Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Professor Denise Presnell-Weidner and Julie Han answer questions at the reception.

Atsushi Kobayashi, Julie Han, and Sam Copp are the seniors on exhibit.

Dozens crowded into the Bradley Gallery on the frigid night of Thursday, Jan. 24 to attend this semester's first of two senior art exhibitions.

The seniors who presented their work were Sam Copp, of Oostburg, WI; Atsushi Kobayashi, of Tokyo, Japan; and Julie Han, of South Korea.

Each of the three art majors had an opportunity to present their work to the audience. Following the artists' statements were comments from professors Denise Presnell-Weidner and Bill Weidner. Afterwards, the audience had a chance to ask questions.

Sam Copp was the first to discuss his work. Inspired by Bible stories and art masterpieces from the likes of Michelangelo and Leonardo, many of Copp's pieces depict religious imagery.

At one point during questioning, Copp mentioned that he didn't feel confident working with color. One look at his vibrant artwork would tell the viewer otherwise.

Copp said he hoped to continue with his art, and really enjoyed making artwork on commission. He mentioned that he would like to connect with kids through drawing, and aspires to teach English in Japan.

The next artist to give a statement was Atsushi Kobayashi, who stated that his goal was to become a designer. While at Lakeland, he learned a great deal about composition, and photography. Kobayashi expressed his feelings on the importance of learning the basics of composition in photography for all graphic designers.

Although Kobayashi is not sure if he has settled into a particular style, he does manage to put a unique twist into his designs.

"Whenever he was given an assignment, he was very experimental with it," said Presnell-Weidner. She went on to comment that Kobayashi would usually find a way to apply humor to his work, and was very aware of the task at hand.

Interested in industrial design, Kobayashi said he hoped to learn more about interior space and architecture through future job training in Japan.

The third and final artist to discuss her work was Julie Han. Han stated that her favorite courses were watercolor and black and white photography.

Interest in computer design and animation is what brought Han to Lakeland College, but she soon found out that she really connected with the studio arts. At first, Han was nervous at the prospect of working with colors, but soon found out that she really enjoyed it. Han has discovered that she was finding her identity through art education and self expression.

Han's hopes for the future are to move in a modern direction, to innovate an art format that combines both computer generated imagery with studio art mediums.

The ongoing exhibition is for graduating Lakeland art majors to learn how to market themselves as artists.

It provided an opportunity for the students to open themselves to the local art community, and for those who attended to become a part of the overall experience.

Lakeland Student Art

*Convocations*

Spring 2008


Senior Art Exhibit II

Jan 24-Feb 21

Senior Art Exhibit III

Mar 6-Apr 10

*opening reception thursday mar6, 5:30pm-6:30pm*

Annual Student Art Exhibit

Apr 24-May 23

*opening reception thursday apr24, 5:30pm-6:30pm*

Bradley Building Hours

Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

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