By Darla Martin Tucker

Some of Amy Cronk’s artistic works are several feet in height and width, creating a strong physical presence symbolic of the role a person’s form plays in his or her self concept.

The La Sierra University senior art major creates many works that deal with the concept of identity that results not only from emotional and environmental awareness but also from physical factors. Her artistic journey is influenced by an awareness of her struggles with Crohn’s disease as it relates to her own self concept. While the illness does not exclusively define her, “…it helps me understand who I am in this world,” she said. “My artwork realizes the fact that our physical body has a big role in understanding our identity.”

Cronk is exhibiting her senior project, titled “Image,” in Brandstater Gallery May 11 – 21. The gallery will hold an opening reception May 11 from 6 – 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Mon.-Thurs., 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sun., 2 – 5 p.m. The show will consist of 12 to 15 works. The pieces are mixed media, some consisting of oil paintings on wood panels with three-dimensional components and some formed of welded steel.

An oil-on-wood panel piece titled “Male/Female” is a five-foot-by-three-foot work depicting side-by-side finely detailed illustrations of human torsos. A five-foot-by-four-foot mixed media plaster cast torso and hip form gives way to a softly rendered illustration of swirling shapes. A bending, S-shaped piece of welded steel with Patina finish becomes a six-foot-by-four-foot spine.

Cronk has held a life-ling interest in creative arts, a passion influenced by her parents. “Both of my parents are really creative people in their own ways and always encouraged me to be creative. I took a few classes in high school but realized that I loved art and that it was something I wanted to do with my life when I reached college,” she said.

Cronk attended Loma Linda Academy before enrolling at La Sierra. She places a high value on her art education at LSU. “I feel that without the support, challenge, and encouragement of the art department, I would not be where I am today.”

Following graduation from La Sierra, Cronk will attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to pursue a Master’s of Art in Art Therapy. She is looking forward to a career advocating for the therapeutic qualities of art.

When not expending energy on her artistic endeavors, Cronk aims to achieve a relaxed state of mind through yoga. “I love yoga and it’s meditative qualities,” Cronk said. “I do yoga to relax and escape the pressures of the day and feel that that calm mental state is crucial to the way in which I want to live my life.”