Hazel Freeman is an art major with a concentration in painting for the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at UNC Asheville.
Her senior exhibition entitled "Memory at Play" features 11 paintings that recreate nostalgic memories from her own childhood, growing up with her sister and cousins on her grandmothers's farm in Brevard, North Carolina.
"We would play in the yard. We’d build fairy houses, chase chickens and swim in the creek," Freeman said.
"Most of the images and memories that I wanted to depict were of play or like moments of wonder."
When she started working on the series, her sister and cousin had both moved to new cities. Freeman said the project gave them a new way to connect over shared memories, even recreating them to take reference photos.
"It was super exciting to get to play the ways we used to play and it felt like we were kids again. But when it was time to leave or go back to our jobs or wherever, we felt a sorrow," Freeman said. "It made us realize it is just a memory and it can't go back to the way it used to be."
Freeman said the Bachelor of Fine Arts pushed her to develop a work ethic and learn how to view and critique art.
"I started to take myself more seriously as a painter and feel like I could do this as a career."
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