Department of Art Honors- Spring 2022

Porter Honors Spring ‘22

PSU

Studio Seniors Pittsburg State University Department of Art

Working in both traditional feel that these pieces will and digital painting be important to me in the mediums, I feel the future, as I am stepping with presentation of my student the rest of the world into a work is an important new era of technology and moment of passage. The changing social attitudes. It’s representation of my formal very much like crossing a studies paired with my bridge from what was old and observations of the world comfortable into something over the past two years is new and uncertain, a something I want to easily relatable and common dismiss as nothing more sentiment for everyone than practice; however, I enduring the shared experience of this moment in history.

Abby McCoy

-Abby McCoy Abby McCoy was born in Pittsburg, Kansas, and has been a lifelong resident.

She received a BFA with an emphasis on 2D visual arts (2021) from Pittsburg State University and is currently working at the Pittsburg Public Library as a Patron Services and Circulation Assistant. McCoy hopes to continue her education by entering into an art focused Master’s degree program in the coming year.

Grayson Johnson Being exposed to terminal illness and mental illness at a young age, I searched for comfort from my peers and found nothing. The toxically positive in my life didn’t care to understand what waking up on an operating table feels like or how dreadful life seemed when given a timer, they had simpler things to be invested in. As such, I’ve yet to find my perfect means of my social and emotional expression.

Being limited in this way I retreated where things were comfortable, back into my imagination. For those like me imagination is a monument to the emotions I’ve found so foreign for much of my life. This place wasn’t limited by pure science and statistics but could bloom to create the unseen. While entrenched in my imagination, I gleaned all I could from the people around me, bettering myself and broadening my understanding. Focused on the art of creation, I wasn’t limited to any specific media. This allowed me to craft characters and experiences that communicate feelings I have not had the opportunity to.

Recently my works have been illustrations highlighting the importance of mental health and the stigma surrounding it. Through abstract portraiture of vaguely human figures, I shed light on the negative interactions that we never acknowledge. I stray away from the direct representations of suffering and focus on the subtle mannerisms that may seem invisible to the average viewer. In this way I hope to draw parallels to mental health and its almost illusive unspoken qualities.

-Grayson Johnson

Grayson Johnson was born in Joplin, Missouri. He grew up surrounded by a creative set of brothers and friends that inspired him to follow his passions in the arts. After spending his high school career exhibiting across Kansas and Missouri, he decided to further his education. While the beginning of his art practice was self-taught, he is completing his BFA degree with an emphasis in Illustration from Pittsburg State University.

Currently my art is based on images created by people’s fears and anxieties. These emotions can be tied to real experiences, or they can be irrational. Nonetheless, they cannot be described in words.

The sense of uneasiness, whether feeling small, feeling loomed over or being watched, provides a common thread.

The versatility in the process of printmaking lends itself to these subjects. While focusing primarily monochromatically, working with solely black ink, the ability to use non-traditional methods of markmaking allows the process to mimic this fear. It allows me to both create depth, but also to isolate the subjects, creating scenes that are both eerie and striking, tapping into these fears with the composition of my images.

-Collin Chaney

Collin Chaney

Collin Chaney was born in March 2000 in Erie, Kansas.

He graduated from Neosho County Community College with an Associates degrees in both Arts and Sciences and is currently a student at Pittsburg State University (PSU) earning a Bachelor of Fine Art degree with emphasis in two-dimensional art. Collin is currently on the curatorial staff at PSU. His art has been exhibited locally in Kansas.

Illustrations, Collage, 3D design, and digital mediums are how I navigate through my cluttered mind. I strive to help others understand that our “single use” society is not sustainable and embrace their inner packrat. I do this with my process of using common objects and placing them outside their intended purpose to bring a new perspective to them. My work is influenced by everyday objects and what they become in their afterlives. I create overwhelming scenes that rarely give the eyes a place to rest that often reference nature such as reptiles, artifacts, and metaphysical elements to flood the viewer with information.

-Hannah Kinsey

Hannah Kinsey

Born in 1995 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hannah Kinsey is currently located in Joplin, Missouri. Her love of nature and thrifting influences her work. In 2018, she could not deny her true passion of being an artist and began pursuing the degree of Illustration and Visual storytelling. Her biggest achievement thus far is designing and working on the Tiger Mural located on Broadway Street in downtown Pittsburg, Kansas.

