By Brianna Holcomb
Arts and entertainment editor

Music can be a major influence in artwork. It has a way of shaping the way we feel or think, even if we do not intend for it to do so. Suzie Marco’s gallery, “Volume,” explores what can happen when one openly allows music to influence their work.

While listening to a mixture of alternative and electronic music, Marco was able to create the pieces hanging up in Calkins Gallery.

Using whatever materials she could find, Marco created several pieces in her moleskin sketchbook, which she then scanned and enlarged in order to place them in the gallery. Her sketchbook was a part of the reason for the title of her gallery.

“I have been keeping this sketchbook with me everywhere I go and think of it as a sort of volume of my life,” Marco said.

The title’s other inspiration can be found in her use of music to spark her imagination and creativity.

The volume of a song when we are listening to it plays a role in how we interpret the lyrics and the meaning. Each song we listen to in our playlist can evoke a different emotion and Marco’s art captures the different emotions that she felt.

“For these specific works, I was really trying to see how different types of music would translate in my art. I made specific playlists for each piece and was able to see parts of the songs in each piece, which was really interesting to see.”

My personal favorite piece in the gallery features cut dollar bills pasted at the top of the page with neon pink, black, yellow and green colors dripping from them. It reminds me of the slime so commonly seen on old school Nickelodeon.

Other pieces feature less color like a black and white piece made up of different shapes and pictures resembling something of a musical mind trip.

Other pieces in her gallery feature more of a golden tone to them.

Marco unfortunately will not be showing another gallery this semester, but she plans to have one next school year.