David Lawton, a sculpture student, presents his work "Hidden Valley" at the Kaleidoscopic art show on the Tempe campus Wednesday afternoon. The show exhibits five Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates and will remain open to the public until Nov. 2. (Photo by Cameron Tattle)Wires covered in melted green rubber suspended from the ceiling, all of which lead to deer antlers connected to the rear of a molded hand, represent Kyle Blalock’s childhood growing up and hunting in the White Mountains.
His art exhibit joins four other ASU art seniors as part of “Kaleidoscopic,” an art show featuring sculpture and screen print works that incorporate the personal experiences of the artists.
Blalock, David Lawton, Kelly Wilton, Elena Rice-Hernandez and Danielle Ruiz opened their show on the Tempe campus Tuesday and will continue it through Nov. 2.
Blalock’s sculpture project welcomes visitors as they walk in the room.
“My parents were both hunters, and the antler comes from a deer I killed when I was 11,” Blalock said. “The piece represents finding sustenance and survival because we ate all of the meat from everything we killed.”
Wilton’s works are also near the entrance to the exhibit and include a piece with red-orange neon lighting, as well as a picture of a rock formation surrounded by a cast-iron ring she built in Scotland. The ring is held in a permanent collection there.
She also has an iron sculpture hanging from the ceiling.
“It’s kind of unnerving to stand under it because it weighs about a hundred pounds,” Wilton said.
Lawton, a sculpture student, said he creates pieces using found materials and obtains his inspiration from places he’s visited and events that have transpired throughout his life.
His artwork ranges from a pyramid built out of a street sign to sculptures he made after visiting Mendocino County and Big Sur on trips to northern California.
Lawton’s largest piece, titled “Hidden Valley,” depicts a pristine valley landscape with a river flowing along a colorful mountainside.
“It’s about places you can fantasize about but barely reach,” Lawton said.
Printmaking student Rice-Hernandez’s display includes a bedroom set.
Her prints line the wall behind a nightstand, a dresser and a twin-size bed bearing an image of a rose and knives.
Printmaking student Ruiz has five screen prints on her section’s wall. Four of these were made with water-based inks and one with oil-based ink.
Ruiz said her pieces experiment with fast food and sexuality.
“I like to mix food with sexual references,” Ruiz said. “It can be inappropriate, but it looks innocent.”
Reach the reporter at adrian.martinez.1@asu.edu
