GENTRY: And now Great Arts at Eastern, from the Portales campus of Eastern New Mexico University. I’m Jeff Gentry, Dean of the College of Fine Arts here on KENW, your Public Radio Network. Today, my guest is Cindy Gentry, a Senior Art Major at ENMU. Thank you for joining me today.
C. GENTRY: You bet.
GENTRY: So, you are graduating this Spring with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. What turns you on about visual art?
C. GENTRY: Well, it’s one means I have of expressing where I fit into the world and things about the world that mean- that have importance to me. And it’s- it’s I’m a pretty quiet person, but this is this is a way that I express myself.
GENTRY: You’ve had a long interest in painting and drawing, but now you’re doing more three-dimensional art.
C. GENTRY: Yes, I’ve just. I actually did not think I would like 3D art because I had an instructor years ago that. I did not enjoy working with in 3D art, but. Just the last couple of years I’ve started to do more and I’m really liking it. I like the fullness of the 3D art and the tactile nature that I can. I’m not. It's not just my brush touching the piece. It’s my hands and my-. Yeah, it just works with me.
GENTRY: So, your instructor in 3D art is Greg Senn, and then you work with Britta Urness in painting and drawing. What’s something you’ve learned from her in her short time so far here at Eastern?
C. GENTRY: Oh, Britta is wonderful. She- she is very good at walking us through different techniques and. I’m pretty new to watercolor painting. I haven’t done much of it before; and so she has shown us all sorts of different techniques for how to create texture, how to make smooth transitions within your piece. Mixing colors and working with- just all sorts of things. We’ve stretched paper even. We’ve just done a lot in that class and I’ve- I’ve really enjoyed it.
GENTRY: You are entered in the University Juried Art Exhibition, which opens on April 8th. Have you been in the show before?
C. GENTRY: Yes. I think twice before.
GENTRY: And so, your piece last year was “My Daughter the Hero”?
C. GENTRY: Yes, it’s a. It's a piece about COVID. I naturally had a lot of thoughts about COVID while we were in quarantine and I did a. Collage of a bunch of different COVID headlines and articles and then I painted my daughter’s face over it. She’s a physician who’s in the thick of Fighting against COVID and was from the very start and so I enjoyed doing that piece to honor her.
GENTRY: What do you have entered this year?
C. GENTRY: This year I have two pieces in the show. One is an oil painting that is of a street scene. It’s called “Table for Two” and it’s a little table just waiting for some people to come and enjoy a romantic little dinner at it. and the other is a 3D piece. It's an alabaster sculpture called I call “Noteworthy,” it’s a music note. It's a stylized music note showing my other love of music.
GENTRY: And can you put your finger on an artistic element in which you have advanced in the last four years?
C. GENTRY: Well, I’d say literally every element you can imagine. I’ve learned so much in my time here. It's been a delight working with each of my professors and each has their strengths that I’ve learned from. Gosh, I’ve learned about textures and shapes and forms and hues and- just a variety of working with different medium. Um. It’s been delightful.
GENTRY: Well, congratulations on your upcoming graduation-
C. GENTRY: Thank you.
GENTRY: -at Eastern in May. Thank you, Cindy Gentry, for joining me on Great Arts at Eastern. Coordinated by Brian Hahn, the University Juried Art Exhibition is the most prestigious student show each year. It opens on April 8th at the Beautiful Runnels Gallery located in ENMU’s Golden Center in Portales, New Mexico. All of our listeners are invited and the show runs all the way from April 8th through May 6th. Admission is free. For all the Great Arts at Eastern see enmu.edu/fineartsevents. Thanks for listening on KENW, your Public Radio Network.
University Juried Art Exhibition
Coordinated by Bryan Hahn
Runnels Gallery, Golden Student Success Center (GSSC)
Exhibition runs April 8–May 6
Entry deadline: Friday, March 4 | enmu.edu/ArtShow
