This past week’s senior exhibition at the Art Department featured the artwork of UNA senior art student Anna Lyle.

Although Lyle practices several forms of artistic expression, her primary form of expression is through photography and the story that she can tell through those photos.

Lyle’s father is an alcoholic. She said she has never really talked about this part of her past, but now uses her art to put it out for others to see.

“It’s a burden I have, and it’s something I have to get out,” Lyle said. “The whole body of work is about me dealing with my father’s alcoholism.”

Many people have seen and reacted to Lyle’s work in the exhibition. She said there have been quite a few people who came up to her and told her of their own story of loved ones who struggled with alcoholism.

“You find your own way of dealing with it; I am an art major, so this is mine,” Lyle said.

Suzanne Duvall-Zurinsky, associate professor of art, has each of her art appreciation classes look at all the exhibitions done in the department. She said she has especially enjoyed this exhibition.

“This is the first senior exhibition of the semester, and I think that it is a strong, powerful show to start off the semester,” Duvall-Zurinski said.

Lyle’s photography professor, Wayne Sides, also enjoyed the exhibition. Sides has been instructing Lyle for the past four years.

“It’s one of the better exhibitions of photos that I have seen out there — kind of sci-fi meets horror film — but it is really quite beautiful,” Sides said.

Sides also said he felt like Lyle always had a lot of potential and that she was always a curious student and trying new things. He even said that all of the students liked Lyle’s exhibition, and that does not usually happen.

“I want her to take what I teach and use it to open her own path,” Sides said.

Lyle is going to graduate at the end of this semester with a bachelor’s in fine arts. Since she is a senior, she had to do this work to graduate, but she said she would have done it anyway.

“If it helps somebody with dealing with this then I have done my job,” Lyle said.

As for future plans, Lyle said she will probably not continue doing this narrative in her photography, but she will do freelance work.

“As long as there is a camera in my hand and I have that skill, then I will be happy,” she said.