Alumni Exhibition 2003

The Independent.  Marshall, MN   

BY BONNIE VAN MOORLEHEM

Stepping onto the second floor of Founders Hall, you will discover the temporary home of the Whipple Art Gallery, while the library is under construction.

The current exhibit, the Alumni Art Exhibit, which runs from Aug. 27 to Sept. 26, provides a glimpse into the lives of a few of Southwest Minnesota State's former art students. A reception for the Alumni Exhibit will be held during SMSU's homecoming festivities at 2 p.m., Sept 26.

Graduating with a studio art degree may seem bleak in this economy. For this reason, students often double major in areas as diverse as art education, communications and psychology.

Art classes at SMSU are founded upon two basic premises: the first is that few students are fortunate to make a living by their artwork.

Passion must be your drive. Secondly, you should paint what you know. When an artist paints what he knows, this truth will reflect in his artwork.

This year's Alumni Art Exhibit includes artist Catherine Abbot of Marshall, Jose Lamas of Worthington, Galen McCarthy of Jackson, Randy Meyer of Canby, Akira Oshima of Japan, Duane Penske of Vesta, Jason Schiffman of Jordan, Lucy and Gene Tokheim of Dawson, Jaden Van Ekeren of Sioux Falls and Bonnie Van Moorlehem of Minneota.

The first alumnus is an avid SMSU painter since age fourteen. Catherine Abbot's oil paintings have matured into canvasses of rich color and bold forms reflecting her interest in nature, relationships, mythology and animals. In addition to using oil paint, Cat also works with charcoal, pencil and colored pencil.

The second alumnus is Jose Lamas who uses rich colors in his expressionist paintings which often reflect his dual Hispanic and United States heritage. Leaving Mexico at a young age, Jose eventually pursued a degree at SMSU in history and studio art. Jose's exhibition painting is of a seascape with a dog, wolf and a turtle in the foreground. Jose's expressionist style employs unusual colors for his subject's emotions and experiences. Viewing Jose's paintings makes the viewer want to know more about Jose and what he knows.

When the Whipple Art Gallery's director and former SMSU art professor, Ed Evans requested that Galen McCarthy paint what he knew, Galen painted just that: cows. Growing up on a dairy farm, Galen replied that he knew more about cows than anything else. Using a technique of airbrushing acrylic paint, Galen's cows proved Evans to attest that his paintings are more than just cow pictures. They are portraits showing the personality of each cow. Galen is not only known for his cows but for other farm subjects such as tractors. Galen lives in Jackson and is an art educator in the Trimont School system.

Canby farmer Randy Meyer may have had a similar story of his paintings if it weren't for his religious involvement in his church as a Sunday School superintendent and a member of the church council. Meyer's two paintings are titled Forgiven and Mary's View. Both of Meyer's acrylic paintings depict Jesus Christ on the cross in a bold expressive realism style.

Much farther from the Marshall area, SMSU alumni Akira Oshima resides in Tokyo with his wife and one child. He is the oldest son, so according to Japanese custom, Akira assumes much responsibility which includes looking out for the welfare of his mother, his sister and his uncles. In Japan space is very valuable so now he has to paint small.

After studying briefly in Wisconsin, Akira was attracted to Evans freedom-of-expression style of teaching art at SMSU.

Akira's large painting in the alumni show is a hard-line, bold acrylic painting of a reclining woman in a bathing suit that he did as a SMSU student.

A little closer to home is Duane Penske from Vesta. Glancing quickly at Penske's work, the style that comes to mind is of a cartoonist, caricaturist and 3-D work. Looking closer at his work, you realize there is much more to the bold, colorful, funky art. Studying it you will find the subliminal messages of the political satire. Duane's artwork draws from his own personal experiences conspired with his imagination. Duane's provoking titles are fun to ponder, titles such as Betty Crocker Really Burnt Me and New Age Recliner. Duane's artwork is often one of the favorites among both children and adults in the exhibit.

An artist who doesn't take his artwork too seriously is Jason Schiffman. When he was asked for an artist s statement, Jason replied, All of my artwork is so superficial. I d rather let viewers draw what they can from my artwork rather than direct them. Jason's artwork is a blend of pop art and expressionism. Ed Evans said, Jason is an excellent craftsman. He paints many hours a day and has a genuine passion for art and is very professional.

Jason lives in Jordan and works for a contractor building custom homes.

Another style of painting in the exhibit is that of Bonnie Van Moorlehem who is a horticulture therapist and therapeutic landscaper. Bonnie paints in an abstract, mosaic style. She is a colorist and is fascinated with lines. Bonnie said that she uses her landscape knowledge and incorporates those principles in her paintings. Bonnie has a tendency to see individual parts that make a whole, much like a landscaper sees when he designs a landscape.

The Alumni Exhibit includes the stoneware made by Lucy and Gene Tokheim. Living by Dawson, they have been creating wheel-thrown stoneware pottery and sculptures since 1973. The Tokheim s earth-tone stoneware is known for its Nordic detailing. The stoneware ranges from simple, functional pieces to sophisticated pieces. Their shapes range from wedding platters, vase, bowls and kitchen storage jars. After attending SMSU, Lucy and Gene went on to study Norwegian folk art at the Vesterheim Museum in Docorah, Iowa and at Raulands Akademi in Telemark, Norway. Tokheim's stoneware is exhibited in both Norway and the United States.

The Alumni Exhibit also includes Jaden Van Ekeren s two black and white photographs. Jaden's photographs focus tastefully on the flow of the nude human form. Through the eyes of Jaden, we view the human body as a graceful art form. Jaden just recently moved to California and plans to attend graduate school for photography.

The public reception is at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26. Ed Evans as well as many of the alumni artists will be present to visit and answer any questions you may have. We hope you will join us.