USA student show opens at Townhouse Gallery

The student art show is held annually and is open to all South Alabama artists who are interested. This year the art show is being held in the Mobile Townhouse, located on South Alabama's campus and is open from Jan. 19 until Feb. 6. The opening reception and award show was held on Jan. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. The reception brought many interested viewers as well as talented artists who were awaiting their awards. The student art show welcomes all types of mediums and this year included oil paintings (both realistic and abstract), pencil and charcoal drawings, clay sculptures as well as other sculptures. There were over 40 participants who submitted their work, and, out of these people, six received honorable mentions, and one piece won first place. The show was judged by Barclay McConnell, a new art history teacher in the visual arts building. "There was a lot of really great work," McConnell said. "I ended up spending much more time then I expected while judging the pieces. I tried to be fair to all of the disciplines and create an equal balance of distribution to the awards. I am really proud of all of these students!" The six individuals who received honorable mentions were Heather Duffy for "American Male 1," Georgia Godwin for "Urban Legends: The Opportunist," Zach DePolo for an untitled ceramic piece, Allen Hollingshead for "Mocha," Lisa Buckner for "These Hands of Mine," and Justin Snyder for "Hooked." Each of these pieces was created using a different medium and was the best from its category. The participant who won first place was Kimberly Shumski with an untitled oil painting of a female nude. I could see why the piece was chosen for first place. The use and control of color in the figure was perfect. The composition was interesting and included a loosely painted background that provided enough information for the viewer and complemented the figure, or the focal point, with its contrasting strokes and color. The student art show is something worth seeing as well as entering. It is a wonderful way to expose work as well as experience the talent at South Alabama. "I think it's a good idea to get involved and submit your art work. It looks great on your resume, and I think it is a good idea to take advantage of these things like the student art show. It is a way to gain knowledge and experience before graduation," said Katherine Collins, an art student and participant in the show. Kim Olensky, another participant in the show, said, "The artists we have at South Alabama are really talented, and one day their art will be everywhere." The Mobile Townhouse is open Tuesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is open on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.