What do a birthday party invitation, a fire breathing dragon and a pair of skeletal hands wrapped in red string have in common? They are all images students can see at the first Senior Art Exhibition of the Fall 2021 semester.

The artists in this art exhibition, The Digital Age, which can be seen now through Oct. 8 in the Fine Arts Gallery, created all their work with the help of Adobe applications such as Premiere, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Emotions heavily influence the works of Shantel DeLosAngeles, Faith Manuel and Rori Brown, whether they are the emotions of the viewer, the subject, the client or the artist.

Manuel starts with one emotion and creates a series of pieces that convey the same idea. After she narrows her idea, she chooses a subject to portray that emotion such as lines, people, planets or in the case of her current work: hands.

“As a person who isn’t the best at expressing myself verbally, I use my creations to speak for me and to inspire others to speak for themselves. I am a digital painter that enjoys working with emotion-fueled subjects. I like to tackle the range of emotions that humans possess, and the process of releasing those feelings into the world. This series of paintings is my interpretation of how hands have a way of expressing those emotions,” Manuel said.

Unlike the rest of the artists in the exhibit, Brown is a photographer. She takes photos of different subjects, but she does not direct any of the photoshoots at all.

“When I take portraits of people I like to let them tell me what they would like from the shoot. I try not to direct people when shooting unless I am asked to. Doing this lets me capture their true self, which I feel is more authentic,” Brown said in her artist statement.

Brown works with a broad spectrum of colors from dark to bright, depending on her emotions and the emotions of her subject.

“My goal for my artwork is to capture the uniqueness and beauty of each person, by letting their emotions speak through my photos,” Brown said.

DeLosAngeles focuses on creating a memorable moment with emotional meaning that is customized for each of her clients.

“Doris Salcedo, an artist from Columbia, interviewed the families of kidnapped victims, and using the interviews, information, and shoes of the victims she created this emotional installation called ‘Atrabiliarios.’ I feel that Doris taps into deep emotions by talking to the family and survivors. My work is created using information I receive from families and I use that information to create my work. Atrabiliarios is an installation that is emotionally attached and serves as a memorable moment in the lives of the families and victims. This is something I strive to accomplish in my artwork,”

Unlike the other artists in the exhibit, Smith took inspiration from media, entertainment, and game design. “I’ve always wanted to be someone who comes up with those ideas that we see on screen,” Smith said.

Smith approaches creating concept art and illustrations differently. When making concept art, Smith does not use distorted proportions or angles. “For my illustrations I do push for dynamic viewpoints to create a more appealing image, displaying characters in scenes from their stories to give a visual look into their world,” Smith said.

Students can view the art work in the Fine Arts Gallery every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Oct. 8. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next senior art exhibition “Change: Subject to Change” that will display in the Fine Arts Gallery from Oct. 20 to Nov. 19.