On-Campus Student Art Show

Transpace recently hosted a student art show with work by Lyzz Lundberg, Marisa Boyd, and Jason Engel. While this show was fairly small, consisting of only about 15 works, it definitely displayed a high level of talent coming from both Illinois State University as well as the individual students. After walking around the displays, just glancing at the works, one could tell whose work was whose. While some may find this to be an issue, this is not necessarily a problem because these artists are just beginning their art major tenures and are finding their specific styles and creative processes. 

Lyzz Lundberg's work caught my eye the most out of all the pieces. I enjoyed her use of color, shape, perspective, and cubism. A lot of her pieces were very realistic when it came to the figures and areas they were in, but they were warped and overlapped in different ways which made them unique to look at. As you can see, her work is very effective when thinking about modern art. 

Acrylic & Gold Leaf on Canvas (2016), Lyzz Lundberg, Transpace
Hallway No. 4, Acrylic & Gold Leaf on Canvas (2016), Lyzz Lundberg, Transpace

She follows the same type of pattern in all her work, showing that they belong together before even looking at the titles. I enjoyed the little areas of her artwork that sort of looked like they could be mistakes, but were actually probably very intentional. One example is in the piece below, Hallway No. 1, where some of the red and yellow stripes are going over the woman figure or the area that looks like the ground.  

Hallway No. 1, Acrylic on Canvas (2016), Lyzz Lundberg, Transpace

Hallway No. 2, Acrylic on Canvas (2016),  Lyzz Lundberg, Transpace

My favorite aspect of all of her paintings is warped perspective like in older paintings. It's almost as if the artists were so close to getting the perspective drawn correctly, but then they forgot one little angle, which in return messes with the whole idea of how perspective works. I really loved this about her paintings because it gave your eyes so much to jump around to and think about, as opposed to being so straight forward. 

Rooms Overlooking Estate Garden, Acrylic & Gold Leaf on Canvas (2016), Marisa Boyd, Transpace

        Marisa Boyd's work was quite different in the sense that she didn't experiment as much with color and figures as she did organic shapes and value. I can appreciate what she has done because it is very abstract, but she accomplishes 3-Dimensional shapes just by using a range of values. A lot of her pieces look as if the forms are going to pop off of the page, causing you to get closer to examine the anatomy of the composition. As you can see, most of her work is using charcoal or ink, where some are so black that it is hard to tell what is being represented. 

Preface, Charcoal, Paper, & Ink on MDF (2016), Marisa Boyd, Transpace

Chapter: Places of Interest No. 1, Acrylic, Ink, & Collage on Canvas with Found Objects (2016), Marisa Boyd, Transpace

   
        I loved her two pieces that featured multiple drawings the most. It is amazing how different they all are, but simultaneously alike. I found myself comparing each individual piece over and over trying to find common shapes or patterns. I appreciate how they were presented together. If they were apart from each other, I probably wouldn't have experienced them the same way. 

Chapter: Imprint No. 1 - 7, Ink on Paper (2016), Marisa Boyd, Transpace

Chapter: State of Being No. 1 - 10, Charcoal on Paper (2016), Marisa Boyd, Transpace

        After reviewing the two artists above, we finally come to Jason Engel's work. The very first piece I was drawn to in this show was that of his. Whether it was the use of the bright yellow, or the intriguing child like figure, I immediately saw it and walked over without even thinking. I loved that he drew and painted this on a found piece of wood. It gives it so much texture and life that it almost shows you what the person in the jacket has been through. While this piece is not titled, along with all his others, I believe this person has been suffering. Their facial expression, along with the downward tilt of the head, makes me think they are experiencing negative feelings. If he would have titled this work, I am afraid that I would have experienced this piece differently.

Tempera & Pencil on Found Object (2016), Jason Engel, Transpace

        Out of all of the artists, his work varied the most within his own style. There was a range in the materials and subjects for each piece. As you can see the first work is on the complete opposite end of the scale as the one below. I enjoyed his lighter sketch pieces compared to this one, but I appreciate the fact that he experimented more with the work he was creating. 

Oil on Canvas (2016), Jason Engel, Transpace

Something that I noticed about his style was that it seemed so simple and effortless. It also felt as if his work wasn't fully completed. While I know this isn't the case, I enjoyed that because it left myself, the viewer, to fill in empty space. This made his work very interactive since my mind was constantly trying to come up with ideas on how to "complete" it. 

 Pencil on Paper (2016), Jason Engel, Transpace

(Close up), Pencil on Paper (2016), Jason Engel, Transpace

        While viewing this show, I found myself walking in circles because of how interested I was in the way all of the artists made their work. Overall, this show was really exciting to walk through. When viewing a student art show, I tend to think that I could be them one day, and it always makes me appreciate the artwork for what it is, who they are, and how far they have come. I am excited to see what these artist's futures hold and hope to see their work again some day.