For Jenna Pirello, a CFA senior, painting is like playing a game of chess.
“I make a mark, then sit back and reflect,” she says, “Then I respond…it’s like I’m fighting against those initial marks.”
For Pirello, the creative process is part intuition and part careful calculation—an equation that originally drew her to painting.
Always artistic, but never having picked up a paint brush, Pirello arrived at BU adamant to study art.
“This is the only thing I want to be doing,” she says. “Few people succeed as artists, but that’s why I work 100x harder.”
Her relentless work has resulted in a wide portfolio—including everything from paintings to photography to sculpture.
Despite having dabbled in all of these mediums, Pirello ultimately chose to focus her formal education on painting. Still, she misses the physicality of sculpture, and often opts to work on big paintings to retain a sense of movement.
Pirello draws ideas from her environment; she admits to having an iPhone filled with photos of color combinations she happened upon while out and about. Everything is fair game when it comes to her inspiration.
Using brushes as big as mops, Pirello is currently working on a collection of abstract pieces that tower over her head, filled with more color and detail than can be grasped upon first view.
These pieces are a part of Pirello’s senior thesis project, a portion of which will be displayed in a public CFA exhibit with the work of other graduating seniors on May 13, from 6 to 8 pm. You can also spot her work gracing the walls of the GSU.
After graduation, Pirello plans to continue painting.
“Stopping painting would be the end,” she says, “I would get distracted by more practical things…I have been getting a lot for my efforts lately, and I am taking these minor successes as a good sign.”
Pirello hopes to soon get her own studio, where she can make a career doing what she loves most.
To see more of her work, stop by CFA on May 13th, or visit Pirello’s personal website at www.jennapirello.com.