Kate Scott's "Grandma's Pearls" -- an oil painting depicting a pair of hands, extending from the dark and holding a string of pearls spelling out "good for you" -- is the latest painting featured in the "Art on the Move" series.
The pearls were used to add a different angle to the phrase, the meaning of which depends heavily on its tone, Scott (senior-art) said.
"It is rare for that phrase to sound sincere," she said.
The inspiration for the painting -- which will be on display through Feb. 26 in the West Halls Cultural Lounge, Room 125 Waring Commons -- came while playing with a string of pearls, Scott said. She thought the pearls looked elegant hanging from her hands.
"Grandma's Pearls" is part of Scott's "College Series," a collection of art based on photos that mostly depict scenes around campus of students engaged in drinking activities at bars and frats, said Faye Kendall, communications assistant for the HUB-Robeson Galleries.
There is a flatness in the paintings reflecting the photos, Kendall added.
"It is really just representational, not photo-realism," Scott said. "A photograph instantly and effortlessly picks up every detail that is in its viewfinder, yet as soon as it becomes a painting the effortlessness dissipates. I want my paintings to still hold that effortless quality."
Scott has been interested in art since she was 10 years old, according to a press release from the Robeson Gallery. When her great uncle passed away, she inherited his painting supplies and has focused on oil painting ever since.
In the past, Scott's paintings have featured figures in modern situations mimicking historical poses, said Gina Castellino (senior-art), who shared a studio with Scott last year.
"Kate's work is always exploring things in her life," Castellino said. "She's really starting to get into it more, investigating what interests her."
Her current work looks at the differences between maturity and immaturity, as well as highbrow and lowbrow, Scott said. Playing with the style of her work allows her to change the meaning of a piece from the photograph to the painting, she added.
Representatives of the "Art on the Move" program contacted Scott after the Apparitions and Caesuras exhibit that was to be featured was canceled.
"I was on their case about setting up a show in the HUB, and when the last exhibit was canceled, I guess they thought of me," Scott said.
