The 2005 Senior Art Exhibit finds strength in refined diversity.

“Last year the exhibit had strong points; this year it seems more finished,” Justin

Nostrala, assistant professor of art, said.

The display runs through May 21 in Farnham Art Galleries.

Lindsy Owen

Fashion designer Lyndsy Owen has always had a knack for expressing herself through clothes.

“I’ve had a passion for fashion since high school when I made my own clothes and prom dress,” Owen said, via an e-mail interview.

A conglomeration of influences fuel Owen’s design sketches appearing in Farnham Galleries.

“My inspiration comes from everything around me, whether it’s a person or an object, or even a culture,” she said. “Having an eye for art and detail and being able to recreate things in a new and innovative way are the keys.”

This year Owen is studying abroad – in a part of the world where fashion design is more rewarding than in Iowa.

“I studied fashion design at The Art Institute of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy,” Owen said. “From this experience I gained the knowledge and skills needed to become a successful designer and developed my fashion portfolio.”

Owen is learning a lot in Italy, but the foundation for her major in art was obtained here.

“I studied textiles and apparel for one year at the University of Northern Iowa but then transferred to Simpson College to play softball and entered the Art Department,” Owen said.

Despite the fact she honed her rudimentary fashion design skills in Iowa, Owen said the Farnham Galleries exhibit is of no help to her career. Her work on display serves as more of a graduation requirement than a career booster because of geographic restrictions.

“Unfortunately this exhibit will not help me in my future career plans because I have chosen to stay in Florence, Italy,” Owen said.

Jessica Schultz

Electronic collage artist Jessica Shultz uses her art to pay homage to loved ones.

“I was thinking about the relationships I’ve developed over the past few years and which ones are most important to me and I just wanted to depict that in my work,” Shultz said.

Her fianc����, roommate and family members all inspired Shultz.

“It’s pictures I’ve taken or collected over the years,” Shultz said. “I scanned them in or I just photo’d them digitally, and then I also took text that the people had written that I found and thought really depicted them and I tried to combine it in a visually interesting way.”

Creating the pieces on display required skills Shultz will need later.

“I want to go into interior design, so it’s kind of the same thing,” Shultz said. “I had to find elements that I thought would fit the collages and put them together just like I’m going to have to find furniture that goes together.”

Lindsay Smith

Photographer Lindsay Smith realizes artistic expression is not restricted by conventional mediums.

“I do art without having to use paint and paintbrushes,” Smith said. “I do art with my eyes.”

Smith’s contribution to the Senior Art Exhibit includes photos taken in Oaxaca, Mexico, where matriarchy is significant.

“There’s a lot of symbolism in the pictures,” Smith said.

Smith has explored various types of photography in her nearly four years of experience, including black and white as well as color.

“The color [photography] I had to get sent off to get professionally printed because our darkroom doesn’t do color stuff,” Smith said. “I did all the black and white developing myself.”

The darkroom is where Smith puts in work for her preferred style.

“I really like to make photo essays,” Smith said. “You can tell a story without having to write it out.”

Smith doesn’t anticipate abandoning photography after graduation. She is considering photojournalism as a secondary career.

“I think it’d be fun to have a magazine that would allow photographers to capture things that remind them of Jesus or Christianity,” Smith said.

Crystal VanDaCasteele

Digital illustrator Crystal VanDeCasteele found her creative niche after struggling with hand-drawn designs.

“I wanted that clean look that I couldn’t get from my hand drawing,” VanDeCasteele said.

VanDeCasteele’s pieces on display in Farnham Art Galleries have a distinctly retro feel.

“Essentially they’re posters for theatre or for films,” VanDeCasteele said. “I really like the style of 1940s Polish and Danish posters that they used hand illustration [to create].”

Some are more provocative than others, according to the artist.

“Some of them tend to be attention-getting because they look quite violent,” VanDeCasteele said.

VanDeCasteele said poster design is fun because it’s a challenge and it’s impact is felt immediately.

“I’m attracted to posters because the designer has basically one shot to captivate somebody,” VanDeCasteele said.

VanDeCasteele hopes to create poster art professionally.

“I would like to someday do entertainment advertising like movie posters,” VanDeCasteele said.