Common themes of dreams include falling or being chased, but Aubrie Sell dreams about something a little more unusual: deer.
Sell, a 2007 Penn State alumna, also takes her dreams one step farther by using them as inspiration for her artwork.
Sell will share her work as part of Art on the Move, today through April 27.
"I did my honors thesis in November, and since then, I've been dealing with dream imagery in my work," Sell said. "A lot of people have recurring dreams. My paintings are about these images."
Before turning to the subject of dreams, Sell focused on more traditional subjects, such as people.
"I was sick of painting people," Sell said.
"I was trying to come up with images that were familiar, but couldn't be found in real life."
Sell said deer are commonly used in her paintings, drawing from her childhood memories.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, Sell was accustomed to seeing deer everywhere, she said.
"Deer are always in my dreams, and I hate to see them killed on the side of the road," she said.
Her deer paintings can elicit two different meanings, she said.
"Literally, I feel for the deer, and I hate to see them killed. But in my thesis, I talked about themes like human atrocity and inflicting pain," Sell said.
John Bowman, an associate professor of art, has known Sell for four years and noted her strengths as an artist.
"Her great strengths are her intelligence and intensity of purpose, and her courage in painting practice. She is always pushing the image to say more," he said.
One of Sell's trademarks is to leave the outline of the canvas visible, creating an "unfinished" look, said Bethany Van Velsor, publicist for the HUB Galleries.
Sell explained that she always starts with an image in her head, but agreed that the end result might not look complete.
"Sometimes there are edges where the paint doesn't come all the way to the ends, and you might see the blank canvas," she said.
Van Velsor said the selection process for Art on the Move begins with Ann Shields, the head of the HUB Galleries.
Shields visits the School of Visual Arts each semester to talk to students and see their work firsthand, she said.
Sell, who graduated in December, said she was happy to exhibit her work the semester after she graduated.
Without deadlines, many art students have a difficult time continuing on a regimented schedule with their artwork after graduation, she said.
"This gave me time to collect my thoughts, and it forced me to set up a studio. I wanted to do all new work for the exhibit," Sell said. "It really put things in perspective."
Art on the Move is specifically designed for current undergraduates or recent graduates, Van Velsor said.
"It gives emerging artists an opportunity to show their work in a place that's not as expansive as a bigger gallery," she said.
"And it gets the whole campus to see it."
Van Velsor noted that the Ritenour Building is an especially good place to show art.
"It's a highly visible place. It decorates the spaces, and people get to see art where they wouldn't expect to see it," she said.
Sell also said she realized the importance of location with art.
"I've gone to Ritenour with a cold and seen my friend's work there." she said.
"Maybe my work will brighten some sick kid's day."
