Becca Magner and her magazine spread
Becca Magner (junior-graphic design) has always been an artist. “I never did any sports or anything,” she said. “I was either playing piano, singing, dancing, writing, or drawing.”
Her love of art stems from her family, all of who are musicians. At family events, Magner remembers sitting around and playing music together. That’s when her love for the creative arts started. She also took many art classes in school and realized she had a knack for it.
Today, Magner’s favorite medium of expression is painting. “I like it because I like a lot of impressionist stuff,” she said. “I’m a very messy person, so you don’t have to be precise [with painting], it’s not a photograph.” For Magner, painting is a lot more expressive than any other medium.
The magazine spread
Her favorite piece of work to date is a magazine spread she did for a class. “The assignment was to just create a magazine spread, so I did mine based on the creative process, like dance, art, and others,” said Magner. “I took photographs and then splattered paint on them.” Included on every page of the magazine is one quote reflecting on art and the creative process.
Magner’s major is graphic design and she dreams of being the president of a cool, indie design studio. There would be no rules, no restrictions, “and I can do whatever I want.”
Becca and her Julius Caesar poster that won second place in a poster contest
Magner draws her inspiration from the past, especially the jazz age. Her favorite artists include Ella Fitzgerald, Langston Hughs, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec. She especially like Lautrec because of his passion for early graphic design and posters. She also has a love for Paris in the 1920s, and that is a lot of what Lautrec documented.
Schwab Auditorium Typography
She also draws her inspiration from a very personal place. “This is going to sound super cheesy, but I’m a very firm believer that art is the cumulation of everything you’ve ever experienced,” said Magner. “That’s why it’s so cool because everyone has a different life. So, if there’s a conversation you’ve had or a book that you’ve read, or a scene you saw, or a poster you painted, your voice is going to come out and project exactly what you’ve seen. The way I see it, inspiration is kind of out of your control.”
I enjoyed Becca’s art very much and I am very excited to see what the future has in store for her.