“Historical Fiction,” a collection of works by Carl Sandburg College art professors Nikki Ponce and Lisa Walker, is currently on display in the Len G. Everett Gallery at Monmouth College.
On Aug. 29, Walker and Ponce will share insights about their work as part of a 3 p.m. gallery reception on the upper floor of Hewes Library. The artists will speak at 3:30 p.m. The exhibition, which is on display through Sept. 14, is free and open to the public, as is the reception.
Their styles
Walker’s work is intended to draw the viewer into a sort of mythologized past.
“Did you ever notice how you recast events of your own past in terms of how your life has changed in the present? The story changes, am I right?” said Walker. “I feel that all our lives are a melding of the events that comprise our personal histories, and the mythology we build for ourselves out of those events.”
An essential part of Walker’s personal history is that she grew up around the world as the daughter of a military officer. Also, as an only child in a family of storytellers, she grew up listening to family lore and genealogical histories. Her work has always been influenced by a deep interest in ancestors, oral histories and mythology on an individual and cultural level. Spending part of her childhood in Europe, she became interested in the juxtaposition of ancient and modern art and architecture, developing her love of antiquity.
Ponce said her style “has evolved over time like any other artist.” Before the pandemic, she was primarily focused on small works. During the pandemic, “I found myself with more time,” she said. “I made 76 paintings in the two years of the pandemic. I have made many more since and have continued to evolve in style.”
Ponce likened the signature element of her work to the uniqueness of handwriting.
“The style of my work as it stands now is linear,” she said. “Bold black is used to outline objects and figures. These lines are the first things I make, created out of a technique called blind contour. This is nothing new to art students or artists, but what makes my work my own is that the lines are created with a mood involved – happiness. Just like handwriting, my blind contour lines are my own. It is my signature, and I have come to love the freedom in this style of art.”
Their education
Ponce began her art education at Black Hawk Community College, earning an associate’s degree in 2002. She then studied painting, printmaking and other general art mediums at Eastern Illinois University, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in 2005 and, the following year, a master’s degree in fine arts with a focus in printmaking.
“These years teaching have helped me expand my work, given me opportunities to inspire young artists, and enabled me to network with some truly fantastic artists,” said Ponce, who joined Sandburg’s faculty in 2010.
Walker earned her bachelor’s degree in printmaking at Rockford University, then received her MFA in mixed media from Bradley University in 1993, graduating summa cum laude. She has been teaching at Sandburg since 2001, and she received the Illinois Community College Trustee’s Association Faculty of the Year Award in 2009. Walker has also taught ceramics and drawing at Monmouth College.
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
