McKendree University Senior Shows Off Stunning Artwork at McKendree Gallery, March 31 to April 8

(LEBANON, Ill., March 30, 2022) – Allison Carnell, an art major at McKendree University, is currently presenting beautiful works of art for her senior art exhibition at the McKendree Art Gallery from March 21 to April 8. The exhibition features all the works she has created this academic year while attending Senior Studio, the capstone class for art majors. Nine paintings in oil and acrylics depicting landscapes of Carnell’s favorite locations from or around her hometown of Jackson, Mo. are on display.

One of Carnell’s favorite paintings on display, Bollinger Mill, shows the Bollinger County Mill, a historical site not far from home. “My dad and I ride out to the mill on his motorcycle on warm and sunny days,” she said. Another work, Cowboy Mountain, shows a picturesque spot on a trail where Carnell rides horses with her family. Her three paintings of flowers depict the sunflowers, lilies and chrysanthemums that she planted with her mother in the garden this past summer.

“I enjoy using nature as a subject for my observations, and I look for inspiration in landscapes when creating a painting, exploring new places and revisiting familiar ones,” Carnell said. “I am interested in finding beauty in ordinary things and making them appear more fantastical or exaggerated to draw attention to aesthetic beauty in life.”

A softball player at McKendree and a member of Rotaract Club, Kappa Pi International Art Honor Society, Tau Sigma National Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi, Carnell has been drawn to art since she was a child. “I don’t really remember starting art because I was so young, but I stuck with it when I realized I liked it and was good at it,” she said. “As I got older, I was inspired by the talent, careers and success of my art professors.”

The art exhibit will be open from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays. Carnell will be at the art gallery to talk with attendees regarding her work.

 

-McK-