Inscape – William Jewell College’s artistic magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction and art from Jewell students – released its 2021 edition on April 23, honoring several contributors later that night at the Celebration of Honors.

Four contributing writers and artists received Student Publication Awards this year: Michaela Esau for Inscape Poem of the Year; Jenna Hultgren for Inscape Fiction of the Year; James Hobbs for Inscape Creative Nonfiction of the Year and Kenton Fox-Horst for Inscape Fine Art of the Year. 

Three poems by Esau, junior Oxbridge literature and theory and communications major, were published in the new edition of Inscape: ”The Ninnescah River,” “Paper Crane People” and “Laid Plans.” She emphasized the importance of being in nature and drawing on personal experiences as inspiration for these poems.

“I just love being in nature and I write whatever words that come to mind,” Esau said. “I think it’s easier to write in nature. ‘The Ninnescah River’ was about the time I spent in summer camp and my experience of growing up in church. I think that’s a big part of my life and that was something I reflected on in the poem. ‘Paper Crane People’ is just kind of about how to be a good person. It’s just a combination of different experiences.”

The 2021 issue of Inscape featured many of Jewell’s artistically-inclined students including Esau, Faith Harris, Krista Halstead, Kenton Horst-Fox, Savannah Hawley, Jenna Hultgren, Sequoia Crissman, Erin Gray, James Hobbs, Thom Hennelly and Isabel Warden. 

Although the magazine will not be printed this year, the new issue can be found on Inscape’s website and a physical copy can be purchased for $7.88.

Emma Mayfield’s journey as an artist began as early as sixth grade, when she participated in a small private school theater production. She has been involved in theater ever since and is now a junior at William Jewell College with over 15 productions and many theater classes under her belt.

“My practice hasn’t changed too much besides gaining more knowledge on how to improve at my craft; I love theater and have worked hard to get where I am,” Mayfield said.

Mayfield has held many leading roles in her time with Jewell Theatre Company including Hero in “Much Ado About Nothing,” Grace Fryer in “Radium Girls” and Bunny in “House of Blue Leaves.” She is also taking on the female lead, Julia, in Jewell Theater Company’s latest production, “1984,” which has been adapted to film due to the current pandemic. 

“I enjoy dramatic, challenging roles within the theater; I also really enjoy cross-dressing and getting to explore gender. I like to challenge myself as an artist because that’s the only way I’m going to get better – it teaches me patience, perseverance, and confidence,” said Mayfield. 

Recently, she has branched out into some other types of art as well. This has given her a chance to create simply for the fun of it, or as gifts for those she loves, and to just relax with less pressure to be perfect.

“About a year ago, I received a water color set as a gift, got a couple canvases and sketch books, gathered all my acrylic paint supplies, and I took up painting. Quarantine also inspired me to fill my time creating things, so I took up tie-dying any white cloth I could find – including my bed cover!” Mayfield said. 

Social media has also helped Mayfield to explore what types of art she wants to create. She enjoys painting and using others’ art as inspiration, mostly doing it for recreational purposes. 

“I find a lot of inspiration on social media, so these women are both Tiktok famous artists that I follow: Savannah Saturn and Jackie Harder,” Mayfield said. “Saturn works with canvas art, jewelry and has her own paint pen line. Harder works with sculpture and airbrushing.”

Her favorite artists inspire her to be weird, be herself and always use more color. In her visual art, Mayfield loves watercolors, abstract/out of the ordinary influences and vast amounts of color. 

“I love acrylic paint on canvas; it allows me to pencil in anything I can’t do freehand, then I move on to painting over it with my colors. I love painting eyes, plants, words, and famous characters,” said Mayfield. “I’m currently working on a ‘Family Guy’ piece actually. I also love to tie-dye and bleach dye clothing items. I like looking as colorful as my canvases.”

Mayfield makes most of her art for her significant other, family and friends.

“I show people I care by creating for them something that is uniquely from me. I would say my inspiration stems from that thought process – what will they like, what are their interests, how can I capture both them and myself in this artwork?” said Mayfield.

On days when she is not working on a present for someone else, Mayfield’s inspiration really draws from her mood and where she is at mentally. 

“Sometimes my mental state affects my work; I don’t always want to make art. Sometimes I feel too exhausted, or sometimes I’m worried anything I make will turn out poorly. When those roadblocks come, I try to make something anyway; I think pushing through it makes me into a better artist and a more patient person. I find creating, practicing and rehearsing my art to be therapeutic, and I strive to be better every day,” said Mayfield.

Music is also a great influence in Mayfield’s work and she feels that it is truly another art medium that can help move an artist or influence a piece in a significant way. 

“I listen to music while I create, I use music to inspire what I might paint, and I sometimes paint music lyrics onto a canvas,” said Mayfield. “I recently created a painting with images representing Harry Styles’ new album Fine Line.”

Hilltop asked Mayfield if she had any advice for other artists – her biggest tip is to just be yourself.

“Life is too short to paint what others want to see or to perform safe, neutral shows. I say let’s push boundaries, break the status quo, and work together with your fellow artists to make art a priority again,” Mayfield said. “You don’t have to be an artist to create either; explore what you like, try something new or simply write and see what comes to mind.”

Isabel Warden began to notice the beauty of art in fourth grade at the Spencer Museum of Art. She was entranced by a display that played music and was the only piece in the exhibit that could be touched. 

