Cassidy Kulhanek, senior in fine arts, slid a sample of her work across the table. It was a print of a blue sky, with a hill, and a bone -- possibly of a dog -- lying in green grass.
Kulhanek said printmaking is the process of making artwork by printing ink on a blank page through a screen made by the artist.
"You take a chemical photo emulsion and then you put it on the screen, and that reacts to light the same way film does," Kulhanek said. "Then you have an open space to push ink through and that's how you make the print."
Kulhanek's work has been featured in local galleries and within the University.
"In Biggin, there's one show open for any student, and then one for seniors at the end of each semester," Kulhanek said.
In the Field Work Projects Gallery on Gay Street, Kulhanek has been able to display her work. She said she feels her work has begun to improve recently because she is no longer afraid "to talk about the bad parts" of herself.
"My art tends to come off as a little revealing or harsh sometimes," Kulhanek said. "But I think that's a special part of it because it gives it a little bit more of an intimate relationship with the viewer."
She strives to give all of her work that intimate feel because she thinks "it's easier to have a connection to the work if you feel like you have a connection to the artist."
Kulhanek said she originally began as a zoology major, before switching to drawing, and then finally, printmaking.
"Printmaking is really quick, and it's easy to make a lot at once, and that's good for me because I'm really impatient," Kulhanek said. "I think that's why I gravitated toward it."
After graduation, Kulhanek's ultimate goal is to earn an MFA in printmaking so she can teach, but she said she definitely wants to continue making prints as well.
Forrest Badington, sophomore in studio art and one of Kulhanek's closest friends, said majoring in art may seem difficult, but there are certain jobs specific only to those majoring in an art field, such as film.
"I want to be a production designer for movies," Badington said. "You get to have creative control over the look of the movie."
Kulhanek said her father, an engineer, is extremely supportive.
"He's just happy I'm doing something that makes me happy," Kulhanek said. "He understands it's not going to be easy for me, but he knows that I also know that."
Kyle Taylor, a recent alumnus in fine arts, and another friend of Kulhanek's, said Kulhanek has the ability to succeed in printmaking.
"She seems to work hard at what she does," Taylor said. "I hope she can be around people that want to learn."
Badington said he also recognizes the drive in Kulhanek.
"The day I left for winter break she was in the studio working," Badington said.
Kulhanek said most of her inspiration comes from her relationships with others and how she interacts with them.
What she said she loves most about printmaking is that "it is so unlike other things that you can study" or major in.
"There's no right or wrong way to do it," Kulhanek said, "and there's no right or wrong answer in the end, it's just working the whole time to improve."
Kulhanek said many people do not realize the amount of hours artists spend in the studio, and the amount of frustration that goes along with that.
"You have to work on something until you hate it, because if you love it too much, you'll just want to work on it forever," Kulhanek said.
Even with the trials and tribulations, Kulhanek said she still loves what she does and is thankful she gets to do it everyday.
"It's a very personal action to make art," Kulhanek said. "So whenever you make art you are making little pieces of yourself."
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