For every senior in the Art and Design program, their final nod to their time at Asbury is their senior showcase. On Sept. 25, Meggen Absher had hers. Held in the art gallery in the Bistro, the show was composed of mostly ceramics and mixed media pieces on canvas.
For each student, the collection of art is centered around a theme that they develop on their own. Beginning with forming a concept that they then express through art, the show acts as a vessel for students to show off all that they have learned during their time at Asbury. Absher’s was centered around the idea of water and how it had affected different locations she had been to.
In her artist statement, Absher said, “I focus on representing themes and scenes surrounding water both in Paris and at home in Kentucky. I am especially interested in contrasting dead foliage or archaic architectural structures with the vibrancy and fluidity that water brings.”
Some of the questions Absher asked within her art included considering the concept of living water, how to react to life with joy and how her perspective has changed during her time at Asbury.
Absher also said, “Every location that had meaning to me or impacted my experience was surrounded by water. This significance has also caused me to deeply question biblical influence from my childhood, specifically the story of the woman at the well.”
Each of Absher’s pictures were created with the intention of representing a time and place in her life, from her trip to other countries to her home here in Kentucky. The titles of the pieces also represented this, written in both English and French. Some examples include “Further Up,” “La Fontaine,” “Around the Bend” and “Jardin du Luxembourg.”
Her works on canvas were primarily collages, an artistic technique that involves using paper or fabric to create a new image. Absher added book pages to the background of her pictures that reflected what the picture was of. This muted tone mixed with the bright colors created a nice contrast. Some of Absher’s pieces also had certain figures of interest, including ducks, waterlilies and fountains. Absher also featured ceramic pieces, which followed the trend of having vibrant colors. Each piece was paired with a collage similar in theme, primarily white as a base and colorful accents.
Absher was also inspired by three different artists for this collection, Claude Monet, Eric Carle and Henri Matisse. All of these painters had bold styles that are recognizable, even today.
When asked about the emotions she wanted to create through her art, Absher said, “I hope to prompt viewers to feel the excited calm that I feel as I approach new challenges and chapters in my life, leaning into being comfortable with my lack of control, fully believing that my life is simply a vessel made to be filled with the calming, dancing, spirit lifting, ever abundant source of Living Water.”
Each viewer has the opportunity to get something different out of the gallery and create their own meaning from the art.
If you are curious about the exhibit, you can go visit the gallery in the Bistro or contact Keith Barker at keith.barker@asbury.edu.
Photo courtesy of Alanna May.
