“Familiar Strangers” Artists open up about their work and inspirations (pt. 1)

            Loyola University Maryland’s senior art students have their work displayed in our Julio Fine Arts Gallery for our current exhibition, Familiar Strangers. Their work ranges from all different types of art such as paintings, photographs, and sculptures. One of the most interesting aspects of art is that there can be many different interpretations of what a piece represents. A number of these Loyola seniors were generous enough to speak about what their artwork means to them.

Julia Cirincione, Life’s Stresses, from the Hidden Feelings series, Collaged digital photographic print, 2021, 16 x 20 inches

Natalie Labib, Taste of Baltimore, from the Baltimore Sole series, Digital illustration on canvas, 2021, 16 x 24 inches

Brett Hooper, My Better Half, Diptych, Acrylic paint on canvas, 16 x 20 inches each

Julia Cirincione

Julia Cirincione is the artist of, Hidden Feelings, a collaged digital photograph print set. Cirincione was selected as 1 of 25 artists to exhibit in the Picturing Pandemic Baltimore exhibition in 2020 which represented the emptiness of downtown attractions during COVID. Cirincione’s grandfather is the source of inspiration for her artwork. She says, “My grandfather is a photographer and I have always been fascinated by the pictures he takes and the artistic ability he has. He is the main reason I became a photography minor, and he has been my main inspiration and support through it all!”  

Artist’s typically have a favorite part about creating their work and Cirincione is no different. “My favorite part of creating my work, Hidden Feelings was when I tried to use myself as my inner emotions. The images looked extremely forced and that's when I decided to use a friend that somewhat resembles me instead. This experience helped me better understand that I am not good at expressing my emotions and that it's okay that I don't always express them on the outside because I know they are there on the inside. I also enjoyed the entire process of creating the work because when I look back now, my first idea was completely different than my final product turned out to be. I love that though and I believe changing ideas and creativity along the way can be the beauty in creating artwork,” says Cirincione.

            Finally, I asked Cirincione what she hopes to accomplish through her art outside of college. She said, “In the future, outside of college, I hope to begin to sell some of my artwork and even take senior pictures or wedding pictures. Photography is a hobby that I have always loved, and I know I will continue to enjoy taking, editing, and creating pictures for the rest of my life.”

Natalie Labib

Next up, Natalie Labib, the artist of Baltimore Sole, created three digital illustrations on canvases which each display different aspects of Baltimore’s culture on shoes. Labib works with the Loyola Career Center as a Graphic Design Creative Assistant to create signage for the school. She has always had a strong love of fashion and this is partially where the inspiration for her artwork comes from. She says, “I am inspired by fashion designers and people who use clothing as a way to express themselves. I enjoy using my outfits as a form of self-expression and creating my own fashion-based artworks.”

            Some artwork requires research beforehand so that the artist knows exactly what style they are going to capture. This just so happened to be Labib’s favorite part of her design process. “My favorite part about creating these three pieces was getting to learn more about Baltimore's history and culture. I enjoyed researching the different aspects I wanted to include and choosing the best images to represent them,” says Labib.

            In terms of what Labib hopes to accomplish with her work outside of college, she says, “I hope to continue my career in graphic design after college. I want to learn more skills and techniques in graphic design and illustration.”

Brett Hooper

Finally, Brett Hooper created, My Better Half (Diptych) which is a pair of acrylic paintings on canvases. She currently interns for the Center for Community Service + Justice and an ALANA services mentor. These two direct her to be an advocate for spreading awareness of inequity and inequality throughout her university and communities. The inspiration for Hooper’s artwork has a very personal touch. She says, “When I create artwork, I thrive to tell multiple messages and stories (my story) in my artwork. When I'm telling stories my family, friends, and others inspire me to continue to portray those stories that I do.”

The options are limitless for creating artwork that conveys a message or tells a story. Hooper says this this was actually part of her favorite aspect while creating her work. “My favorite part was deciding on the messages I wanted to paint onto the canvas. Of course, the other part was figuring out the 'perfect' color pallet,” says Hooper.

Hooper has high aspirations following college. She wants her art to mean something bigger than paint on a canvas; it can make a change to all the problems that people encounter in today’s society. She says, “While moving forward and graduating from college I will continue to tell the stories of racial discrimination, oppression, and inequality through drawings and paintings. I hope telling the various stories will make others aware of what's happening and what the BIPOC community must endure. Also, to give myself a chance to tell my own personal story through art hoping someone else can connect to my art.”

Come view the hard work that these seniors have put into their art in the Julio Fine Arts Gallery, on display until December 17th, 2021!