Local student has solo art exhibit at college

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Jaclyn Keller of Lafayette is exhibiting her work in the Graduating Senior Art Show at the Sloan Gallery through May 9. The exhibit is hosted by Lock Haven University. “I’ve been in the art department for a while now, so it’s a little bittersweet to finally be graduating,” Keller said. “It’s a great honor for me to be the only graduating senior this semester — I don’t even know if this has ever happened before.” The exhibit includes Keller’s oil paintings and some of her digital work from this semester’s study in electronic art. “A lot of people don’t understand why every painting in my show is of pine cones,” Keller said. “There isn’t really an exact answer for that, but to say that it started out as an observational study last semester, and by December, I had produced 16 pine cone paintings. Using basically the same object over and over really helped me to turn my paintings into “art.” It’s no longer about the object itself, but the shape, the shadows, negative space, color interaction, and even brush strokes. Each painting is of a different pine cone, and each one is treated in a different manner: photorealistic, abstract, colorful, banal, etc. Each one speaks something different about pine cones.” On May 8, Keller will graduate with a general studies degree in art, with a concentration in science and a minor in studio art.