Response to Artists Talks, Art Studio Exhibition II

I attended Ya Haddy Njie’s, Emily Norris’s, and Bonnie Veblen’s Art Studio Exhibition II. It was intriguing to me to see such magnificent art and have the artists there to explain what their art meant to them.
Despite what they said there art meant to them, it was hard not to draw your own interpretations. For instance, Ya Haddy explained that her art was a search for her identity and a way for her to express how past experiences have contributed to creating a false identity for her which she has been constantly fighting so that she can create her own identity. When I examined her art, I saw the intense emotions she felt coming from the expressionistic depiction; however, if I was not given the background information I would never have known that her art was describing her internal struggle to develop her own identity. In fact, I would have only known that her art was to express some sort of frustration because her work was only black and white with varying forms of harsh lines composed in different layers that seem to symbolize anger. It was odd though that Ya Haddy had pointed this out in the insert that was distributed at the show. In the insert, Ya Haddy states that her “symbolic expressions sometimes appear to be a portal pulling my viewers in and other times act as a barrier, stopping the viewers from knowing anything beyond that point.” It was also unique to see art presented in new ways which I have never seen. Emily Norris’s work used sharp, geometric edges to separate fluid and irregular objects. By doing this, it was like separating reality with some unreal parallel universe. The non-real, real images had some potent, perplex energy to them that captivated me. Lastly, it was very pleasant to view the nourishing artworks of Bonnie Veblen. Bonnie’s art was very nourishing because it was able to exemplify nature’s serene beauty and create a connection between you and nature. In other terms, the work itself was so powerful that you got lost in it and like a dream you were surrounded by nature and its presence (almost like reading a good book and being able to visualize everything taking place). The connection between me and her artwork was probably stronger than the other two artists because there is more I can relate to. When you see a picture of a tree, you know exactly what the picture is of- a tree. So when examining an oak tree foregrounded against a soothing, naturalistic setting, you are immersed by a pleasant, naturalistic sensation.
In totality, the Art Studio Exhibition II was very astounding and surprised me what great artists we have here at SMCM.