Across a crowded art room of Art Club students on a brisk November Tuesday, Dadrehana Stewart ‘22 was perched atop a table methodically painting a tremendous tube black.   

“So I go[t] this tube from a construction classroom,” said Stewart. “I’m going to make a drawer organizer [from the tube].”

A drawer organizer, while an unexpected project, is not astray from Stewart’s other design projects. Stewart attends construction classes at City High, not art classes. However, this fact is irrelevant after looking through the Sophomore’s sketchbook. 

“My relationship with art is strong. I painted my lamp last night and I painted a mirror and some CDs and some cards.”

The paint from last night is still streaked on Stewart. She cites this medium as her favorite. 

Art has always interested Stewart. She’s frequently drawn during class since kindergarten. She describes learning new ways to maneuver the body through sketches in elementary school and the importance of those classes that have been in her development as an artist. However, she cites learning by herself as the most influential in her development as an artist. 

“You are your best teacher,” said Stewart. “I really recommend keeping all your old stuff because you really see your growth and your process throughout all the years. Even if it is just a few months, so much will change. You learn from your mistakes and you develop as you go on, even if you’re just painting a tube.”

Stewart attends City High’s Art Club, an unstructured segment of time for City High students to catch up on art assignments or to explore unfamiliar mediums such as glass, pottery, and sculpture. Art Club’s characteristic experimentation without consequences is why Stewart makes the trip to the art room each Tuesday after school. 

“It’s not a grade and I can do what I want,” said Stewart. “It’s just really fun not having to follow guidelines, not having to do this, or do that.”

As much as Stewart embraces experimentation, there exists a specific purpose for her projects; she would like to be an interior designer. This career choice would enable her to merge two aspects of her: construction and design with art. 

“If I can’t be creative and mix these things together,” said Stewart. “I won’t be able to do that job.” 

Stewart loves art for many reasons. She explains that it is a way to express one’s self, a de-stressor, and a fun way to pass the time. 

“When stuff starts being stressful, or honestly whenever I have the time to do something,” said Stewart. “I’m drawing.”

As Art Club ends its meeting, Stewart denounces the passage of time. She puts away her project and clean her paint brush. 

“I feel free in a sense, like a getaway,” Stewart said. “With homework, I feel like I’m being clawed-in, confined, but then I will stop doing that and focus on some art.”