Tabloid comes to temple

Tabloid paintings have taken over the main hallway of the Wathena Temple Fine Arts Building this month.

Did you hear the news? "A typhoon ripped through a cemetery leaving hundreds dead" and "Nike revealed Tiger Woods plays with own balls." That's right. The Truth has come to Texas A&M University - Commerce with the help of first year graduate student Treacia Stewart.

"I have generally been more comfortable engaging in three dimensional work but painting professor Michael Miller has inspired and taught me so much about contemporary art," Stewart said. "The semester I did this series, the goal for each student was to have a completed body of work by the end of the semester. This meant complete with having a solo show, a reception and the whole tomato."

Stewart has managed to paint an entire series of mock tabloids that cover various celebrities, events and pop cultural phenomena. Her main goal is to make a statement about the society in which we live.

"The subject matter pokes fun at the eagerness with which a culture raised on Jerry Springer, gossip news shows, conspiracy theories and 'reality' TV gobbles up even the most outlandish and contrived slop," Stewart said. "Some of the material is just witty, easily misinterpreted blurbs that not everyone 'gets'. I really enjoy that."

Stewart explained the construction of this series relied on a lot of digital manipulation, line work, layout, punch welding and getting the images and headlines perfectly layered. Afterwards, she cut a mask of the image in negative and applied it to a stretch canvas she made from scratch. She put it all together by applying the new line of colors offered by Krylon spray paint. Before any of that could unfold, she had to do her research.

"Brainstorming is the first step," Stewart said. "The absolute first thing necessary to do when I come up with a new piece or series of work to do is gathering resource material, getting up to speed on what is hot and what is not, harvesting from top 'news' stories, most searched names, and some stock images of celebrities."

Members who work in the art department are recognizing Stewart's work.

"I really love those pieces," Joseph Daun, head of the art department said. "Her work shows how artists can communicate. The faculty is very fond of her and her work as well."

Her paintings also have not gone unnoticed by students who visit Wathena Temple.

"The paintings are funny," Leah Mitchener, sophomore said. "I find them to be very clever."

Some critics, however, do not view Stewart's work as true artwork.

"There are those that dismiss them as not 'real' paintings, but that's just another jab at perception for me," Stewart said. "At every stage of artistic development, some predecessors of each movement scoff at materials, techniques and motivations. I just chalk it up to ignorance, not stupidity."

If anyone would like to comment on Stewart's work, feedback can be sent to tstewart6@leo.tamu-commerce.edu.

"I encourage everyone, even if you are not nor intend to be an artist of any kind, to at least check out the department," Stewart said. "Take a class and get a little more familiar with your creative side. Everyone has one."