In the month of March, student Nadine Graye ‘23 posted the pieces “Uro,” “To Take Me Away,” “Candlelight,” and “Drowning,” earning her the title of Contributor of the Month.

Graye says that her inspiration comes from her art teacher Mr. Ramirez, and in his class she uses a variety of unique photos to create her art.

“A lot of my projects go through Mr. Ramirez because I’m in his art class. I create some of them from reference photos and sketching.”

Graye comments on how the hardest part of her process often revolves around not being able to replicate what she sees in her mind. Ultimately, she often needs to improvise the details she can’t seem to capture initially.

“It’s difficult because you have a very specific vision but sometimes you can’t really replicate that, so you have to compromise with yourself.”

And after all her struggles with bringing her mental vision to life, Graye offers advice to fellow artists who may to be struggling with the same problem.

“Not all your pieces are going to be perfect. Not all my pieces are perfect, and I don’t like a lot of them, but it’s better to make them than to leave them in your brain. Just do it, all art is different and special. So why not just go for it?”

Graye confirms she will continue to pursue her art hobby in the near future, especially as she approaches adulthood.

“It’s one of my favorite hobbies, and I plan on doing it in college,” Graye says.