Lucent

Lucent (adj.)

[lu•cent]: glowing with or giving off light; luminous

what lucent means to us

To be lucent is to be radiant, prolific, rooted: weaving pieces of yourself in with the work you create. You stretch steadily outwards, and your unique essence glows throughout what you’ve made. Lucence is exhilarating, the soft extra inch a dancer gains from an allongé, the slow spread of dust motes through a sunbeam. Lucence is your light, and everyone’s shimmers in a different hue.

Blanca X Robles Altamirano

Biography

Blanca is a double major in Mathematics and Studio Art with a concentration in Painting/Drawing. Being born in Mexico and raised in California, Blanca shares her experiences through her artwork. Growing up a in Mexican household Blanca mostly focused on her academics, while having art as a hobby. Even though her journey with art began as a hobby, she decided to professionally pursue art in college. She is inspired by her background, identity, surroundings, daily tasks and significant events. Blanca mainly works with acrylics but enjoys experimenting in different mediums. Within every work she allows viewers to step into her work and create their own connection or interpretation.

Artist Statement

In this series of work I use specific objects to portray significant moments in my life. As a Mexican born and California raised DACA recipient, growing up my parents raised my siblings and I the best that they could in an unfamiliar place. As I grew up, I’ve created a home here with my family but sometimes struggle with my identity. By taking a step back, I’ve noticed that there are parts of my life that evidently embed my background. I became aware that certain things that were normal to me were seen as cultural to others. This is when I decided to embrace my culture by highlighting certain occasions. These

occasions have shaped me into who I am and hold an important part in my life. They express my stance, my journey, and my way of living in different aspects that include religious, social, traditional, and political components. Overall, my work allows the viewers to have a glimpse of moments in my life while reflecting and creating a connection to their own or my story.

Follow

Blanca X Robles Altamirano Cultural Embrace, 2023 Acrylic on Canvas 18”x 24”

Blanca X Robles Altamirano Mi Permiso, 2023 8”x8” Acrylic on Paint

Blanca X Robles Altamirano Feliz Cumpleaños, 2023 Acrylic on canvas 8”x 8”

Blanca X Robles Altamirano Educada, 2023 Acrylic on Canvas 8”x8”

Blanca X Robles Altamirano Los Tres Reyes Magos, 2023 Acrylic on canvas 8”x”8”

PAINTING & DRAWING

Prairie Augustine

Biography

Prairie Augustine came to Redlands in 2019, graduating spring 2023 with a Studio Art degree (concentrating on Painting & Drawing) and a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor. They work painting in acrylics, gouache, and watercolor, drawing with ink & alcohol markers, as well as digital illustrations.

Their passion for art started very young, doing fanart of their favorite tv shows and toys. High school gave them the chance to more seriously explore art in a technical way, and now they’ve made it integral to their identity. Outside of art, their greatest passion is Dungeons and Dragons— they’ve been playing the tabletop roleplaying game with some of their best friends for some years now, and are never involved in less than 3 separate campaigns at a time. Their love for fantastical roleplay is married to their identity as an artist. They can be found on all social media @scummycowboy

Artist Statement

If one were to take, say, three different queer theory textbooks, a fantasy art book from the 1970s, the lyrics from several Florence + the Machine songs, and a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet, and put them all in a blender, my capstone would pour beautifully into a glass upon emulsification. My work aims to look at how queer community, love, sensuality, sex, and eroticism can find safe means of expression in fantastical settings and spaces. Fantasy as a genre serves as any one person’s perfect escape from the real world; for queer people, this looks like an expression of self without suppression or fear of harm for being authentic to oneself. As

a queer & trans person, fantasy serves as my safety for self expression. So, mycapstone illustrates what that looks like. Trans bodies bathed in shimmer and resplendent light, polyamorous satyrs engaging in a debaucherous bacchanal, elven lovers escaping from a gala to have a moment alone (to name a few scenes within this body of works). The intimacy and weight of these pieces, along with the stories they tell, serves as a love letter to queer people of the past, present, and future.

