Discover, obsession, invention: Those are just a few words to describe the final projects of the Painting 4 class taught by assistant professor of art Gianna Commito. The nine senior women have worked all semester on creating presentations to fit their greatest talents and have decided to showcase them in a gallery event.

Food and refreshments will be provided at the gallery for all who attend. The event will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. May 14, at 425 Gougler Ave.

The theme for the showcase is dictionary, and the students’ paintings each have very different words defining their work as well as different ways of showing them off.

“This is our final, but instead of doing a critique in class, we decided that we wanted to do a show so we can share with everyone else what we’ve been up to this semester,” senior fine arts major Karin Waskiewicz said. “By doing definitions, it would reflect our styles. Definition lets us take our own unique path.”

Waskiewicz said that the gallery presentation will be a great way to show how much the students have grown throughout the semester, because it reflects the kind of hard work it takes to succeed in the class and in the major.

The themes vary from nature to abstract pieces, and each has very different ways of defining the student’s interests.

Senior art education major April Bachtel’s final project is based off of nature and biology, and she layers paint and uses different materials to create a multi-dimensional look. While she’s currently struggling with the architecture of her piece, she’s confident about the outcome.

“We make all this stuff, and not many people get to see it. It’s like we just put it in our closets,” she said. “I think it will be rewarding to have everyone see (our projects), and see the reactions from the community.”

The amount of dedication necessary to create a successful final project for showing may be underestimated by non-art students, but these seniors have been working many late hours in the last few weeks to complete their projects.

Maia Garcia Fedor, senior fine arts major, is no stranger to dedication — she’s double majoring in art history and fine arts with a minor in chemistry. She said students often work in the studio until 2 a.m.

“This class is the first time having a painting class where we branch into our own style,” she said. “We’re creating our own language and style.”

Garcia’s word of choice is obsession, and she chose to style her project with smaller elements that create the “bigger picture.”

Like her classmates, Lisa Vegel, a senior fine arts major, is excited to show off her work in the gallery. Her word is “discover,” and she’s attempting to get away from the generic two-dimensional painting by working with a three-dimensional construct.

“I’m trying to make it interactive so the viewer can look into the piece and discover parts of the piece they wouldn’t necessarily see on a flat plane,” she said.

Other students have chosen to focus on their individual interests outside of the art world. Kate Hall, a senior fine arts major, has decided to title her project “Invention,” because she’s inventing a whole new world with the paintbrush.

“I’ve always been into illustration, so my stuff is invention,” she said. “I’m inventing a complete black and white landscape and then doing colored creatures, specifically birds, to try to live in an area completely in black and white.”

Waskiewicz believes that the art program is overlooked, and that there is a lot of talent to be seen. She said that her experience with the art program has been great, thanks to the efforts of the faculty.

“A lot of people don’t know that our faculty are artists out of school,” she said. “Our teachers are doing the same things we’re doing, so it’s easy to relate to them.”

She said that the gallery presentation is a great way to show the Kent community and the surrounding areas.

“I don’t think a lot of people around Kent know how good our program is, I don’t think they know what the students are capable of and I think it’d be a good opportunity to see not just one specific person like in a senior show, but a group of young women,” she said. “We’re pretty talented, there will be a lot of variety.”

Contact general assignment reporter Katie Corbut at [email protected].