It’s time for Northern Kentucky University Bachelor of Fine Arts students to get a taste of what to expect in the professional art world. The first round of the BFA Senior Exhibitions for the spring semester will be on display at Northern Kentucky University starting April 7.

Seven students will get the opportunity to display their best artwork. Among the pieces displayed in the show are black and white photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

Besides creating artwork for the BFA Senior Exhibitions, students also have to hang their own artwork and create PR materials such as show announcements. It is through the combination of art creation, self-promotion and exhibition set-up that students are able to gain professional art experiences.

Christian Dallas’ oil paintings explore his interactions with people around him. His exhibition entitled “Ordinary Specifics” explores the universality of struggles that stem from personal relationships.

“When I speak of struggles and concerns I face, I am referring mainly to relationships I have with others, and the ups and downs from those relationships,” Dallas said.

“I create art because I have found art, painting specifically, as the most effective vehicle for me to express my emotions and experiences in my life,” Dallas said. “As a writer would express their struggles and concerns in a journal, I do the same — but with a brush on canvas.”

According to Anita Redmond her mixed media paintings in the exhibit entitled “Reflections” are “metaphoric representatives of the narrative of my own life experiences.” Working with oil paint and gold, copper and silver leafing on birch panels, Redmond takes an artistic glance back on her life and personal experiences.

“It’s a way for me to communicate my thoughts and creativity in a much more effective manner than by words alone,” Redmond said. “I’m much like a kid in a candy store whenever I buy my art materials. There are so many possibilities to art, and it makes me happier to make art than almost anything else.”

Anna Klaene’s exhibition “A Backward Glance” explores the past through black and white photography. As part of her creative process, Klaene’s incorporated vintage costumes, scene preparation and references to the Golden Age of Hollywood into her work.

“I’ve been obsessed for quite a while with portraiture of the 1930s and 1940s,” Klaene said. “To me, that time period seems so much more formal and refined than current times.”

The BFA Senior Exhibitions will be on display in NKU’s Main Gallery April 7 through April 15. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information on the exhibit, visit the Department of Visual Arts at http://art.nku.edu.

Story by Shawn Buckenmeyer