Prairie Augustine Orange Hair Fairy, 2023

Prairie Augustine Safety in Solitude, 2023 watercolor & gouache

Prairie Augustine Merman and Bride, 2023

Prairie Augustine Space Woman Boudoir, 2023

Prairie Augustine Purple Hair Fairy, 2023

Prairie Augustine Dress Fairy, 2023

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Celia Burch

Biography

Celia Burch is a graphic designer, illustrator, and web designer from Chicago. She started her design journey through illustration. Drawing provided her with a way to express all the thoughts she had in her head without having to say them. The weird thoughts in her head led to abstract and unconventional visions scribbled on paper. This process stuck with Celia as she developed her creative process; even now, designing begins with pages of scribbles until the right idea emerges. Through this process, Celia’s work becomes immersive. She strives to evoke memories with her pieces and inspire curiosity.

Artist Statement

My work as a graphic designer is rooted in a sense of play and exploration. I strive to create designs that are intimately detailed to encourage the viewer to look twice. In other words, those who seek will in fact find. I believe that the playful act of seeking and finding allows the viewer to build an emotional connection between themselves and the piece. I press for this level of connection in each of my designs. Sometimes it is an illustration where I insert a small detail, such as two tiny birds enjoying a cup of coffee alongside where two friends also sip coffee. Or a website in which hovering over something rewards

the viewer by revealing a new image. The comfort of knowing that there is more to find, more to seek, lets the viewer nestle into the work and look longer and further.

Grays Advertisements, 2023 printed posters

x 18 in

Celia Burch

Celia Burch Bia Cereal Packaging Flat Design, 2023

Celia Burch Inhabit Magazine, 2023 print catalog 8.3”x11.7”

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Athena C.

Biography

Athena was born and raised in the Bay Area of California, and will be graduating with a double major in psychology and art with a graphic design concentration. Since childhood, she has enjoyed expressing her creativity through drawing, creative writing, and singing. An interest in research and the study of human behavior coincided with Athena’s creative endeavors. Her liberal arts education provided the chance to explore her creative and research interests from an interdisciplinary perspective that informs her work in both graphic design and psychology. After graduation, she plans to pursue further education in psychological science and a career in research and teaching.

Artist Statement

Growing up, Athena’s artistic expression served as a form of escapism and self-expression. Training in graphic design emphasized her passion for providing others with escapism in the fantastical and promoting empowerment in one’s identity. Her senior project reflects an interest in encouraging the development of a positive body image and self-esteem among children in a lesson plan designed around an original adaptation of Hans Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling. As a complement to this work, Athena designed a sexpositive sex education campaign for college campuses emphasizing the celebration of body diversity.

Athena C. Reverie, 2022 Digital illustration 8.56 x 10.69 in

Athena C. Ugly Duckling Lesson Plan Packaging, 2023 Cardboard

15 x 10 x 4 in

Athena C. Ugly Duckling Book, 2023

Digital illustration

8.5 x 8.5 in

Athena C. Ugly Duckling Lesson Plan, 2023

Digital illustration

PHOTOGRAPHY

Koko Furlong

Biography

Koko has a double concentration in the Art Department at the University of Redlands, with photography as her primary focus. Since Koko was a kid, she was amazed to see how a photograph could defeat time and take one back to their most emotional moments. She started her photography journey during her travels as a kid when her mom handed her a camera. Since then, Koko has worked freelance shooting sports and lifestyle photography, has traveled to Austria to photograph a music festival in the Konzerthaus, Vienna, and has photos published in Big Life Magazine in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she was born.

