porter honors spring ‘21
photo by rion huffman
letter from the chair Greetings from the PSU Department of Art. This newsletter, “Porter Honors”, highlights departmental majors that have received honors during the 2020-2021 Academic year. This includes students graduating, 3 with an emphasis in Studio Art and 3 with an emphasis in Art Education; those that have received merit-based department scholarships for the coming year; and those that are members in the Sigma Iota chapter of Kappa Pi, the international art honors fraternity. To say that the past year has been challenging would be an understatement, but we can simply call it a learning experience for everyone. With the pandemic, students and faculty have had to pivot their methods how we both teach and learn. This included learning studio disciplines in a fully online manner in the late Spring of 2020, to hybrid and hyflex formats in the Fall and Spring of this academic year to mitigate the exposure to COVID-19. The students and faculty alike have taken it in stride and adapted, making great work and moving their career goals forward despite the challenges. Through it all our students have been the focus. The Department of Art’s primary goal continues to be emphasizing the importance of creative skill sets, experimentation, and critical thinking, merging the classroom with the professional world to produce culturally and civically minded professional artists. -James Oliver
studio seniors pittsburg state university department of art
Everyone rents their own space in their mind, built and decorated in different ways. Some people inhabit darker living spaces than others, but I find myself constantly looking to turn on more lights. I use art to illuminate my own life experiences in a deceivingly innocent style which I hope viewers find thought provoking and even relatable. To me, clean line work and forms create an experience of beauty, stability, and calmness no matter the subject matter. I also think color is a special experience on its own and therefore should be used purposefully to convey different moods and emotions. The quality of line with ambiguous backgrounds or fantastical environments captures places where thoughts and memories live but cannot be photographed.
jessica kepler
DRAGONFLY
Jessica Kepler is a senior Art major with an emphasis in Illustration/Visual Storytelling. She was born in California, grew up in Oklahoma, and transferred to PSU in 2018. She is the Art Editor of Cow Creek Review, the Illustrator for Collegio, and an active member of Kappa Pi. In a collaborative project with
her brother, she illustrated the poetry book titled, “Punetry”. During her time at PSU, Jessica has also shown work in several exhibitions including this year’s Sunflower Biennial in Salina, Kansas. Her goal after graduating in May is to continue illustrating books and freelancing.
Samantha Moua is an illustrator and works primarily in gouache and ink. She was born and raised in California and moved to Kansas after graduating high school. She is currently working towards her Bachelor’s in Visual Arts and will graduate in December of 2021. She has had art showing in the Chanute Art Gallery
Graphic design and Illustration Exhibition and The Fall Student Gallery Exhibition. Additionally, she has collaborated with youtuber, Ashlee Thao, as an Illustrator and storyboard artist on the animated music video called The Eastern Sky. After graduating, she hopes to become a full time illustrator and travel the world. Language has been a struggle for me as I have grown up hearing Hmong, my native language, and speaking fluently in English. Furthermore, as an introverted individual, I struggle with putting words to my feelings; however, art gives me a voice to freely express my emotions without boundaries. Visual representation, to me, speaks volumes and describes more than words can. To that end, I love drawing comics. People may think that a comic limits you in a box of lines; however, I see an infinite realm in which I can explore and express my stories. When I was a child, I loved watching the colorful worlds and intriguing storylines of anime and Studio Ghibli films. I taught myself this style, creating my own world of characters reminiscent of anime with simple facial features and exaggerated body types. Because of this skill, I could connect with other people and make riends. With these experiences, I continued to incorporate people into my comics and paintings. I value human connections and the lessons I learn from them. Specifically working with ink, a nib and gouache, I combine these two medias to mirror our own reality with a two-dimensional effect. I attempt to guide the viewer to understand my experiences through stories of characters and their own worlds. My intention for the viewer to use their imagination to explore and cope with the message of connection to one another. I want them to hear my message and relate their stories to mine. In the end, we are all connected through stories which help aid us on our journey to growth.
samantha moua SELF PORTRAIT FT. FISHES
Born in Topeka, Kansas, Victoria Lemke lives and works in Fort Scott, Kansas. She will complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in 3-D work in May of 2021. After graduation, she hopes to have a website store set up to sell some of her rugs or other work. She also hopes that have some of her work in some exhibitions in the future.
victoria lemke
The fiber in fabric or yarn are individual yet hold so much life on their own. In my works the fibers help me in telling my story, as each of the fibers have a story that can be both good and bad. My life has been full of hard times with people, even my own family members, telling me that I am stupid. These people do not understand that I am just different, because part of my brain is not like most others my age. I need help reading, writing, and speaking, but knitting and sewing allow me not to overthink what I need to say or what to write. Creating these works allow me to focus on the creation, and not the imperfect world around me. Within my work there is never a straight line, and it is a bit imperfect in appearance. My works don’t hide behind their imperfections, rather they celebrate them. I feel that the rough cuts or pieces that tilt a bit more than they should are similar to me. The work, in fact, allows me to work with and around my learning disability rather than hiding from it. Afterall, it is the imperfections that make me who I am and my work identifiable.
