Sophomore Spotlight

From the Artist

My name is Blake Hargrove. I’m from Prague, Oklahoma and I am an art education major. I enrolled in the ECU Art Dept. in the fall of 2010.  I took the first levels of painting and ceramics last semester and am currently taking design I & II and watercolor.  A pencil is what I am most comfortable and competent with. What I have grown to understand with  a pencil the most is the use of value. To me it’s the subtle changes in value that create my pieces; and pencil is the media in which I can manipulate the piece in whatever way I see fit.  However, during my time here, I have been exposed to other media and have grown to enjoy them as much as I do pencil; and where I used to be a very visual artist, I now try to explore more abstract methods and concepts in new media.  I like to do the best job I can on each piece as far as my talents allow and I love to compete against other artists.  After I graduate I plan to pursue an MFA. 

Sophomore Spotlight

Ruthie Bustamante

Artist Statement My life is ever-changing and so is the Art I create. As an artist I perceive life from another view as most artists do. I believe in balance and harmony which is why I recently upon my arrival at East Central University felt a deep connection with sculpture. More specifically as an upcoming artist I have found that manipulating clay into an array of ceramic sculptures have satisfied me as an artist. I produce figurative, non-figurative, utilitarian, non-utilitarian, and many other authentic forms of hollow sculptures. I have many ambitious plans for my future and plan to use the techniques I have and are acquiring in college to complete my journey through life as an artist of integrity and creativity. I have gathered that knowing yourself is a powerful tool when beginning a piece, working with a material, knowing when the piece is truly finished, and most importantly commitment.

Guillermo Martinez

Candace Sweatt

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed making art—whether it was with crayons when I was a kid or, more recently, with a pencil or paintbrush in hand. And, for some reason, I’ve always had a sort of fascinated preoccupation with recreating exactly what I see. “Practice makes perfect,” is what they say and though (at this time) the art I create may be far from perfect, I’ve certainly gained a more discerning eye when it comes to detail. I adore realism and I love to find the most mundane, unassuming object and turn it into a visual treasure that’s impossible to ignore. I excel mostly in the 2-D arts, such as graphite drawings, but I’ve also come to have a soft-spot in my heart for ceramics and sculpture too.

Spencer Tracy