Artful Souls on Stockton Walls

BY SHANNON JOYCE

Souls are displayed on the walls of Stockton University’s Art Gallery for the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Exhibition.

This includes artwork from 21 B.F.A. seniors concentrating in photography, painting, print-making, visual communications, and graphic design.

Note: Harley Jarrett identifies as non-binary; a term for those who do not classify themselves as exclusively masculine or feminine. This artist prefers they/them pronouns.

Painting Major Harley Jarrett passionately shared their love for art. “I feel like the thing that sets us apart from other animals is our urge to sing, tell stories, and make marks with stuff,” they said.

This senior is fascinated with abstract art and psychological landscapes, as seen in their piece, “Decaying Leaf.” Jarrett commented that similar concepts are often shared on Instagram. “It seems kind of magical to me,” they added. Jarrett’s woodsy property in South Jersey was the inspiration for their nature canvases.  

This senior “has an urge” to one day attend graduate school for painting. For now, Jarrett is interested in a painting, typography, or possibly graphic design career.

Photography Major Alex Blundetto created portraits of loved ones, titled “People Along the Way,” after realizing, “These people really mean a lot to me, and I want to use my project to show that.” He received most positive feedback for “Carmen,” a photograph of his father in a construction workspace.

After graduation, Blundetto wants to become a professional freelance photographer. He heartily said, “The dream, honestly, is to just be able to travel . . .”

Print-Making Major Christian Bostwick believes being bold is “better than being boring,” as shown with his installation piece titled, “Nonsensical Fallout.” He stated, “My work simplifies a lot of the problems in society without trying to marginalize them . . . I just try to bring out the absurdity in the inherent issues in the world.”

Christian explained print-making involves making duplicates of art such as painting or photography. Think illustrations and photographs found in school textbooks. “I would love to run my own print-making studio at some point in my life . . . the end goal would be to print my own artwork,” he excitedly said.

June 22-24, 2018, Christian will create artwork for Atlantic City’s 48 Blocks Festival. According to 48blocksac.com, this “is a celebration of the artistic talents, creativity, community, culture, and history of Atlantic City.”

Painting Major Vanessa Spollen said she learned a lot about herself while creating her project, called “Visions of a Life.” When asked what prompted her exhibition, she said, “Everybody in this life is connected within each other.” Spollen mentioned another inspiration was the work of Carl Jung, a twentieth-century famous psychologist. “I used painting to express him . . . his theories are all . . . interconnected . . . unconsciously.” Next, Spollen hopes to earn her M.F.A. in Painting.