Art alum takes second in national juried exhibit

Wednesday, October 30, 2019 4:12 PM

Art, Arts and Letters

Hannah Wegner and juror Bill Scott with “In a Glasshouse,” 10-16-19

In April 2018, Hannah Wegner was looking forward to graduation. Her work was on display in the WCU Seniors Art Exhibit and she had just won first prize in the painting category of the Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition, a juried exhibit that included work from college students all over the state.

Wegner’s work included a series of four large canvases painted from life in her studio. They were called “Red Table Leg,” “Pink Lady,” “Green Stool” and “Red Chair 2.”

“I like bright colors, bright red. My palette usually includes a red, a pink, a brown and a gray,” she said during the opening reception for the 2018 show.

Wegner’s artistic and personal style is still evolving. These days, her hair is short and blond. She works at a restaurant and she’s still painting.

In October, she won second place in the University of Southern Mississippi’s 2019 National Juried Painting Exhibition for "In a Glasshouse." Judged by Philadelphia painter Bill Scott, the exhibition featured work by 46 artists, selected from 454 entries received from across the country. It included a range of work from figurative paintings, to studio still-lifes and landscapes, to abstract and non-objective works.

“Hannah has a bright future as a painter. Her work at William Carey was purposeful and well-designed, and she demonstrated an unusual ability to sustain ideas in series of works,” said Dr. Read Diket, chair of the WCU Art Department.

“I believe Hannah has already started to exercise her potential to transform society through her art. She works nights in order to paint during the day. Her passion for art clearly goes beyond focus, as she works hard to support herself while she develops the unique style that appears ingrained in her paintings.”

Read more: WCU Art Department

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