BY ADAM BLANCHARD
Senior Art Major Kenna Magoon grew up in Ellenburg Center, New York where she learned to see art in her surroundings through practicing photography and painting.
Magoon began exploring ceramics, sculpture, fiber arts, painting, drawing and photography in high school at Northern Adirondack Central School. High School Art Teachers Rebecca Dupree and Jennifer Hutchins both helped Magoon in developing her artistic skills.
“I just got along with them pretty well. They were always very encouraging,” Magoon said.
For creating and editing photos, Magoon keeps it simple. She drives around her hometown to find inspiration, then snaps a photo when she finds something interesting. Magoon said she prefers to make her photos black and white, but has been printing in color recently thanks to encouragement from Adjunct Photography Lecturer Sheri DuMont. Magoon does minimal edits to her photos, only correcting the exposure and contrast of photos.
Her painting process is similar. Magoon sources her painting references from photos she takes around her hometown. She projects her photographs onto her prepped canvas and sketches it out. After sketching, Magoon said she paints in a way that feels second nature to her.
“I don’t really think about it, I just go with the flow,” Magoon said.
Last semester, Magoon’s photography series, “Welcome to the North Country,” focused on interiors of abandoned areas throughout the North Country. Her current painting series focuses on the same idea, but varies in what parts of the North Country are being captured.
Magoon’s current photography series focuses on things that were once treasured, but have now been discarded and reclaimed by nature. Instead of sticking to Ellenburg Center to take photos, Magoon said she is going to try and branch into surrounding towns such as Plattsburgh and Lyon Mountain.
“It’s kind of a continuation of my series last semester, but we’re outdoors,” Magoon said. “It’s like documenting rural America and the stuff we do and see and walk by every day.”
Magoon has had work in exhibitions throughout her college career. She currently has work displayed in the Myers Lobby Gallery as part of the Studio Select Exhibition as well as photos in Malone’s Downtown Artist Cellar. Magoon had photos in the gallery at Saratoga Arts.
After graduation, Magoon said she plans to attend Adelphi University online and obtain a Masters of Arts degree in Art Education. She said she hopes to teach middle school art.
To see more of Magoon’s work, check out her Instagram, @who.is.kenna.
