April 8, 2015
OBU student Ashley Guthrie will present her senior art show Friday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Art Building on OBU's campus in Shawnee. A reception honoring Guthrie and her work will serve as the opening ceremony for the exhibit. The public is invited to attend the free event. Her work will remain on display until the exhibit closes Thursday, April 16.
Her pieces will include ceramics, water colors, oil and acrylic paintings, graphic design work and photography. One of her ceramic pieces, a light fixture, was accepted into her first art show in Tulsa at the Living Arts Gallery in the chandelier exhibit.
"The theme for my show is the brand name for my art, 'Cactus Flower,'" she said. "It is very personal and symbolic of my journey through the past five years at OBU."
Guthrie is a senior from Moore, Oklahoma. In addition to working on her art, she is a member of the OBU women's soccer team. After graduation, she plans to teach art, coach and to one day open her own business. She originally planned to major in graphic design, but she soon realized how much more she loved the hands-on work, learning to throw and paint her freshman year. She then changed her major to fine arts.
"I became addicted to it, and I developed an obsession with teapots, but not the average teapot," she said. "I have some slab pots, thrown pots and even extruded pots as well. Over the years, I've been influenced by older classmates, many artists and my professors. They all equally have helped me form up my own style."
"Graduation and completing four years of soccer has been my goal since I was a little girl," she said. "I am so thankful for my greatest blessing in my life, my daughter Kaizley. She has been my inspiration for my business name and for far more." In fact, the name of Guthrie's business and the theme of her show, "Cactus Flower," symbolizes endurance and a mother's undying love for her children, demonstrating that even in the midst of drought, hope may spring and still produce a beautiful wild flower.