ART & MUSING: ‘MY PROFESSOR’S OFFICE’

KATIE HIRV KNIGHT WIRE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

A sense of unity can be felt while taking in this piece. There is a feeling of openness, showing us a place where it is OK to be at ease.

Angeline Neo, a fourth-year studio art and graphic design student at Wartburg, created the familiar piece that anyone walking into the Den encounters. Entitled “My professor’s office,” the artwork portrays the office of Barbara Fedeler, professor of art at Wartburg. Fedeler serves as Neo’s academic advisor.

“Barbara Fedeler has helped me find my creativity and become a more confident artist,” Neo said.

Neo created the piece by drawing inspiration from the comfort she experienced in the art department. Emphasizing a sense of peace and calmness, Neo focused on sharing the way she sees colors as relationships that speak to one another. The contrast between the yellows and blues used in the oil painting draws in a viewer, providing a sense of ease with both comforting warmth and coolness. In total, the piece took Neo about three weeks to create.

“I learned about my style of creating art and how I interpret a real-life object or scene into art. Art has taught me to accept my imperfections,” Neo said. “Nothing is perfect in this world, just like a piece of art. You can’t make every single line as straight as you intended to be, and it is okay to be imperfect.”

Neo also shared what art means to her.

“For me, art means everything. When I was young, whenever I was given a pen and a paper, I could sit in the corner and draw all day,” Neo said. “Art is how I express my emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Art is my escape from the chaos life, stress, and problems.”

“My Professor’s Office” was selected to be shown at the Cedar Valley Biennial Art Competition in 2017. It was then exhibited at the Waterloo Center for Arts for several months before it was placed permanently as part of the art collection owned by Wartburg College. Donor support was provided by the Virginia Burns Charitable Foundation.