OBU Student Emphasizes “What Lies Ahead” with Senior Art Show

October 2, 2017

Katrina Stevens, Oklahoma Baptist University pre-counseling major with a minor in art, will present her senior art show Friday, Oct. 6, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the Art Building on OBU’s campus. Her art will be on display for at least a week following the show opening.

Stevens’ show features mostly photography, which she took up as a hobby as a teenager.

“I remember that my family was visiting our relatives, who live in Canada about an hour away from the Canadian Rockies, when I was around 14 years old. My extended family loves to go hiking and the views are spectacular. My family had a small camera and gave me the task of taking photographs, so I would snap shots here and there. After the trip was over, my parents said that I had a good eye for photography. With just that little bit of inspiration, I continued to do photography with a passion. I found out much later that my Dad used to be a photographer, so I think I may have picked it up from him.”

Stevens’ art show is titled “Hvað Liggur Framundan” (“what lies ahead” in Icelandic) and features pieces inspired from one of her most recent travels. The theme of the show is a continuation; as she goes through life, Stevens captures moments of time, places and effects she might not be able to capture again. The inspirational goal in her artistic style is to capture the essence and recognize the inherent beauty of things, such as moments, words, places and people, that otherwise go unnoticed. Photography, some pottery, paintings and sketches are the main components of her art.

“I visited Iceland this past summer in July,” she said. “We were there for about a week. Words cannot describe how breathtaking the landscape was in Iceland. The whole trip kind of just happened. My boyfriend and I were talking about visiting one day in the future. I mentioned this to my brother who then decided to make plans with my Dad. My Dad then asked my boyfriend and I to tag along, and with that we went to Iceland. My family is huge on travel, so trips like this are not uncommon.”

Stevens is unsure of what her future holds after graduation, but she hopes to continue her efforts to work with refugees or with victims of war and abuse. Eventually, she intends to earn a master’s degree. However, her initial post-graduation plan is to take a year away from formal education and work with a non-profit organization to gain experience in her field of calling.