California Baptist University’s Fine Art program opened the doors to the art gallery in Rose Garden Village as it hosted the 13th Annual Fine Art Honors Exhibit. The exhibit, held March 3–21, invited guests to step inside the minds of aspiring artists and offered a glimpse into the artistic ingenuity behind their work.
As people walked into the gallery, they were greeted by a variety of artwork, including vibrant paintings, solemn drawings, unique sculptures and inspired mixed media pieces that filled the room with life.
Students in CBU’s fine art classes thoughtfully crafted each piece in the exhibit, and fine art professors—who mentored the students throughout the year—hand-picked the final selections.
Kristine Lippire, professor of visual art, shared why so many students and faculty looked forward to the highly anticipated showcase.
“It’s a way to actually display your work and have people look at it, have your family appreciate it,” Lippire said. “Art is so much time—it just takes so much time so it’s nice to get to celebrate those things and have an opening … and just kind of go through that professional development of exhibiting your own work, as well.”
By giving students space to promote their art, they not only lined the walls with their work—they told stories through personal pieces that reflected growth. CBU Fine Art recognized this growth with awards at the Opening Reception, which took place March 5.
Alexandra Atkinson, junior illustration and graphic design double major, won the award for Best Drawing and reflected on what the achievement meant to her.
“Honestly, I was mind blown,” Atkinson said. “I think, for the most part, it just showed that all of what I’ve learned at CBU is actually being able to be seen by others.”
Atkinson earned the recognition for her piece titled “The Viking,” a traditional illustration done entirely by hand using charcoal pencil.
“I used charcoal pencil to get the illustration as realistic as possible so when you look at it from far away, it looks like a photograph of a Viking woman with a shield in her left arm … and there’s a whole bunch of mystical ravens, or crows, flying around her,” Atkinson said.
She created the piece for Figure Drawing, a class taught by Renso Gomez Jimenez, an instructor of illustration. Overall, CBU Fine Art strived to provide students with opportunities to showcase their work and support them in their artistic growth.
Hope Harris, junior psychology and Christian studies double major, won the award for Best Painting and discussed how her professors influenced her personal approach to art.
“I’d say they’ve pushed me to challenge myself and they’ve encouraged me in ways that they’ve seen me grow and brought to light things that they feel like are characteristic of my art, so that has been really helpful,” Harris said.
Harris’ art reflected her field of study, and she explained how she used her work to bridge the gap between psychology and personal creativity.
“I really have enjoyed kind of digging deeper into meaning behind art,” Harris said. “Now, through my classes, I’ve learned the process gives meaning to the painting, so brainstorming a certain emotion, or a certain relationship, or just honestly answering some deeper psychological questions can bring up a creative idea.”
As a student whose academic focus is not art, Harris represented the diversity within CBU Fine Art. Lippire shared her hope for all CBU students interested in art, regardless of their major.
“I hope [students] are encouraged to do more. It’s so hard to appreciate creativity in this setting because there’s tied so much pressure to job performance or job outcomes, but creativity is such a larger umbrella,” Lippire said. “It can be applied to so many things, and if we just celebrate our individual creativity, whether we’re an art major or not … it’s a different way of thinking … and if you can push through the frustration of not having that technical skill and work really hard so that you’re really surprised and excited by the outcome, that’s the joy.”
As this year’s Honors Exhibit came to a close, students looked ahead to the next one—where their artwork will not only be seen but felt and appreciated by all who experience it.