Artist Statement

My work aims to create an environment for women to feel unapologetic for who they are, to subvert sexualization of the body and conventional beauty standards to reveal how deeply sexism and other biases are embedded in mainstream American culture. Growing up alongside social media, I felt as though I had to fall into a certain category and fumble with the ever-evolving self-image constructed by social standards. As a portrait photographer I create a space for my models to feel confident in front of me. I urge them to give into vulnerability and make unapologetic contact with the lens that many shy away from outside of the studio. This body of work plays with the relationship between dramatic shadows and light and how these aspects can enhance the human form. Each print leads the viewer on a journey of the often-missed

details of the human body that is viewed at various angles and under different light sources. The sharp shadows cast on the subjects, weave between bone indents, curves, down to an individual goosebump. This series of images intentionally highlights the overlooked areas of the body to draw attention to the beauty of skin that makes us all human and to introduce a world of confidence where openness with one’s body is not associated with sexualization.

Koko Furlong Untitled, 2023 Digital B&W

Koko Furlong Untitled, 2023 Cyanotype 15”x22”

Koko Furlong Untitled, 2023 Van dyke browns 15”x22”

Luis Mendez Gonzalez PHOTOGRAPHY

Biography

What started out as a self-taught hobby in middle school with a busted hand-me-down Canon has blossomed into a lifelong passion for multidisciplinary artist Luis Mendez. Pushing what it means to be a contemporary artist in the digital age, Luis utilizes outdated technology to create forward-thinking artwork. Luis works primarily with photography, video production, and music, favoring analogue film, Hi8 and DV, and cheap vintage synths to build imperfectly perfect worlds that explore emotional, psychological, and spiritual subject matter.

Artist Statement

Eternal Beings is an experimental short film who’s true meaning is entirely up to the viewer’s own interpretation, experiences, and beliefs. The short film uses free-form, non-narrative ambiguity to create an immersive, abstract experience that is its own living entity. My ideas and personal meanings towards the project don’t matter; its meaning will be different for each viewer. In a way, I want the short film to be like a mirror, revealing a little bit about the viewer’s own identity and humanity according to what they take out of it.

Within the short film, a nameless character follows a mysterious apparition which guides them through different mental spaces that are not quite physical yet not quite imaginary. Like a circle, the story has no defined starting point or ending point, looping into itself endlessly. The short film is accompanied by an original soundtrack

that I produced and a series of photographs that add to its collective story.

I used different experimental approaches when creating the story to ensure the final product would allow the viewer to make their own meaning. Inspired by the seven chakras of Hinduism and Buddhism, I formed seven different narratives each connected with its own color motif, which was then cut and mixed during editing to form a non-linear jumble of contrasting images. I also made use of costuming, location, and lighting to all play its own part in the overall puzzle of the short film.

Luis Mendez Gonzalez Eternal Beings Poster, 2023 35 mm Color Film edited in Photoshop

Luis Mendez Gonzalez Eternal Beings Images, 2023 35 mm Color Film

Luis Mendez Gonzalez Eternal Beings Stills, 2023 AVCCAM Footage

Jennifer Hitchcock SCULPTURE

Biography

Jennifer is a double major in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Studio Art, emphasizing in Ceramics/ Sculpture. Art has always been a major part of her life and while her artistic journey started with music and dancing, she is constantly exploring new mediums to creatively express herself. She was first introduced to ceramics in high school but started to pursue it more seriously in her junior year of college. Her most recent work focuses on sharing her experiences as an international adoptee and sparking dialogue on topics including assimilation, immigration, and identity. After graduation, Jennifer plans on continuing her education by earning a master’s in Speech Language Pathology while pursuing art in her free time.

Artist Statement

My work is an homage to my birth heritage and experiences as an international adoptee. I was adopted from China by my Mexican mother and grew up in predominantly white communities. Inspired by Ming-dynasty porcelain, I have created a dinner set that represents the experiences of disconnect adoptees can feel from their birth culture. It also speaks to the bigger issues of assimilation and immigration. Each piece in the set is unique and hand crafted from porcelain with care, combining traditional techniques with contemporary elements. The Chinese dragon motif unifies each of the pieces into a whole and is a representation of the year I was born. Each work incorporates questions or phrases that strangers and friends have asked me as well. Food has cultural influence and importance. It is almost always

shared and is a way to connect with your cultural identity and engage in cultural exchange. This dinner set has been created with the intent of inviting people to sit down and engage with it. I believe that art has the power to create connections and foster understanding. I hope that this dinner set can serve as a conversation starter and spark dialogue.

