Student Artist Spotlight: Pierce Keane
Pierce Keane is a current sophomore here at Bridgewater State University. Originally from Rayham, MA, Keane studies accounting. He loves music, radio, numbers, and of course, digital art.
He started to get into creating art around middle school, in which he fell in love with a specific project assigned by his teacher. He was told to cut out pieces of paper, specifically into 1-inch by 1-inch pieces, to eventually create a whole image. He enjoyed this project plenty, and he also loved the fact that his father put the art he made on the fridge for years. According to Keane, he figured he might as well continue doing something that he was really good at. So, he started becoming involved in digital and intricately measured art.
Keane’s talent is making pixelated art pieces, reminiscent of the 80s video game style that has always been his favorite. He explained that this pixelated, incredibly colorful style of art was difficult to find nowadays, especially as technology becomes more detailed. Because of this, he figured he might as well create what he wanted to see in the world. Oftentimes, Keane will take simple stand-still photos commonly found in art classes—simple things such as fruit, shapes, or blocks. Instead of taking the classic approach to these images, like sketching or painting, Keane inserts them to an XL file. Through this process, he transforms the image into multiple pixilated shapes that accurately match the color, shading, and dimensions of the stand-still.
This sounds simple but can take months to perfect. This is especially true for the images of his friends, photos that he loves to transform into pixelated pieces of art. When asked why he likes to create this type of art, Keane said, “[it] makes me feel happier, and it makes me feel good about myself because I can put effort into something and see the finished product. It feels as though I’ve accomplished a goal.”
Keane’s love for numbers is also a huge factor as to why he loves this specific style of art. The XL files come with measurements, and perfecting the image is oftentimes a numbers game; each pixel needs to match the image exactly, or it can be cause for a re-do. This is very evident in the photos he’s created of his friends.
These art pieces are often gifts for friends Keane has back home, who he only sees when they can meet together in between their college breaks. “Doing art for other people is a unique gift,” he says, “especially for friends. The effort that I put into it is a lot different than a card or spending money.”
If you want to hear more about Keane, check out his WBIM radio show, “Dad Rock Central,” on Fridays from 12–1.
