Serena Naidu knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue art.

Her family did not initially support her decision, but the junior came to the University and decided to chase her artistic inclinations.

She became a double art education and painting major.

“Ever since the second grade, I have been interested in art,” Naidu said. “I really decided I wanted to major in art when I was in high school.”

She got into oil painting in the 10th grade and realized that it was something she really enjoyed.

“I wanted to do something that made me happy,” she said. “I didn’t want to think about working, I just wanted to have fun.”

Currently, Naidu is working with the theme of “freedom.”

She chose the theme because of the freedom she has found in her direct study -— she now has the independence to paint whatever she wants to paint.

The work involves movement, lots of color and the freeing of one’s soul.

Naidu has many abstract pieces, including notions of butterflies in an abstracted background with different hues and colors to depict increased depth.

“There are a bunch of twists and flowing ribbons along with monarch butterfly motifs,” she said. “They are transparent and represent time, patience and freedom.”

She also paints dancers, exemplified by her piece depicting a salsa or flamenco dancer.

“The palette was really bold with the red and gold — representing flames,” she said. “I wanted a complex but exciting movement piece expressing the feelings of a spicy dancer.”

This young artist mainly paints with oil, but her love for creating does not stop there.

She has recently discovered an enthusiasm for sculpting wood.

As her interests change, they are reflected in her work.

Naidu is inspired by different things at different times.

“Currently it is about reflection, and right now I’m just having fun with doing abstract stuff,” she said.

Someone that inspires Naidu is Scottish artist Peter Doig.

“His palette and colors inspire me,” she said. “He’s connecting with nature in an abstracted way.”

Doig uses lots of layering with paint and Naidu says she takes a lot from him with regards to his process of making original art.

“I struggle with my process in art,” she said. “It takes a lot of patience and time to actually find something deeper than your initial idea.”

Naidu hopes that when she graduates, she will be able to join the Peace Corps and travel the world, collecting experiences that she can incorporate into her artwork in the future.

Ultimately, she wishes to come back, go to graduate school and become a professor of painting at the college level.

“I want to help guide students to think independently,” she said.

Naidu’s main goal is to expand people’s perception of art beyond that of just framed shapes and colors.

She wants to bring them into the art world by building their interest.

“Not everyone has access to art, and I’ve always wanted to bring art to the every day individual,” she said. “I want to show how art is a form of expression and how anyone can learn artistic techniques to communicate an idea.”