Greensboro College senior, Jonathan Abney, put up his senior exhibition on April 19th, 2022 in the Anne Rudd Gaylon Gallery at the Cowan building of Greensboro College. The show will be up until May 7th, 2022.
The name “Mind Your Manners” stems from Abney’s love of alliteration and from the idea of “minding your manners” being something that parents say to their misbehaving children. “My commonly known disregard for social norms is a trait most can probably recognize from the way I act publicly,” says Abney. “I feel as though I present myself as a very childlike and carefree individual, so it fit right in with what I wanted to display in the gallery.”
Abney’s show consists of both digital and traditional artworks, but mostly digital. His show consists of mostly self-portraits with the occasional piece of a friend or of characters he has made.
Abney found himself experimenting more this year with traditional pieces and seeking new horizons. “Traditionally being only an artist familiar with pencil sketching and inking, the distinct lack of variety within my artistic palette made me feel inadequate compared to my other more artistically gifted friends. Personally, it was impossible for me to believe myself to be a ‘real artist’. An artist who challenged themself past their arbitrary limits. And this interpretation led me to disregard what I had achieved.”
According to Abney, his show has given him the opportunity to convey himself for himself. He found that painting with acrylic paint allowed him to work against its flow, rather than just making art with it. He found that working with the medium was not that he misunderstood it, but that he just misunderstood the process; something he has since learned to embrace.
To learn more about Abney and to see all of his works, please visit the Anne Rudd Gaylon Gallery inside the Cowan building of Greensboro College! Or visit Abney’s Instagram which will be linked below.
Congratulations Jonathan! Everyone here will miss you when you graduate and we can not wait to see what the future has in store for you and your fantastic art!
Check out Jonathan’s Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jonnyjraws/
Featured Image by Destinee Allen.
GREENSBORO COLLEGE ART COLUMN 
Well done!
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