THE STAIRCASE

Graphite - 18" x 24"

​

I drew this drawing from a photo of the University of Tampa’s Ferman Center for the Arts. I used graphite for the entire piece. I chose this area to challenge myself by mimicking the photo's depth, glare, and perspective. I was also drawn to this area's architecture and unique features. The hardest part of the piece was getting the angels exactly right, making the piece capture the realism of the photo. 

FABRIC

Graphite - 18" x 24"

​

In class, my teacher set up a cloth still life, and we had to pick a section of the cloth to draw. I picked this section because of the many different fabrics and designs within the clothes. I used graphite and charcoal for this piece. The most challenging aspect of this piece was making the clothes have depth and movement. I captured this by paying close attention to every detail and the amount of shading I included. 

TIGER

Acrylic Painting - 18" x 24" 

​​

My inspiration for this picture came from Andy Warhol. I have always enjoyed and been drawn to the amount of color he includes. I love using colors that do not usually go with the object captured. The painting was fun; deciding which colors should go next to each other and where was the most challenging aspect. I mostly put complementary colors next to each other because I liked the strong visual contrast. 

DAVID IN COLOR

Oil Painting - 18" x 24"

​

While studying abroad for the summer, I created this painting in Florence, Italy. I studied painting and decided to do my final painting of Michealangelo’s sculpture, The David, in an Andy Warhol style painting. I mixed both pop art and traditional art (sculpture). The most challenging part was mimicking the exact lines in all four sections. This painting taught me patience and that oil paint's beauty lies in building it up layer by layer. 

PINEAPPLE FOUNTAIN

Acrylic Painting - 15" x 20"

I created this painting based on a photo of the Pineapple Fountain in Charleston, South Carolina. The fountain symbolizes the pineapple's historical significance, which means welcome, warmth, and hospitality. The hardest part of this painting was capturing the water and making it look transparent. I am most proud of how I could depict the cascading water going over the fountain's edge. 

BIRDS OF SOUTH JERSEY

Acrylic Painting - 18" x 20"

I created this painting for my mother, who loves birds. I grew up in the pine barrens of South Jersey, so we saw many birds in our backyard; these were the most common. As I said in other paintings, my layout was inspired by Andy Warhol. I used neutral colors because the painting depicts nature.

OPRAH

Acrylic Painting - 15" x 20"

This painting is of my parents' friend's dog named Oprah. I was inspired to make this painting due to Oprah becoming extremely ill and going through many operations, doctor appointments, and life-changing surgeries. She was able to pull through the hard times but still struggles today. I wanted to capture how, even though she was extremely sick, the dog never stopped smiling, and her bright personality always bounced back. The bright colors represent her dog's personality. I used different shades of each color to depict the texture of the fur.  

DON'T WORRY

Acrylic Painting & Spray Paint -

18" x 20" 

In this painting, I spray painted the canvas and then went over the top with acrylic paint to do the silhouette of Bob Marley and the words, “Don’t worry about a thing.” This was the first time I used spray paint on cavus; I learned it runs much faster and you need much less than wood. I grew up listening to Bob Marley in the summer and was inspired to paint this after listening to the 1977 album Exodus.

GO BIRDS

Wood and Fabric - 12" x 24" 

I created it by carving wood into the Eagle's shape and burning foam into the same shape. I also stapled and glued fabric to do the detailing of the Eagle. I was inspired to make this because I grew up outside Philadelphia, and the Birds made it to the playoffs. The most challenging part of this was the Eagle's Beak because the fabric had to curve around it smoothly. After many tries and different cuts, I was able to accomplish this. 

BONNIE'S 

Acrylic Painting - 15" x 20"

​

This painting is of my grandparents' house in Western, PA. Growing up, this was my favorite home, and it is still my favorite today. In this painting, I envision all the memories I made in that backyard, the house, and the barn; it is very sentimental to me. My favorite aspects of the painting are the greenery and grass; I love how the trees and the light grass turned out.  

MARGVILLE

Acrylic Painting & Palm Tree Bark - 6 ft 

For this mixed-media piece, I collected palm bark from across the Tampa Bay area and assembled it using wire and a wooden backing. Inspired by the passing of Jimmy Buffett, I painted a salt shaker, margarita, and parrot onto the bark to represent iconic symbols associated with him, while the palm bark evokes the feel of a tiki hut. The most challenging part of the project was drilling, wiring, and assembling the materials, but through experimentation I developed techniques that made the construction process more efficient. The project took approximately one month to complete.