In a world that is vastly connected and rapid it is never hard to feel confused or over-burdened with worry. My art explores that feeling of being lost. Sometimes it's scary, getting lost in worry over the future. Sometimes being lost is a good thing: lost in imagination, lost in beauty, lost in love, lost in connection with the natural world. I make functional art, including vessels, garments, and jewelry, to create sustainable reminders that being lost isn’t the only way to exist on this fast-paced orb we call home, nor is lost always a terrible thing to be.

Nature is the main ingredient in all of my art. I am first, and foremost, an environmentalist, then a dreamer, then an artist. Through my work, I strive to build a kinship with nature. I work with clay to create vessels for nourishment. I work with natural textiles (linen, silk, wool, etc.) to compose wearable reminders of the comfort nature can bring to our bodies. My intention is to bring the eternal majesty of nature into the mundane routines of our daily lives. Secondly, I want to invite viewers to join my world of lostness, which can be defined by the playfulness, wonder and curiosity present in my art—these are the most exciting and joyful parts of being lost. Imagination is the gateway to worlds beyond ours and I want to create bridges to those worlds so that anyone can join at any time. Finally, I want to showcase the beauty that comes with self-reliance. When I am able to sustain myself through my own hard work, the fear of being lost fades, and the joy grows. My art is my guard against whatever the future holds. 

Gisselle Quintanilla

ARTIST STATEMENT
As a child, I was intrigued by the many daydreams my brain mustered. I always had a box of 120 crayons constantly in motion, gliding against printer paper. I kept a tiny pink binder with a collection of my small doodles. By the time I was ten, I had become more interested in my older sister’s book, How to Draw Anime Characters, and I spent every day focusing on the details of the final picture rather than the step-by-step progress of how to get there. It was like I learned a new way of seeing. I could look at the final image and break it down into a series of smaller pictures and comprehend how each small part of the art made it unique and complicated. This realization motivated me to learn more about making art, understand different art mediums, and explore techniques to achieve my creative style.

In 2020, the pandemic’s peak solidified my desire to pursue a career in the arts, as drawing became an escape from the harsh reality of the lockdown. I experimented by researching anatomy and tutorials to help me practice technical skills that later informed my digital illustrations. I used time-lapse videos to monitor my skills, find improvements, and determine what I needed to practice. I relied on my body to understand position, gesture, movement, and weight. Art became my therapy, and the beauty of self-expression became significant during my self-healing journey. Learning these skills allowed me to put my emotions in one place, so it became a healthy coping mechanism for expressing my feelings. I want to tell the story of an event or a series of stories into one picture for others to see and interpret the hidden message or story behind my pieces.

Justice Randolph

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am at a point in my life where my artistry knows no bounds. In my creative practice, I specialize in graphite and charcoal but in the end, I am a mixed-media artist. I embrace several materials and methods such as drawing, painting, sculpture and writing. Subsequently, I often blur the lines between each of them, paying no mind to the borders that separate them. However, the fluidity visible in my work now wasn’t always visceral. 

As a child, I had a wild imagination. Yet, I wasn’t able to articulate what I was able to create through my mind's eye into a work of art. I could carry out the action of drawing and painting but for some reason, my visual works consisted only of things I could see. It was the one point in time when my imagination was rendered useless. I could mimic anything with ease, from the sound of a voice to the style of a drawing. I have always been quite malleable in that way, changing my shape to perfectly fit into any container I was put in. Just like water. 

Nonetheless, as a young artist, I could mold myself to fit into any container but I didn’t change my shape often. I was quite strict with myself as a child. I received the words of my teachers very literally so I did as I was told, not as I felt. I thought that if I followed directions everything I did would be perfect. Still, I questioned why I could only put forth what I had already seen. The hardest part of this way of working has been my desire to think outside of the box I had always found myself in. I knew this wasn’t a “wrong” approach to art but I knew I could do more. I assume now that I was experiencing a creative block in my pursuit of perfection. I forgot that as babies, we learn to imitate before we begin to do those same things on our own accord. In the end, we must learn to walk before we can run.

Truth be told, I was never a perfectionist. I am a person who enjoys the perception of perfection but I have no desire to embark on the orderly journey of actually acquiring said perfection. I was just so engrossed in directions that I forgot I had a creative license. Now, unlike then, instead of my imagination being reserved for my head, it flows out of whatever tool extends from my fingertips. Through exposure to different artists and styles, it has inspired me to be more exploratory with my own work. As a result, I am able to gain access to what once was locked away from me, and I am beginning to discover my own motivations to create. I am excited to reveal different parts of myself through my works and to further develop myself as an artist.