As Stephanie Nienhouse prepares to graduate from Grand Valley State University, she looks back on her unconventional college career and looks forward to her future.

“I have had an atypical experience as a college student,” said the 27-year-old student artist.

After attending both Muskegon Community College and Kendall College of Art and Design, Nienhouse enrolled at GVSU in 2006 as an Art Education major. In the summer after her freshman year, she married her fianc?©, Matthew. In her junior year, she gave birth to her first child, a son named Isaac.

For Nienhouse, juggling classes and family life has proven to be quite a challenge. Living with her family in Montague, Mich., she has to commute to campus and is unable to take a full 12-credit load.

“It’s hard because you feel guilty when you are away,” she said. “But it’s worth it. I would have been disappointed in myself if I gave up. I’ve had a lot of help from my family.”

Nienhouse had completed almost all her courses for her major when she had a change of heart. She decided to switch to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting.

“I realized one day that I will only live once,” she explained. “And if all I want to do is paint and be an artist, then why would I choose to do anything else?”

Nienhouse said she did not realize her love for painting until she was exposed to oil painting in her high school art class. There, she was drawn to the unique qualities and textures of the medium.

“I chose painting as my emphasis because it best fit the kind of art I want to make,” Nienhouse said. “It is very free and fluid.”

Nienhouse focuses on portraying and manipulating landscapes. In her pieces, she offers abstract views of land through her use of layers and colors.

“I have chosen to focus on the landscape because I feel that it has a lot to offer,” she said. “Everyone can relate to it, and it has a certain language of its own to engage viewers.”

Before graduating in April, Nienhouse’s paintings will be featured in a Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibit with fellow student artist Anne Gerlofs from March 28-31.

Five of Nienhouse’s oil paintings on canvas will be displayed in the show, which will be held in the Padnos Student Gallery. A reception for the exhibit will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on March 31.

“I am very excited for the exhibit,” Nienhouse said. “I believe people should see art in person. A painting can give you a very different experience when seen in real life.”

After graduation, Nienhouse plans to enjoy motherhood as she is expecting her second child in September. Beyond that, she hopes to develop her body of artwork, participate in gallery shows and open a studio of her own.

“Painting is wonderful. I can’t imagine wanting to do anything else,” Nienhouse said. “It’s an ideal situation. It’s perfect for me. It’s something you can do at home. You don’t have to go into an office or work a nine to five day. I can have a family.”

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