Jennifer Hitchcock A Seat at the Table, 2023 Porcelain teacups

Jennifer Hitchcock A Seat at the Table, 2023 Porcelain plates, face detail

Jennifer Hitchcock A Seat at the Table, 2023 Porcelain bowls, interior detail

Jennifer Hitchcock

A Seat at the Table, 2023 Porcelain teapot

PAINTING & DRAWING

Casey Holt

Biography

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Artist Statement

With this body of work, I’ve explored the way that food acts as a throughline linking different aspects of my life. I often struggle to connect the many sides of who I am into one cohesive self concept because, as a better poet than me put it, I contain multitudes. I’m neurodivergent, mentally ill, physically ill, queer, and transgender. I’m a dancer, a writer, a widower, a terrible chef, and an avid punk music listener. These different aspects of myself clash and conflict, but by finding the common ground that food occupies in all of them, I can understand them more clearly as interconnected pieces of myself. My work uses mainly textiles to examine the role that food plays in these aspects of my life, whether it’s the quick meals I ate during my summers of drum corps or the peanuts

I have to force down when I’m too depressed to eat. This work is highly personal and specific to my own life, but it invites tactile interaction, allowing viewers to touch the work and find their own ways of relating to it, whether their experiences are similar to or completely different from mine.

Follow Casey’s artistic journey

@insufficientchicken

Casey Holt Suck Now, 2023 mixed textiles, beading

Casey Holt So You Don’t Suck Later, 2023 crochet, mixed textiles

Casey Holt Three-Quarters Salted, 2023 crochet, beading, peanut

Casey Holt Soft Around the Edges, 2023 mixed textiles

Casey Holt Sorry Ass, 2023 mixed textiles

Casey Holt Suffer for Beauty, 2023 fabric, hardware

PAINTING & DRAWING

Kim Oller

Biography

Kim Oller is a Studio Arts Major with emphasis in Painting and Drawing. As soon as she was taught to hold a pencil, Kim was drawing and experimenting with different methods of mark making and alternate canvases. Raised in the Catholic Church, sacred images in stained glass, renaissance paintings, and pictures of early church frescos were all part of her upbringing. It was only natural that her interest in art became a predominant part of her life leading her to pursue a path where she could learn all she could about painting, its history, and its advancing changes into the world today.

Artist Statement

Skin Deep: Sacred Art is a series of portraits that I have chosen to be of my Church community. Sacred Art reflects upon the mysteries of God, His Creation, and His Glory and the most wonderful example of His Creations are His people. While I know people are not perfect, it is all the more reason I have chosen to interview and share my community’s testimonies. Belief, art, culture, and so much more go into how a person experiences life, it is only natural that this is present in how a person experiences religion. What better way to exemplify the complexities of a community than to share their stories? I could not think of a simpler way than to write it out and paint

a picture. It was important for me to revitalize the concept of fresco, which was a traditional medium to paint sacred images, and bring it into a new light I could call my own. The bamboo, linen with homemade gesso, and twine were all chosen as part of a thought experiment on how my own world experiences would influence how I would have made sacred images during the early church period.

Kim Oller

Can I Hold Your Hand?, 2023 Acrylic on raw linen

Kim Oller

Let it Shine, 2023 Acrylic on raw linen

PAINTING & DRAWING

Emma Nay

Biography

Hello!

My name is Emma Nay! I am an art major at the University of Redlands that focuses on painting! While I love most art mediums, my favorite is painting. My artwork as of late is abstract. I really gravitate towards expressing my emotions and feelings through my paintings!

After graduating, I will become a high school art teacher! I have been inspired by my art teachers throughout my life, and I want to guide the next generation of artists, the same way that I was as a kid!

If you are interested in seeing what I am doing, follow me on my art Instagram!