“It looked weird and out of the ordinary compared to the rest of the exhibit, and I think that’s why I liked it. I would say that’s where my journey began – I’ve always strived to make things both out of the ordinary, but also relatable for people to be able to understand me,” said Warden.

Isabel enjoys making art with found objects or things that she finds humorous but also does things in an analytical and controlled way. She uses art as a distraction – like putting every star sticker she has in color order onto watercolor paper just because she feels like it.

“I love the idea of taking found materials and turning it into something that people can recognize as art, rather than just completely making art from scratch.”

She is involved in many clubs and activities on campus at William Jewell College and is currently the president of Jewell’s Art Club. She feels that any type of art, whether it is music, dance or theatre always has a natural foundation and then goes through a series of edits. Following from this, her tip for other artists is to try to relax into the surrounding beauty, rather than seeking it out. 

“What you find beautiful will eventually come to you – don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come to you right away,” said Warden.

Warden doesn’t really follow a process when creating her art. She feels that the point of art is just to express whatever is going on in you and that there are always some forms of art in what anyone is doing, even if that wasn’t the intention of the person creating it. 

“A lot of times when I like to do art, I believe it comes from a place of genuine thoughtfulness,” Warden said. “I never force myself to do art, because that’s not the point of art.”

A genre that really sticks out to her is abstract expressionism because it’s the kind of art she would enjoy hanging in her home. One of her favorite pieces was from a recent show at the Stocksdale Gallery, called “Organelles” by Taylor Crites. She finds it hard to have a favorite artist because she loves so many different pieces from all of the artists she sees. 

“I think it’s crazy how so many individuals see the world differently and are able to create that through their art,” said Warden.

If Warden had to choose a favorite installation it would be a series of paintings called the “Midnight Paintings” by Theodore Seuss Geisel – better known as Dr. Seuss – in which he explores macabre versions of his whimsical works. 

“I think he puts in the darker elements of his works mixed with the whimsy in order to create a sense of unease towards the viewers,” Warden explained.

One of her favorite pieces she has created is a magazine cut out inspired by the work of artist Ray Johnson, the founder of an art movement in the 60s called Mail Art. Creating art is one of the many ways that Warden copes with anxiety and depression. Art both gives her an escape and is also a mechanism to express her inner emotions.

“I don’t think I would be the same person if I didn’t have art,” Warden said. “I would be a whole lot different.”

Claire Henry is a sophomore digital media communications major whose artwork varies from graphic design and digital-based work to photography and ceramics. 

In high school, Henry’s work in graphic design for her high school newspaper preempted her decision to declare a graphic design-based major in college. Henry has since worked to develop skills in illustration, drawing and photography-based work and describes her defined style as a hybrid. 

“It is not super cartoony, but it is not quite realism, so somewhere in the middle,” said Henry. 

Henry, who creates and translates her ideas through a wide variety of mediums, explained the pressure of creating something that comments on original and innovative ideas. 

“The most important part of art is the commentary,” said Henry. “The aesthetics are important, but it is not what art is. Art is communication and making sure that you are communicating something important that carries purpose.” 

While the discourse surrounding art is commonly centered around the freedom of creativity and unconditioned expression, Henry often feels limited with the pressure of creating something that is socially relevant and meaningful. 

“You always want to be making something that is influential and important,” said Henry. 

Henry explained that sometimes she just wants to create something pretty and that this endeavor can be challenging in a different way than creating something that maintains meaning and conveys social commentary. 

“Sometimes you just get an idea and you want to follow through with it, but it does not always have a lot of meaning and, in my mind, that lessens the quality of the work,” said Henry. 

Henry points to some of her work that she feels meets the standards she sets for herself as well as some of the work that she considers more for fun.

When asked about her favorite piece, Henry presents a bust covered in newspaper clippings entitled “Envy.”

“It is about the unrealistic expectations from media that are placed on women and how they [women] need to look and how it has negative impacts upon society and women in general,” said Henry. 

Henry also enjoys making Redbubble stickers – one of her favorite pieces she has created is a High-C juice box. 

“I just really love High-C juice boxes and I wanted a sticker for my laptop that was a High-C juice box and that is about it,” said Henry. 

Henry did not begin her collegiate journey at William Jewell College. She first attended the University of Arkansas for the first semester of her freshman year where she was planning on going into the graphic design program. 

While the University of Arkansas has an established and traditional art program, Henry found herself missing Kansas City’s art scene. 

“I really missed the city and the foundation that it has to get involved in the arts,” said Henry. “Arkansas did not really have that.”

Since transferring to Jewell and declaring digital media communications for a major, Henry has enjoyed the opportunities and room for growth she has found in her classes. 

“It has been really nice to have a mix of communications-based education and art because it gives me more time to really think about what I want to do,” said Henry. “If I were to just get an art degree then I would get stuck with that and I would not have as many options. 

Art and expression are a core part of Henry’s identity and she is hesitant about a future in the arts for that very reason. 

“It is harder for me to do what I consider ‘good work’ when it is assigned to me and I do worry that if I work at a graphic design firm, I will lose passion for what I really like to do,” said Henry. 

Henry’s current plan is to go to law school and, instead, keep art as a hobby and for the occasional for-hire art projects. While law school is not set in stone for Henry, she believes she has a skill set that will set her up for success as an attorney, and a future in law will allow her the space to maintain her love of art.