Samantha Hayslett ’19

The two most formative classes that I took at Ursinus were Painting 1 with David Aipperspach and 19th-Century Art History with Gloria Mast. Strangely enough, they bracketed my time there being one of the first and last art courses I took respectively.

Painting 1 introduced me to oil paints, a medium I had never used before and I just fell in love with, to the point that I still use oils as my main medium. Prof. A. also pushed me to go outside of what I had previously done, allowing me to test my limits and grow as a painter.

For the art history class, I got to learn about a wide array of art forms and mediums as Prof. Mast’s field of study is Amish quilts from the 19th century. I also got to go into the college’s archives and see and study the artworks up close. Both classes introduced me to many artists that I had previously not known and who still shape my practice today.

The art department might not be massive at Ursinus but it is staffed with people who truly love their craft and are very good at sharing the love of art with others.