Senior Art Exhibit 2005: Peter Shenk

Whether it is in the form of a painting, a photograph, or a song, my art springs out of a deep need to utilize my God-given creativity to share with others some of the God-given joy that I experience. In retrospect, I can trace the roots of this need to express myself through art back to my earliest memories: stick drawings of farm animals given to my grandparents, my favorite cartoon characters sketched on placemats and handed to restless children in restaurants, greeting cards that featured "thumbprint people" enjoying life sent to friends to give them a smile. I have been blessed with an enthusiasm for life and want my artwork not only to reflect that enthusiasm, but also to be a vehicle though which I can share my positive outlook with others.

As with every artist, my style is constantly evolving. The use of sharp lines and predominance of flat, colorful shapes, that mark my most recent work, draw on my long-time interest in pop art and more recent work in computer graphic design. Perhaps the message that I am trying to convey as I break down what could be complex into highly simplified forms is "Try to keep it simple," or, "Look at what is simple and you will find something terribly complex and intriguing." I believe that both can be true at the same moment. Artists who have influenced my work include, but are not limited to: Charles Demuth, Roy Lichtenstein, and Georges Seurat.