What is at the New Melton Gallery Exhibit?

Grayson Boutin April 28, 2026 10:13 am

The Melton Gallery opened its last exhibit for the semester, “A Shift in Nature,” on Monday to showcase the Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Capstone.

The three featured artists, who have been working on their pieces for all of the spring semester, for the exhibit are Lauren Tarter, Sydney Antkowiak-Jones, and Evelyn Warren.

Lauren Tarter’s art, “Traces of Blue,” covers the grief and the emptiness a person feels after losing a loved one.

"Traces of Blue" by Lauren Tarter woman sitting in a chair looking out the window where two white figures play outside. (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *“Traces of Blue” by Lauren Tarter (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

"Traces of Blue" by Lauren Tarter a circular canvas with hands reaching towards the center where a figure is shown. (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *“Traces of Blue” by Lauren Tarter (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

"Traces of Blue" by Lauren Tarter a woman sits on her balcony at night looking out into the city sky line. (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *“Traces of Blue” by Lauren Tarter (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

Tarter uses cyanotype, a 19th-century printing process that uses a solution and UV light to produce blue colored prints on paper, and paintings as a way to show the past and present, as a way to “create a dialogue between grief and growth, showing the struggle to learn and grow around the massive and all-encompassing ache of loss,” says Tarter in her artist statement.

Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones says in her artist statement that she grew up with pet reptiles and that this experience inspires her works. In her art, she makes her own reptiles that are inspired by extinct or endangered species.

Antkiwiak-Jones paints with toxic materials like cadmium oil paint and bright colors to “relate to the pollutant or issue they face,” says Antkiwiak-Jones.

Reptile on log painting by Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *Reptile painting by Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

Reptiles in leaves painting by Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *Reptile painting by Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

Reptile in water painting by Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *Reptile painting by Sydney Antkiwiak-Jones (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

Antkiwiak-Jones said they “explore how overlooked animals play an important role in nature through being biological indicators of environmental health.”

Evelyn Warren focuses on themes of rebirth and healing through her four oil paintings. Inspired by nature, from her walks outside when they need to decompress and reflect, Warren paints the life cycle of sequoia trees, trees that need fire to reproduce, from a calm forest, to the forest on fire, to the painting being ashy and gray, to the last painting, which will depict a forest and its new growth.

Evelyn Warren's rebirth tree paintings (Greyson Boutin/The Vista) — *Evelyn Warren’s rebirth tree paintings (Greyson Boutin/The Vista)*

Warren says that “ the fire causes destruction, but that doesn’t mean that it is the end of life in the forest.”

The Melton Gallery curator, Keri Smith, says that there was a noticeable evolution because the class is “ an incredibly fast-paced and intense process.”

The Seniors have to have their work peer reviewed by a committee of art faculty to refine their work, says Smith.

Smith says that she wants people to be able to take away from this exhibit the “ work our seniors have poured so much time and labor into, and of course, we want everyone to enjoy the exhibition and hopefully find a piece of artwork they resonate with!”