As a computer science major, my efforts to pursue art have been reduced mostly to doodling in the margins of my notes. However, every once in a while, I am able to take an art elective that allows me to explore my creative side. 

For me, art is an escape from reality, a chance to break away from the rules of nature and build your own. My mother, who was a freelance muralist my entire childhood, played a huge role in developing my passion for creation. My goal in the future is to combine my academic career and interest in art.

The first piece, “Cheese!” was the final project for my 2D Design class, which I took at the community college I attended before coming to St. Joe’s. Because I intended to force the implementation of a grid with grayscale, I felt extremely limited in the creative process. 

The juxtaposition between rigid edges and curvilinear—smooth shapes—was what I was most comfortable with at the time. This piece, along with the rest of my artwork, is one that I wish to revisit and improve the most with my current skill set.

​The second piece never received a title since my 3D Studio Art class doesn’t require one for submissions. Even without a name, I still consider it one of my more engaging pieces. I think that the placement of design elements is interesting and I love that we had the opportunity to use recyclable materials. There are even some “happy accidents” in this piece that contribute to the overall image.

The third and final piece, also nameless, aims to make use of positive and negative space with an analogous color scheme to draw the viewer’s eyes throughout the composition. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this project and the opportunities for random occurrences in the creation of each shape.