"A lot are taken in the home where they seem to be thinking about something, in a child dreaming, longing state," Harkins said. "The photos allow you to contemplate scenes and subjects in a quiet manner, unlike a video."
Harkins, who moved to State College from San Diego, said he takes photographs around the house because his family uses the home as a safe place.
"The photographs show the kids' growing process, moving from an internal world to the influences of the greater world," he said.
Ken Graves, a photography professor, said Harkins' work is self-reflective, as it recognizes his own inadequacies and successes in his children.
"He wrestles with his role as a parent and his role as an artist," Graves said.
Harkins' work is accessible because he makes his images very readable and not abstract, he said.
"Students often have difficulty finding direction and vision," Graves said. "[Harkins] stays with a subject and works it through. Gordon's work is very focused over an extended period of time."
Harkins said he believes the greatest thing about artwork is its ability to connect viewers and allow them to broaden their experiences of the world. He values personal connections because of the world today, which communicates mainly through e-mail and cell phones, he said.
"I think this is where art can step in and create a greater picture of the world through shared experiences," Harkins said.
In a different medium, ceramic artist Molanphy creates pieces intended to be humorous, fun and even absurd.
"Humor can be applied to anything, and it's just as applicable to domestic objects," he said.
Molanphy used to paint and make books. He said both books and ceramics are vessels, for text and food respectively, so he made a natural progression from painting to ceramics.
"I like to eat, and I worked as a baker," Molanphy said. "I wanted to continue making tableware."
Molanphy's unusually shaped pottery includes an array of children's cups, Greek pottery and giant inflated mugs, he said.
"The formal theme throughout my work is rheology, which is the study of the flow of particles and how they move," Molanphy said.
Miles Halpern (graduate-painting) is a colleague of both Harkins and Molanphy in the master's program. "Brian's pots emphasize individuality, with forms that really take on a personality and persona of their own," Halpern said.
Halpern said Molanphy's work is presented on a shelf at eye-level, instead of at a level where viewers can look inside of the cups. With this kind of display, it is almost as if the viewer is looking at a lineup of faces, Halpern said.
"[Molanphy] has a great sense of humor," Halpern said. "He appreciates different forms of art, from fine arts to comic strips."
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