The “Rhythmic Hues” painting exhibition in the Waterfield Library Gallery showcased a lively range of works from various painting classes held this semester.

“Rhythmic Hues” features works from 18 students in painting courses 2 through 6. Jessica Fife, professor of painting and curator of the exhibition, said the works are brought together through common visual and thematic aspects. The featured works include a variety of colors, textures and inspirations.

“The students have honed in on their unique styles and interests and have also gained confidence in talking about their work more fluidly,” Fife said.

Irian Christie, junior studio art major, took Painting 2 this semester. The piece she entered into “Rhythmic Hues” is titled “Phoenix.” It depicts Christie as a young child wearing an Indonesian dress and surrounded by doodled flowers. She said the flowers bring a collaborative element to the painting because they are modeled after childhood drawings done by her siblings.

“This piece represents myself, the happiness of growing up, the process of transforming, and (a)(a) sense of play and curiosity,” Christie said.

Christie painted over batik fabric in “Phoenix” and the other pieces in her series to represent her family and Indonesian culture. The flowers are colored in over acrylic modeling paste to add three-dimensional texture.

Abigayle Cothran, junior art education major with a painting emphasis, doubled up on Painting 3 and 4 this semester. Her oil painting “2004” recreates a photograph of her older sister and cousin’s shared birthday. She said it is part of a series revolving around a dining room table present in many family photographs from the 1980s to the 2010s. 

“After my mom passed away last year, my interest in family photos grew,” Cothran said. “What I found so interesting was watching my family grow around (that table)… One by one, new family members, my sisters, my cousins and I started sitting around it too.”

Cothran’s oil pieces start with a burnt umber underpainting. She moves from the background to progressively smaller details. She said she likes for her paintings to look blended and natural.

The individual paintings are accompanied by 8 by 10 inch collaboration pieces in which one student paints a background and a second student adds a subject on top of it. The students do not know what the other has painted until they see the canvas. Fife said the collaborations were some of the most surreal paintings she has seen.

“The collaboration pieces prove to be a challenge for me every semester, but it is still fun and a good learning experience,” Cothran said. “These smaller pieces give us a chance to be creative and sometimes a little silly. My personal process for collaboration pieces is to be intuitive and just paint, but it can definitely be a challenge to get myself to stop trying to plan it out.”

An opening reception for the exhibition was held on April 29. Friends, family and community members joined the contributing artists to appreciate the featured paintings and celebrate the progress these students have made over the semester. 

“Being part of the exhibition felt great,” Christie said. “As an artist, you want to hear from people about your artwork. People encouraging us artists and supporting our work is what pushes us and inspires us to make more.”

“Rhythmic Hues” is the latest of many painting exhibitions Fife has curated from her students’ works. New exhibitions are put up at the end of each semester. 

“It’s a privilege to put this exhibition together,” Fife said. “I delight in seeing their work and their journeys, as artists and students.”