85 - WELCOME SUNRAYS

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

16 ¾ x 10 ¾ inches

(Stairwell of Morrill Hall)

My sophomore year, the art department moved from Morrill Hall to the Woods building—a clean, crisp, light space. The new structure gave me an incredible creative boost. Sunrays flooded this contemporary structure. It was a thrill to have such strong light for art lab classes. The simple lines of the Woods Art Building became an inspiration for my love of abstract expressionism.

The abundant light was reminiscent of the strong, southern sun that had flooded my childhood home. I felt at peace in the new art building as I welcomed light.

Initiating a classroom floor with paint stirred up more conflicting emotions. Because my mother had taught rigid cleanliness, I became paralyzed when one of my art professors, Mr. Butt, encouraged us to let our paint drip, spill, and dribble. He did not want our fear of staining the new floor to make our art rigid and inhibited. When he saw some of us hesitating, he prodded all of us to let go colorfully and in unison. The freedom he taught was liberating—it was a lesson that has lasted a lifetime!