Art is meant to be an adventure. Fiction, and fantasy specifically is a versatile form for the imagination. Fantasy can open Art is meant to be an adventu doors to the unimaginable because specifically it’s magic. It givesis a versati fantasy creatures like me the ability imagination. Fantasy can open to show the impossible, and unimaginable to bring the world because to life with it’s mag green forests, the me flow of potions, creatures like the ability to and the anomaly of fantastical impossible, and to bring the w creatures. When we’re faced with green forests, the the harsh reality in ourflow world of potio where struggle is inevitable wecreatur anomaly of fantastical get to feel part of something faced the harsh biggerwith than ourselves. We reality in can escape go on grand we get to struggle isand inevitable adventures where friendship something bigger thanis oursel true power, and there’s no such and goason grand adventures w thing impossible.
true power, and there’s no suc impossible.
vic martinac
Victoria (Vic) Martinac is a senior at Pittsburg State University with an emphasis in Illustration. With an interest in storytelling and worldbuilding, Martinac’s artistic career currently focuses on fantasy/ urban fantasy and character design.
She has participated in The Department of Art Student Exhibition in Labette, Kansas; and the Memorial Auditorium Kappa Pi Annual Exhibit in Pittsburg, Kansas. Following graduation, Martinac intends to be open-minded and see where creating continues to take her.
art ed seniors pittsburg state university department of art
D.J. Walker is a senior art education major. He is a transplant to Southeast Kansas from Kansas City, KS. After receiving an associates degree in fine art from Labette Community College He began course work at PSU. He is
d.j. walker
currently a student teacher at the Carl Junction R-1 school district. After graduation he will begin his new career as a high school art teacher at Labette County High School in Altamont, KS. He will try his best not to screw that up.
ty spurling
Mr. Spurling is currently student teaching art in the Pittsburg School District. Along with learning a lot, Mr. Spurling is having fun in the art room. He would like to stay in SEK to teach and is applying for positions at
local schools. He enjoys all forms of art, especially drawing and metalsmithing. Mr. Spurling is excited to graduate April 30, 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Art with an Emphasis in Education.
Jewel Schroeder grew up in Severy KS, and came to PSU to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education with a minor in Inclusive Education. She was involved in Lambda Sigma, University Art Association, National Art Education Association, National Society of Leadership and Success, National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi, and Phi Eta Sigma. She was Vice President and President of Kappa Pi Art Honor Society, Secretary of KAEA, and Vice President of Christian Challenge. Her artwork has been showcased in the Kappa Pi Student Exhibit in 2020, Memorial Auditorium Student Gallery Show 2018 and 2019, Fall Student Sculpture Exhibition 2018, and Louie Nicoletti Exhibition 2019. Jewel has been involved heavily in the art department with hanging gallery exhibitions, leading workshops for high school art day, participating in community service projects, preparing holiday parties for KAEA, organizing fundraisers, and working as a Studio Assistant for two and half years. She is currently student teaching in the Spring Hill, KS District, while preparing to get married in June and move to Parkville, MO to help with a church plant and be closer to her job. Jewel has accepted a job at JFK Elementary in the Kansas City Kansas Public School District.
jewel schroeder
kappa pi pittsburg state university department of art
jessica kepler senior
jewel shoeder senior
ty spurling senior
d.j. walker senior/initiate
alexis hoftiezer initiate
sholar ships pittsburg state university department of art
alexis hoftiezer
marjorie k. schick art supply scholarhsip g. doyle clugston book scholarship
claire bruening james j. & evelyn whitaker cattelino scholarship
devynn pitts
rosemary postai memorial scholarship
jaren kent
e.v. & frances b. baxter scholarship
katie wells
l.d. & e.s. boone memorial scholarship
samantha moua bertha spencer kappa pi scholarship laurence a. wooster scholarship bert & lilly keeney scholarship
thomas grover
louie nicoletti memorial scholarship
ella armentrout marjorie k. schick art supply scholarhsip