Senior art show “Concinnity” opens April 27

Harmony of artistic elements come together for senior show “Concinnity” opening April 27

Contact: Cory Peeke | Nightingale Gallery Director
541-962-3584 | cpeeke@eou.edu

April 20, 2012
LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) – The showcase of work by senior art students at Eastern Oregon University continues with the exhibition “Concinnity” opening Friday, April 27 in Nightingale Gallery in Loso Hall.

A reception for Meagan Byerly, Auburn Isaak, Danielle Iveson and Madison Stapleton will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday. The display of their capstone work in mixed media, drawings, ceramics and photography continues through May 11.

“Concinnity means a harmonious adaption of elements,” said Cory Peeke, Nightingale Gallery director. “In each of these artists’ work, they create a sense of harmony using a variety of materials. Whether through the use of charcoal on paper, or creating imagery with a camera made of LEGOs, agreeable composition is evident in all their work.”

Byerly, originally from Idaho but currently living in La Grande, creates traditional ceramic pottery working both on and off the wheel. Her work is comprised mainly of coil built vases and large serving bowls. Her coil built forms are heavy on surface texture and have a sense of visual lift, making them appear lighter than they actually are. Her serving bowls are wide and shallow with rims that have fluid, continuous lines.

Byerly uses black slip in two different ways in her work; first as an addition to the textural pots to highlight the low relief areas; and second, to create graphic marks that contrast with the organic nature of the forms in order to attain a sense of lift. She will graduate from EOU next fall with a bachelor’s of science degree in art.

Isaak, also currently living in La Grande, uses her passion for music as inspiration to explore the visual relationship between the intentions of sound and an individual’s interpretation of sound.

As a songwriter and active local musician, Isaak is interested in how sound interacts with the individual beyond the act of listening. Through mixed media sculptures, she attempts to create a connection between the bond of objects and their rhythmical silent interaction. She is pursuing her bachelor’s of science degree in art at EOU.

Iveson has focused on painting and drawing for the past three years at EOU. Her current work consists of charcoal drawings of nude female figures. Iveson uses the nude female form to represent herself as a woman, vulnerable due to societal priorities and expectations. She captures the raw emotion of the human figure while using deep abstract blacks to contrast stark whites in order to heighten the drama of the already contorted figures.

Iveson grew up in Union and graduated from Union High School in 2007. She is currently living in La Grande and completing her bachelor’s of science degree in art with a minor in business administration.

Stapleton’s work addresses the dichotomy between the controlled and the untamed aspects of life. This is represented by her creation of a LEGO pinhole camera, a strict building medium used to create a device that produces unpredictable results in the images.

Stapleton currently lives in La Grande and is completing her bachelor’s of science degree in art with a minor in communications from EOU.

Nightingale Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www.eou.edu/art/nightingale/index.html or connect with the gallery on Facebook.