Chelsea Puesey just might have seven years of bad luck heading her way.
Puesey, a Columbian High School senior, bought mirrors and smashed them with a hammer on her way to creating "Glued in Mirrors," a piece of artwork to be displayed at Tiffin University's Diane Kidd Gallery.
"My mom wants to hang it at our house," she said. "She loves it, too."
Article Photos
PHOTO BY JILL GOSCHE
Junior Nicki Brose paints a self-portrait in her art class Monday. She is to exhibit a work about summer and a different self-portrait in the show at Tiffin University.
Puesey created the piece by dropping hot glue in cold water and then attaching broken pieces of mirror to the wads of dried glue. From there, she used fishing line to put the pieces in a collage of black frames.
"Glued in Mirrors" is one of 36 pieces Columbian senior portfolio students are to exhibit at Tiffin University this month.
"I just kind of thought (the idea for the piece) up in my head," she said.
Fact Box
If you go
The opening reception for "Contrasting Themes" is 4-6 p.m. Saturday at Tiffin University's Diane Kidd Gallery in Hayes Center for the Arts. There is no cost to attend. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or through appointment by contacting Celinda Scherger at TU at (419) 448-3313. Group tours are available. The show is to be open through Dec. 24.
TU's Diane Kidd Gallery in Hayes Center for the Arts is hosting the show "Contrasting Themes," and work by 18 Columbian students enrolled in the senior portfolio class, the largest senior portfolio group teacher Bob Johnston has had, is to be exhibited.
The theme is a reflection of the students in the class. Johnston, who has been an adjunct instructor at TU for 19 years, said some paint, some draw and some incorporate social issues in their work.
"They're so different," he said about his students.
The senior portfolio class is the highest level of art at Columbian, and Johnston said he has been lucky to have a lot of the students enrolled in it for three or four years.
"This is a high-level program," he said.
Johnston estimated it was in 2006 when he inquired about Columbian exhibiting artwork at TU. He said few high schools exhibit work in a college setting and expressed appreciation for the university.
"They have other options," he said. "They can bring in professional artists and groups."
Each student is to have two works in the show, and the pieces represent sculpture, painting, print-making, drawing, collage and computer graphics.
In addition to "Glued in Mirrors," Puesey is to exhibit "Symmetrical Colors," a painting.
She estimated it took her seven weeks to create the piece, which was made with acrylic paint on canvas, and she went to Columbian to work on it outside of the regular class period. She said she was shocked how good the piece looks.
"I love this one," she said.
Junior Nicki Brose is to exhibit a work about summer, her favorite time of year, and a self-portrait in charcoal. The summer piece is a vertical series of photographs Brose's friend took of her and features bright shades of green and yellow.
"I made a matte for it, and then I took it to Picture Perfect to get it framed in gold," she said.
The self-portrait involving an old wooden treehouse also
is a piece that is reflective of summer.
A picture was taken of her with her head being the largest part of the photograph and her legs in the background. She used charcoal for most of the piece and also used pastels.
"That (piece) took a lot of time," she said.
This marks Brose's first time exhibiting work at TU.
"I think it's an awesome opportunity," she said.
