STILLWATER, OK (February 14, 2013)—Oklahoma State University Museum of Art Gardiner
Gallery is pleased to present its 2013 spring semester Senior Studio Capstone Exhibition. This exhibitionshowcases the works by three students receiving their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from the Departmentof Art this May.

Student artists featured in this exhibition include: Kelli Coughenour, Vanessa Pettit and
Cassandra Pickens.

The Gardiner Gallery will host a public reception on Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m. Student artists will
speak about their works in a gallery talk from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Works on view cover a wide range of media—sculpture, watercolor, and oil paintings. They represent thestudent artists’ impressive achievement after a process of synthesis, analysis and reflection on their rigorous studies at OSU. Mentored by their faculty, students demonstrate their critical thinking and
artistic skills, and their awareness of professional exhibition practices.

Kelli Coughenour is a sculpture artist. For her recent body of work she created cage-like sculptures that represent different personal experiences. She abstracted the cage to physically and theoretically represent her reaction the thoughts on certain life events. The repetitive circle shape in her work was developed through researching patterns and microscopic images of cellular structures. Coughenour explored cut pipe and sheet steel to symbolize the idea of being caged or kept away. Additional materials like wood, bone and salt have been utilized to further express feelings or responses.

Vanessa Pettit has been working with a wide range of materials—oil, acrylic, ceramic, digital and
photography. She blends her art in many expressive styles including realism and abstraction. In this
exhibition, Pettit presents a body of oil paintings and objects concerning water: fear with beauty.
Recalling her childhood memories of falling into water, she employs different colors and textures that tell the story of her emotional journey. In Pettit’s oil paintings, she portrays the splendor and calmness of the water whereas in her ceramic pieces, there is much disorder and confusion. Pettit’s experiences with water have evolved as she grows. She tries to discover more and share her knowledge through her art.

Using graphite as her primary medium, Cassandra Pickens paints figures to explore the relationships
people have with various others in lives—whether romantic, platonic or family-oriented. For Pickens, the human body is unique, expressive, powerful and a dynamic vessel for exploration and visual reflection. Identity is a major theme of her work. It is the identity that symbolizes the person she still seeks to understand. In her works, Pickens painted her figures with different facial expressions—some seem uncomfortable, confused, lost or sad—all evoking the sense of her own identity. The nudity in her work represents the constant exposure and naivety of her inner-self.

The Oklahoma State University Department of Art is dedicated to excellence in the education of all forms of art creation and offers an intensive program of studio art leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

The Department offers introductory and advanced classes in studio art, which are complemented by a
variety of classes in art history and liberal arts. Students are encouraged to explore new ideas and
maintain and promote the highest design standards while keeping themselves abreast of contemporary developments in the studio art field. First-rate teaching and mentoring from OSU Art faculty is supported by vibrant programming, exhibitions, visiting artists, and workshops.

The Gardiner Gallery is fully accessible and located on the first floor of the Bartlett Center for the Visual
Arts. Gallery hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on
Saturdays. The gallery is closed on Sundays and University holidays. For more information, please call 405-744-4143 or visit: museum.okstate.edu.