By Ian McAninch, student intern writer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University art major, Emily Swafford of Campbellsville, will present her Senior Art Exhibit in an exhibit Nov. 19 through Dec. 8 at The Pence-Chowning Art Gallery, 205 University Drive, Campbellsville.
Swafford is a 2015 graduate of Taylor County High School and is an art major pursuing a P-12 teaching certificate this May.
A reception for her will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the gallery. All are invited to both the reception and exhibit.
As an artist pursuing teaching, she said in a statement on the exhibit that, “Every teacher that I’ve crossed paths with has impacted my life in one way or another. I feel like that this can be seen in my artworks by noticing the growth in different areas.”
The types of art she will exhibit include her drawings, paintings, sculptures and ceramics. The exhibit contains a variety of different subjects from nature including still life, portraits and characters.
She said, “I try to use different mediums. I do not like to stay with one consistent idea or medium for too long because it starts to feel tedious. I like the challenges, and I have a consistent love for learning about new subjects or materials that I haven’t tried before.”
She said all of her work usually starts with a plan of the end product that she wants to achieve, so she has a goal to work toward. “Through simple sketches, reference photos and experimenting with materials, I am able to work through a process to get to the final piece,” she said.
“I’ve never quit in the middle of creating one artwork. I feel that every problem that occurs in one piece can be solved and is officially part of my learning journey of becoming the best artist I can be.”
The exhibit will feature some of her best work, but also various pieces she’s created throughout her art career to portray the journey it takes to create a piece of art. She said, “I want the public, other artists and future students of mine to think about the artistic journey one artist can go on and note that everyone starts somewhere.”
She hopes that her work will get her audience to “not only notice the pieces as a whole, but question the process on how it got to that finished state.”
Swafford has exhibited in the Annual Juried Art Show at Campbellsville University. She is the daughter of Cindy Swafford of Campbellsville.
Campbellsville University is a widely-acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 10,000 students offering more than 90 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with Kentucky instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville, and nationally in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, Jacksonville, Fla. and Chicago. The university also has a full complement of online programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.