Southeast senior Amanda Thornberry always has had a passion for art, and never had a question about the major she would choose. A graphic arts major from Clarkton, Mo., Amanda recently received the chance to show just how talented she is when she was selected to help paint the magnificent downtown mural in historic Cape Girardeau, and assist a prominent photography studio as part of an internship.
While attending Southeast, Amanda has created several pieces of artwork that have been put on display in various art galleries and exhibits. As a result of her artwork, Amanda got to know Craig Thomas, a local artist and a fellow mural painter, who recommended her for the mural project.
Working with a select group of people, Amanda has spent most of her summer creating the stonework for the entire wall. According to Amanda, only two panels of the mural were complete before she started the project. When asked to assist in the painting this summer, Amanda could hardly curb her enthusiasm, saying that she was extremely excited to be a part of this.
“I think that the best part of getting to work on this mural is just obtaining the knowledge and experience of working on something this large. The mural is approximately 19 feet tall by 1,200 feet long. It’s so large, and yet it’s all one continuous work of art.”
Amanda feels that she has also benefited from the group she has worked with.
“I think that my experience has come from each person that I’ve worked with. Basically, each person in the group has a different way of doing things, so you take a little something from each person with you. I’ve never done mineral-based painting, only oil, so this was a very new experience for me.”
Amanda also got to use her knowledge in graphic arts this summer when interning for Bruton Stroube Studios, a commercial photographer located in St. Louis. With clients such as Anheuser-Busch, Coke, Coors Brewing, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Ralston Purina and many others, Amanda was able to work with a few large clients this summer.
“I learned about Bruton Stroube through a tour of their studio I took with my Graphic Design class,” she said. “Louise Bodenheimer, my professor, and Pat Reagan, the chairperson of the Art Department, took us up there. I asked a lot of questions, and learned a lot. Later I decided to call them to ask for an internship. The tour guide remembered me, and before I knew it, I was talking on the phone with Tom Stringer, the president of the company. I couldn’t believe I got it.”
Amanda went on location shoots with two of the three photographers and talked to their assistants to learn the work.
“The best thing that I did for Bruton Stroube was retouching a Lebron James 7’ cardboard cutout for the new Red Powerade. I loved the work with digital imaging, and it was all computer based. I got so much experience with Photoshop 7.0 and CS. The most exciting part is that one of these days the Powerade will actually come out in stores, and I helped with that.”
Amanda says she learned a lot from her internship, and continues to spout the benefits to other students.
“For any student, it is important to do an internship,” she said. “It will give you experience in the field, and it takes your education a step further when you take what you’ve learned and apply it with the job industry.”
Amanda plans on continuing with her artistic passion after she receives her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Graphic Design in December. She wants to move to St. Louis to get a job in digital imaging. One day, she hopes to own her own studio and continue to paint and draw.