Primarily based out of Missouri, Jeren Kent’s photographs capture the conversation between artist and onlooker— seeking to portray relatable stories or emotions through means of still imagery. The photographs, primarily analog film, offer an organic approach to art in a world consumed by digital and plastic medias. Jeren has split his time between Missouri and Los Angeles, California while pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Pittsburg State University. From conceptualization to development, each frame of film is carefully crafted into existence by hand in a small home darkroom. A visual storyteller at heart, Jeren hopes that his work resonates with the viewers from an emotional standpoint.

I’ve always been a storyteller. Conceptualizing narratives as a child were the byproduct of abuse & trauma. These narratives allowed me to escape reality at a rather young age. Personable stories, crafted into actuality by my lens, served as the representation of self. The emotional weight endured throughout my life act as the perfect palette for visual storytelling. The experiences and feelings we can’t explain are what I want to document. Every interaction is irreplaceable, every image tells its own story.

Analog film and Darkroom processes have furthered my ability to insert myself into my work. Developing by hand is like having a conversation with myself. Each frame serves as the median between artist and onlooker— entailed with capturing every detail between its conception to its development. This organic experience means I spend more time between each image, carefully crafting each composition in a more controlled and personable way. Art speaks to those willing to have the conversation. The feelings we can’t explain, only experience, are what I want to document. Every interaction Is irreplaceable, every photograph tells its own story.

-Jeren Kent

Jeren Kent

Through the traumas of my life, art was always my safe place. Reflecting both the lighter and darker times in my life, illustrating stories gives me control of these memories. While originally in ink these works have been converted and completed digitally. With the works and story exhibited, I aim to create a metaphor through the character that reflects me. Visually the story alludes to my past leading to how I’ve grown as an individual. My hope for the viewer would be that they empathize with the character while investigating the shared experience of growth and change.

-Ali Doll

Ali Doll

Ali Doll was born in Joplin, Missouri, in 2001. Growing up, Ali was captivated by the arts. Be it watching cartoons or hours of drawing in a sketchbook, it was clear from the beginning that art would be an integral part of Ali’s life. She will be completing her Bachelor of Fine Art degree at Pittsburg State University in the Fall of 2022.

She plans to pursue a freelancing career upon completion of her degree.

Art Ed Seniors Pittsburg State University Department of Art

Mary-Kate (MK) Smith Kansas based artist, born in 1999, Mary-Kate (MK) Smith currently lives and works in Pittsburg, Kansas. She received a BFA with an emphasis in education (2021) from Pittsburg State University. Working primarily in oil paints, MK captures abstract nature scenes with vivid texture and color. Her work is visible on Instagram @mksmith.art.

Deanna (Korthals) Wilbee My name is Deanna Willbee and I am currently a full time student at Pittsburg State University, a part time worker at Joann Fabrics and Crafts and a Student Teacher for Art at District USD499 in Galena, Kansas. I am from Baxter Springs, Kansas, attended USD 508 from kindergarten to twelveth grade and currently reside there as well.

College credit wise I received credits from Labbett community college during my college credit courses in high school, and from there went on to Allen County Community College to receive my associates degree in Art. Currently, I am completing my bachelors degree in Art with an emphasis in Education from Pittsburgh State University. A few experiences that led me to where I am now is my newly discovered love in community college of inspiring and coaching others on their art no matter the age. Most recently I had the opportunity to participate in a mural painting class that painted the mural that resides in Porter Hall at PSU and the mural on the side of Main Street Axe Company in Pittsburg KS. Then, I was nominated as a teach of promise out of the 85 student teachers this semester. In regards to my career path after graduation, I have secured and signed a contract with the Neosho School District to be a Elementary Art Teacher for grades K-4 for the school year of 2022-2023.

Kappa Pi

Pittsburg State University Department of Art

Morgan Cravens Alexis Hoftiezer Katherine Wells

Samantha Moua Deanna Wilbee

Scholarships Pittsburg State University Department of Art

Rosemary Stapleton

Alexis Hoftiezer

Mo Cravens

Brianna Carranza

Devin March

Devynn Pitts

Claire Bruening

Michael Brito

Des Bridgeman

Ella Armentrout

Emma Stachowiak