Artist Statement

My favorite way of expressing myself is through art. Each of my art pieces are emotions expressed on canvases. Every canvas is 3 ft by 4 ft in size. All the art pieces are their own emotion, and the body of work together represents my mental health as a whole. In life there are ups and downs, and there are times when it feels like there is no way out, but things always get better. I try my best to keep a positive outlook on life, and art helps me focus that. I love creating art, and I believe that I always will.

artistic journey

Follow Emma’s

Intrusive Thoughts, 2023

Acrylic paint & ink 3’x4’

Acrylic paint & ink

3’x4’

detail from Obsession

Hope, 2023

Acrylic paint & ink, modeling paste

3’x4’

Emma Nay

Emma Nay

Emma Nay left: Obsession, 2023

right:

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Francisco "Cisco" Rivas

Biography

Cisco is an art major emphasizing in graphic design and a minor in chemistry here at the University of Redlands. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and originally came to college aspiring to be a S.T.E.M. major. He began drawing at a young age with pencil and paper tracing superheroes and cartoon characters that were his favorite. He learned graffiti from his older brother who showed him style, lettering, and characters. During his time at the university, he explored many forms of art such as graphic design, digital illustrations/digital imaging, and ceramics. Cisco is also a member of the Gamma Delta Rho fraternity.

Artist Statement

I am more of an “actions speak louder than words” kind of person. So I like to put my voice in my work and let the art speak for itself and myself.

I am inspired by my hometown of LA, comic books, music, movies and TV. I learned graffiti from my older brother and learned how to draw formally from school, both of these experiences led me to want to be an artist. I was drawn to the versatility of graphic design and how graphic design is present all around us. From something as small as a pin to a street sign or a banner that covers the tallest buildings, I want to be able to showcase my illustrative skills and creative

thinking. I find art in the process. Seeing a whole piece come together to give a full picture to whoever is viewing it and that person coming away with their own meanings, is an experience that never gets dull for me. Art is an interpretation of the world and itself is also open for interpretation. I’m not here to say what is and isn’t or who’s right and who’s wrong. I just want the people who see my art to ultimately and fully feel that their own interpretation is the right interpretation.

Francisco “Cisco” Rivas Product Packaging, 2023 digital design on corrugate 9.5”x7.5”x4”

Francisco “Cisco” Rivas Poster, 2023 Digital design, printed 24”x36”

PHOTOGRAPHY

Shavase Shine

Biography

Shavase Shine is currently a student obtaining a double major in Studio Art and Business Management.Since a child, she has loved all forms of art. She started by being so amazed by drawing. The fact just a pencil and paper could create something so beautiful completely amazed her. Eventually, she decided to teach herself how to draw. With artistic influences surrounding her, she was quickly inspired. Her drawing then evolved to painting and ultimately, she had gained such an appreciation for the culture that art had provided as a whole. High school is when she discovered a love and appreciation for photos and took her very first photography class. From there, she went to college where she found a love for portraits specifically and figuring out ways to expand them with mixed media.

Artist Statement

My work as a portrait photographer portrays a love for street fashion and all types of style. From studio photography to street photography, any platform through my eyes becomes a runway for my models to thrive. I love the challenge of working in any setting and making creative photos. from the laundry room in my dorm to abandoned dirt lots nearby. I tend to capture a straight face look and a lack of emotion from my subjects. As a child, I have a vivid memory of being expected to act like a show pony. I greeted all my mother’s friends with a big smile, but it was never real to me. My life was fraudulent;

yes, I had great accomplishments and yes, I had a big smile, but life at home was never this simple. As I grew older, the fake smile continued to be a necessity despite my hatred for it. In high school and even now college, all around me I look at people who are struggling with so many different aspects of life, yet when I look down at my phone they’re smiling. It took time but I finally understood that looking happy for social media is easier than being happy in real life. In an effort to stray away from the fake smiles and unrealistic social media expectations I find it charming to photograph a blank stare, in a way it’s like a breath of fresh air from my own inclination to please those around me with a smile.

