By Audrey Adams
Two Beacon seniors showcased their art bona fides in April with their senior portfolios during an exhibition at the Kristin Michelle Mason Art Gallery at Beacon College.
Primarily focused on drawing and mixed-media paintings/drawing, Manzano-Lee draws “inspiration from personal experiences, lyrics, instrumentals, and current events, focusing on the human emotions associated with them,” he said.
The studio arts major has applied for a position in community arts in Maryland. The newly minted 2022 alum seeks a career in the community/public art sphere, creating, supporting, and facilitating the expansion and elevation of the quality and scope of public art.
“Creating artwork allows me to express my inner thoughts and give purpose and meaning to my life,” Manzano-Lee said.
With the piece, she attempted to represent cave systems and their organic formation using entirely man-made materials. She dipped plastic shopping bags in hot wax and then stretched them over steel rods, which created a very “organic” effect in both color and final impact.
For Marra, primarily a mixed media collagist and sculptor, the thrill lies in mixing media and matching colors and exploring how different materials/media behave in juxtaposition to one another, she said.
The 2022 graduate hopes to blend her studio arts major and business management minor into a satisfying career.
For now, Marra will serve as resident director for “Beacon in Tuscany” when the college’s semester-long study abroad program resumes this fall after COVID hibernation.
The show was well attended by students, family members, staff and faculty alike, with many attendees waiting to speak to each artist personally about their art and the logic behind their choices of art works to include in the show.