Associated Students highlighted a “Golden Hour” to showcase student artwork at the Student Union courtyard at the Golden Galleria art show on Oct. 12.

Guests arrived on the red carpet that sprawled on the steps that led up to the courtyard, while a harpist played soft, calming melodies in the background. Art enthusiasts admired the work that was displayed while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and free mocktails.

Many of the artists mingled around or stood near their pieces. 

One student artist was Finn Casey, a first-year chemistry major, who had three canvases on display. One of his art pieces was titled “Congruity Of Life or A Simple Wonder,” which was a painting of an eye in a red apple. When reflecting on this piece, Casey said he was inspired by his studies as a chemistry major and his fascination with biochemistry. 

“I’ve learned a decent amount about bio-chem stuff and a lot of similarities, like how humans and plants work,” Casey said. “I find it to be just really interesting; the apple and the eye show some congruence there.”

Casey’s second piece was titled “The Horror Of Industry,” which he described as quite “an emotional piece.” This artwork depicts a generic metal can that is surrounded by distant objects to express the feeling of loneliness in the corporate world. 

“(It was inspired by) the idea of having a 9 to 5 (job) for 50 years — which is a little existential and terrifying,” he said. 

Casey also spoke about the techniques of creating a feeling of isolation by having the big metal can in the center be surrounded by tinier cans that give the illusion of closeness but in reality, are really far away. He was proud of the sculpted shape of the can, which contributed to this piece being his favorite of the three. 

His final piece, titled “From Death,” was made when Casey was coming off from having a bad cold and strep throat. Even though he was very ill at the time, he wanted to create something from that experience. The painting is a skull with flowers blooming out of its creases. 

Another student artist whose work was showcased was Julia Savas. 

Her piece “Balcony Daze” was entirely freehanded from straight black ink. The painting shows a woman on a balcony staring off into the

distance. Savas had recently started creating art and never worked with ink before. 

The entire piece took about 15 hours to make and was inspired by an advertisement from Dolce and Gabbana. She mainly chose the advertisement to demonstrate the way people can be in tune with their bodies and also be connected to the beauty around them.  

“And showing she almost speaks a beauty quota from the advertisement themselves, but that doesn’t have to mean that’s what is on the inside and that’s what she is thinking about,” Savas said. 

An artist who took a different approach to the galleria was Streicher Mills, who created a multi-fabric art piece of jeans. 

“Basically, I just started sewing when I got my sewing machine a couple of Christmases ago,” Mills said. “Me and my friends are really into thrifting, so we like to upcycle clothes. I just decided to find a bunch of different fabrics and sew them onto a pair of jeans.” 

The event was a success with many people commenting on their appreciation for the artist’s techniques and variety. The harpist was a big hit that made people feel relaxed while appreciating student artwork.  

Students can participate in creating their own works of art at the next A.S.’s upcoming event, Sip N Paint on Oct. 19.

Upcoming A.S. events can be found on their website.