Collective Perspective
(October 20 - November 30, 2009)

Three vibrant young artists displayed their unique styles at the Dacotah Prairie Museum in the exhibit: "Collective Perspective."

Peri Haberling, Altman Studeny, and Nathen Cantwell are all recent graduates of Northern State University's Art Department. "Collective Perspective" is their first collaboration, an exciting collection of paintings and print-making. The exhibit was featured in the Lamont Gallery on 2nd floor.

Peri Haberling focused her portion of the display on portraits of family and friends. The portraits were inspired by her own photography, a skill which she inherited from her great-uncle, an amateur photographer. Each of her portraits was also accompanied by a short descriptive explanation.

While studying at NSU, Haberling spent much of her time on the traditional print-making techniques. Her favorite style was etching, however there were also intaglio prints included in the show.

Many of these portrait prints were made in 2007 while she and some friends lived and studied in Europe. The 2009 prints of family and friends were created closer to home. Since college graduation in Spring, 2008, the lack of print-making equipment has caused Haberling to experiment with oil painting. The two oils that are included in this exhibit were both inspired by black & white 1950s photographs. They are interpretive paintings of her Grandmother and Great-Aunt. The artist's future plans include entering graduate school to further her artistic experience and training.

Altman Studeny, for his part in the exhibit, presented small scale paintings. Studeny approaches his artistic efforts in the light of story-telling. "What is the story of the artist", he asks, "if not to provide a pre-film visual journey of history?"

Many of Studeny's pieces for this show were based on his study of the work of author Lewis Carroll. Carroll is most famous for his "Alice in Wonderland" books, and not everyone realizes that he was also an accomplished mathematician. Under his real name, Charles Dobgson, his mathematical writings were quite well known.

Inspired by Dobgson's interpretation of reality, Studeny created "Tarot" Cards - 9" x 12" paintings. The artist explains that in them..."reality is never given a full brush." One always has the sense that reality is being skewed.

Featuring the "Pizza Boy" and the "Target Girl" , these paintings were made during his time at Northern. His years living in Aberdeen were both delightful and harrowing, but it always seemed more manageable when looking at the experience through a 9"x12" rectangle.

Nathen Cantwell brings both past and current paintings to this show. The oil paintings in the series seen at the exhibit were ones created while at Northern and directly after. As an art director and designer for a commercial design company, Cantwell has spent much of his recent time in the world of advertising.

Cantwell's most recent work seen here focuses on the medium of watercolor. The technique of the paintings is a relatively new one for him. En plein-air painting originated with the Impressionists of the late 1800s. These renegade artists were criticized for stretching the bounds of reality: they created a new way of seeing that emphasized the shapes, colors and light of a scene. They almost always painted out-of-doors in the air and weather to capture their landscapes.

Cantwell's love for landscape lead him to try Plein-air painting a couples years ago. The watercolor series in this exhibit were completely done outside on location. With this technique, Cantwell has been able to capture the light and vibrancy of his landscapes.

For information on past exhibits in the Lamont Gallery, please click here