Shavase Shine

Ini No. 01, 2023

Digital photography

Shavase Shine

Angel No. 02, 2023

Digital photography

Shavase Shine

Oluchi No. 01, 2023

Digital photography

Shavase Shine

Oluchi No. 02, 2023

Digital photography

Shavase Shine

Ini No. 02, 2023

Digital photography

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Elisabeth Walther

Biography

Originally from Western Washington, Elisabeth moved to California nearly nine years ago and has been living with her partner Mars and dog Pancake ever since. She graduates from the University of Redlands with a Bachelor’s in Art with a concentration in graphic design, and will be interning in Esri’s Creative Lab as a Marketing Intern post-graduation. Elisabeth has a passion for community-oriented art and design, and hopes to continue to explore this area post-graduation. Elisabeth approaches design with an empathetic lens, and hopes to use design and art to benefit her communities.

Artist Statement

When I see something I like I often find myself saying, “Hey, I could make that!” and then teach myself how to do it. I enjoy the process of learning to make something new; acquiring a skill that I didn’t have before—such as wood-carving, carpentry, baking, sewing and printmaking. Each opportunity to dig in, get messy, and engage in a new way of thinking thrills me. I’ve found that the design process lights up my brain in the same way, allowing me to submerge myself in a new world. When designing a deck of oracle cards, I imagine them well-worn; a familiar and trusted companion to someone during their introspective moments. Painting a mural inside Follow

a local beauty salon is an opportunity to create an ultra-pink, unapologetically sparkly and feminine experience for customers. Synthesizing colors, type and line to create new worlds for viewers is joyful and exciting to me. This optimism shines through my work. I hope that within it you can see my love of vibrancy and authenticity, and a healthy admiration for camp and fun.

The Divine Feminine: an oracle deck proposal, 2023 digitally illustrated playing cards 3”x4”

The Divine Feminine: an oracle deck proposal, 2023 digitally illustrated box prototype 3.25”x4.25”

Elisabeth Walther

Elisabeth Walther

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Tommi Cahill for supporting and guiding us in creating our pieces, and for making the senior art show possible.

Thank you to all of the wonderful professors and faculty members who’ve helped us, as well as administrator Denise Benz and the wonderful custodial staff who maintain the art building facilities that we learn and create in.

Thank you to Tanner Gish and Typecraft, Inc. for making the printing of this catalog possible.

Shout-outs

“I would like to thank Raúl Acero and Tommi Cahill for their continual guidance and support! And of course, my friends and family who always believe in me.” - Jennifer Hitchcock

“Sincere thanks to Tammy Johnson for all her guidance as a mentor and continued support. You’re the best!” - Celia Burch

“I’d like to express my profound gratitude to the Riverside Community College and Redlands University Art Community, and all of my family and church members that have allowed me to interview them and share their stories with everyone.” - Kim Oller

“I would like to thank Nicholas Sousa from the Media Services department as well as my two actors Luis Amador and Shai Agbebi. Without them, my project would not have been possible at all.” - Luis Mendez Gonzalez

“Thank you to my partner Mars for his unconditional support, as well as all of the wonderful staff members here at UofR and Crafton Hills College who have helped or encouraged me; including Penny McElroy, Anna Gaitan, Jeff Wilson and many more.” - Elisabeth Walther

“I’d like to give my sincere thanks to the Art and WGS Departments. Addie Davidove in particular, who helped me find my footing in Queer Academia and solidified my love of queer culture & theory. Also all of the lovely queer folks I’ve met in my university journey, my lover especially, who have shaped my gay little world and helped me create authentic and resplendent work.” - Prairie Sommers

“I’d like to thank my family for their immense love and support!” - Blanca X Robles Altamirano

“I would like to thank all my friends who have put up with becoming students to models in an instant. I’d like to give a huge thank you to my aunt, Carmen Sims, who time and time again reminds me that not only I am worthy of a good life but I have the abilities and talents to pursuee the arts even when I would continue to doubt and question that this dream of mine wasn’t worth chasing.” Shavase Shine