Posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2026
The Westminster College Foster Art Gallery is hosting a senior capstone art exhibition, “Makeup as Modern Art,” featuring the work of Alexa Tovarnak from March 3 to April 3.
A gallery reception will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 6. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.
Tovarnak’s exhibition features a series of photographs documenting her original face paintings. Using makeup as her primary medium, she transforms the human face into a canvas, translating recognizable works and artistic styles onto a living subject.
The series includes pieces inspired by famous paintings as well as original compositions.
“I have always had a passion for art,” said Tovarnak. “Makeup has been a specific focus of my creativity.”
After experimenting with traditional painting in her college art classes, Tovarnak returned to makeup artistry as her primary form of expression. Her work explores the challenges of painting on a three-dimensional, uneven surface and building upon natural skin tones rather than a flat, white canvas.
Some pieces attempt to visually flatten the face, while others create realistic imagery that embraces its contours. Each work presents new technical challenges, allowing Tovarnak to refine her approach to composition and design.
Tovarnak, a business administration and fine art double major from Campbell, Ohio, is a graduate of Campbell Memorial High School.
The Foster Art Gallery, under the direction of Summer Zickefoose, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The gallery is located in Patterson Hall, adjacent to Orr Auditorium.
For more information, email Zickefoose at zickefse@westminster.edu.
Pictured above
“Geometric Portrait after Roy Lichtenstein's Portrait of a Woman”
face paint, makeup, digital photography
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By Betsy Fontaine Hildebrand ’92
Betsy Fontaine Hildebrand ’92 is the director of communication in Westminster College's Office of Marketing and Communication.
